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okie, will do so, why is spinach bad for them?
my two tortoise
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Check out this thread it will help you understand what is in spring mix. http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-8672.html Spinach and chard both have oxalic acid as does dandelions most people feed dandelions already so cutting down on spinach or the chard help keep the levels lower. Some Greek Breeders actually feel that spinach in some subspecies of Greeks cause increased pyramiding though this has not been proven.
Spinach is high in oxalic acid which binds calcium. Growing torts need a heavy sprinkling of pure calcium powder (from a human supplement store or pet store) over everything they eat. You can use a salt shaker.
Agree with Robyn as a starting diet you can feed the spring mix, Grassland tortoise food, and Hibiscus. The Hibiscus can only be fed however if it is free from pesticides/fertilizers. Unless it is labeled organic and sold for humans to eat, it's likely full of chemicals to make it look pretty and not have bugs bite it. If you are not sure, the plant should sit for 3-6 months to leech out the chemicals. Can you grow some seeds in trays in your home? Let us know if you need lists of safe plants that are liked by torts. You would use organic potting soil, and trays or pots. Cat litter pans even work fine.
Grass from a park almost 100% sure will have chemicals. Also, most Greeks and Indian Stars won't eat grass.
Cabbages, bok choy, and similar can cause goiter and are also too starchy. Best to avoid these, or feed less than 5% of the total diet in my opinion (for example if you have them in the house already, but don't buy them for the tort).
Likely you won't get the torts to eat timothy hay (as it's just dried grass), but if you can, that is good for them. If it's cheap, buy a small bag. Worst case they may like to hide in a pile of it in the enclosure (my Russian tort does). Timothy hay is fine, but Alfalfa for example is bad as it's higher in protein. They do not need a high protein diet. In fact, you want a low protein diet. Out of the commercial diets available, we at the forum typically say to only use them as part of a varied diets, and only those that have more natural ingredients like the ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food and Mazuri.
Sounds like you're going down the right track! Can you let us know if there are any other lettuces in the produce section near you besides spring mix? Best wishes.
Agree with Robyn as a starting diet you can feed the spring mix, Grassland tortoise food, and Hibiscus. The Hibiscus can only be fed however if it is free from pesticides/fertilizers. Unless it is labeled organic and sold for humans to eat, it's likely full of chemicals to make it look pretty and not have bugs bite it. If you are not sure, the plant should sit for 3-6 months to leech out the chemicals. Can you grow some seeds in trays in your home? Let us know if you need lists of safe plants that are liked by torts. You would use organic potting soil, and trays or pots. Cat litter pans even work fine.
Grass from a park almost 100% sure will have chemicals. Also, most Greeks and Indian Stars won't eat grass.
Cabbages, bok choy, and similar can cause goiter and are also too starchy. Best to avoid these, or feed less than 5% of the total diet in my opinion (for example if you have them in the house already, but don't buy them for the tort).
Likely you won't get the torts to eat timothy hay (as it's just dried grass), but if you can, that is good for them. If it's cheap, buy a small bag. Worst case they may like to hide in a pile of it in the enclosure (my Russian tort does). Timothy hay is fine, but Alfalfa for example is bad as it's higher in protein. They do not need a high protein diet. In fact, you want a low protein diet. Out of the commercial diets available, we at the forum typically say to only use them as part of a varied diets, and only those that have more natural ingredients like the ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food and Mazuri.
Sounds like you're going down the right track! Can you let us know if there are any other lettuces in the produce section near you besides spring mix? Best wishes.
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i live in an apt, doubt i could grow some in this weather. but i would love to try grow them and find the seeds in hk or online.
i thought iceberg lettuce was a no no and was kinda worried about the others as well. but i can get rommaine, [red, green, curly lettuce, ]. buttercup lettuce, the chinese lettuce that looks like an arrow(which they love).
the more i learn about these beautiful creatures the more sorry i feel for the 100s of them sold daily at the petstores in hong kong for better feng shui reasons. they advise u to just put them in a 24inch glass tank and sell u one uv/uvb basking light in one (which now i know is obviously too hot for them in a hot cage) dont teach about temperature gradient, the right veggies to eat (as they push u to feed the multi coloured food and any random vegetables)
maybe i should start a once a week tortoise club for pple living in aisa, to share and learn more about them.
what ever it is, once my contract for my house is over, i am going to find one with a balcony so i can build turtle tables in the open for them. gotta wait ayr for them, till then i walk them in the concrete path 3 times a week.
another question, both of them r such picky eaters... they only like bak choy, choi sum and the arrow chinese lettuce.
hope they will change their eating habbits soon. such notti ones.
i thought iceberg lettuce was a no no and was kinda worried about the others as well. but i can get rommaine, [red, green, curly lettuce, ]. buttercup lettuce, the chinese lettuce that looks like an arrow(which they love).
the more i learn about these beautiful creatures the more sorry i feel for the 100s of them sold daily at the petstores in hong kong for better feng shui reasons. they advise u to just put them in a 24inch glass tank and sell u one uv/uvb basking light in one (which now i know is obviously too hot for them in a hot cage) dont teach about temperature gradient, the right veggies to eat (as they push u to feed the multi coloured food and any random vegetables)
maybe i should start a once a week tortoise club for pple living in aisa, to share and learn more about them.
what ever it is, once my contract for my house is over, i am going to find one with a balcony so i can build turtle tables in the open for them. gotta wait ayr for them, till then i walk them in the concrete path 3 times a week.
another question, both of them r such picky eaters... they only like bak choy, choi sum and the arrow chinese lettuce.
hope they will change their eating habbits soon. such notti ones.
Romaine is likely in the spring mix. Yes, no iceberg. As long as your house is kept warm enough for you, likely plants can be grown just fine. Hopefully they love the spring mix as that is a much improved start to a diet. What did they eat before you got them? How long have you had them?
Kate do you have a specific brand of calcium powder in mind? I still need to get some. I sprinkle TNT on his greens daily and he also has a cuttlebone which he nibbled on once, but I would like to get a supplement to ensure he is definitely getting enough calcium.
Crazy1 said:Stace you will be happy to know that Greeks don't really like grass even wheat grass much. It seems they have difficulty digesting the silica in the grasses. They are definitely the broadleaf weed eaters
Wow thats interesting Robs !!!! Thanks for that
Now how on earth I am going to find broad leaf weeds in the desert is beyond me hahahaha. Are there seeds I can buy to grow my own? A new organic store opened down the road from our apartment, I'm going to check it out this wknd to see what all they have there!
I use Calcium carbonate that you get at the drug store for people. It is pure calcium and you can get it in fine grain. Plus it is cheaper than reptile calcium. But I just use a pinch if used daily. I have Greeks and DT and too much can be bad also as if it is not excreated can aid in the cause of stones. If the Tort is on a good diet I would use 1 to 2 times a week and just a bit as pure calcium goes a long way.
If you go to [email protected] for a limited time you can get a free jar of calcium supplement with stontium which they say creats stronger bones and egg shell development. I have also used Repti Calcium all without D3 as I use uvb bulbs or sunlight so I do not need the D3.
If you go to [email protected] for a limited time you can get a free jar of calcium supplement with stontium which they say creats stronger bones and egg shell development. I have also used Repti Calcium all without D3 as I use uvb bulbs or sunlight so I do not need the D3.
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tortoisenerd, i found my greek tortoise when i was walking my dog, he was most prob dumped. cause no escaped tortoise could end up in a road next to a flyover surrounded by buildings. as for my star i got him in the pet shop. he was only fed tortoise food and bak choy. so i would like them to be healthier
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