New marginated tortoise set up, supplies, and troubles

[freefood]

Since baby tortoises are prey, it makes them feel safer to be able to hide. Your habitat is wide open and very stressful for a baby prey item.

I have one log right now, what else can I get? Should I grow some plants or something, and provide another hiding place? Pet stores are really expensive, so what's a good store for this kind of stuff?

Finally, right now I have been feeding my tortoise napa, celery, and spinach. I've been trying to get some cactus pads but haven't found any stores that have them yet.

 

[Yvonne G]

Wow! Bryan:

I hate to say it because you're trying so hard, but that's really not a good diet for any tortoise. Cabbage (Napa) is a goitrogen, celery is just fiber with hardly any nutrients and spinach should be fed very sparingly. Spinach has a high calcium content. However, the oxalate content in spinach also binds with calcium, decreasing its absorption. Goitrogens are substances that suppress the function of the thyroid gland by interfering with iodine uptake, which can, as a result, cause an enlargement of the thyroid, or a goiter.

There's got to be some greens that you can find to feed. If I'm remembering correctly you live in SoCal. Any grocery store should carry good greens for your tortoise. Things like escarol, endive, turnip greens, even the packaged salad mixtures like Spring Mix, Santa Barbara Mix, etc. Your store might sell the cactus all cut up and packaged in a bag labeled "Nopalitas" or "Nopales"

 

[freefood]

Wow! Bryan:

I hate to say it because you're trying so hard, but that's really not a good diet for any tortoise. Cabbage (Napa) is a goitrogen, celery is just fiber with hardly any nutrients and spinach should be fed very sparingly. Spinach has a high calcium content. However, the oxalate content in spinach also binds with calcium, decreasing its absorption. Goitrogens are substances that suppress the function of the thyroid gland by interfering with iodine uptake, which can, as a result, cause an enlargement of the thyroid, or a goiter.

There's got to be some greens that you can find to feed. If I'm remembering correctly you live in SoCal. Any grocery store should carry good greens for your tortoise. Things like escarol, endive, turnip greens, even the packaged salad mixtures like Spring Mix, Santa Barbara Mix, etc. Your store might sell the cactus all cut up and packaged in a bag labeled "Nopalitas" or "Nopales"

I know this is a pretty bad diet, but is napa really that bad? There's a sticky on the food section that rates it pretty high up there for nutrition. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...orts-DT-Marginated-Greeks-Russians-Sullys-etc
Anyone know a good place to get Mazuri?

 

[Yvonne G]

One of our member will send you a free sample if you PM him:

spikethebest His name is Cory.

A couple other members sell Mazuri: Coastal, fel1958, I'm sure there are more, but that's all that I can think of right off.

 

[freefood]

Hey people, sorry for not updating this for a while. I totally forgot.

My tortoise is doing fine if you are wondering. She (pretty sure now) hasn't grown much though in the past 5 months. I've been feeding just leafy greens that this site recommended. She eats as much as I put. I haven't got any Mazuri yet, would that accelerate growth? And is that a good thing? No pyramiding yet.

Another concern: she likes to climb on top of the log hide. Of course, she tries to get off, and sometimes when I come home, she is flipped on her back. I know this is a very dangerous position, so how can I prevent this? I got a climbing rock thing from PetSmart yesterday, but she doesn't use it. It's a bit slippery for a turtle shell though, should I look again?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Bryan:

That is such good news! I'm so glad things are working out for your little Marginated tortoise.

 

[October]

Bryan, the angle on your log hide might be a little steep or slippery for your girlie. Try using some of your substrate to build up around it at a shallower angle. That should help. Good luck!

 

[freefood]

I bought the Mazuri turtle food on spikethebest's site, but it just shipped yesterday. It said all orders ship within 1 day, and I ordered on Friday but oh well. I won't be home for about 3 weeks, because I'll be on vacation, but I've set up someone to take care of her.

 

[freefood]

It's been a bit over a month, and I just wanted to let everyone know she is doing fine. Contrary to what I said before, the food did apparently ship the next day, and I got the Mazuri food the day before I left. She didn't really seem to like it at first, but I think she remembered eating it before, so now she eats almost the whole thing.

She has gotten heavier, but not much larger. I guess tortoise shells grow slower than they gain weight. I look forward to the day she'll show up as .2 pounds on my scale.