Nutrition Information Desperately Needed (Leopard tortoise)

[TortNewbie]

I am looking into getting a leopard tortoise but i need some nutrition help. I have been reading for the past month about what they can eat and I guess I'm finding it a little confusing. I live in michgan so I obviously don't have access to year round grazing but I do own horses which get quality timothy hay and I've read you can give them hay but is that recomended for daily feeding till the tortoise can graze outside? If not what can I add till that can be an option?

 

[Rawbbeh]

RE: Nutrition Information Desperately Needed

Ohh let me answer this one!

Apart from some spring mix found in your local mart in the produce section. You can order a blend of "Grazing Tortoise Seeds" from the Carolina Pet Supply company.

http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=179

Grow it in flat-ish trays so that you can put them in your habitat so they can feed/graze at will. Bury the tray down in the substrate some so it is level with the ground and voila! A whole section of tastey grasses/weeds just for your tortoise!

Also, Mazuri tortoise diet is good to help supplement as well. It is kinda hard on its own, but soaking it briefly in water will soften the nuggets right up.

Hope that's a good start for you.

 

[Jacob]

RE: Nutrition Information Desperately Needed

You Can Feed Spring Mix, Oputina Cactus, Dark leafy greens, grass, weeds, muzuri, when its older it will eat hay
theres many threads on leopard you can look up.

 

[Tom]

RE: Nutrition Information Desperately Needed

Most leopards won't eat dry hay. That is more for big sulcatas. Everything listed above is good. Here's my list:
Weeds, lots of different types, see the plant ID section for some ideas. Mallow, dandelion, sow thistle, wild mustard, filaree, etc...
Fresh grass. Mine will eat it if I mix it in with other stuff.
Spring mix or leafy greens from the store. My least favorite, but it works and its easy.
Mulberry leaves.
Rose, rose of sharon and hibiscus leaves.
Occasional flowers. Rose of sharon, rose, hibiscus, gazania, etc... Look up the right species.
Mazuri tortoise chow. I feed it twice a week or so.
Spineless opuntia cactus pads.

 

[TortNewbie]

Thank you all for getting back to me so fast. Im trying to learn everything I need to know before I actually get one and my worst fear is being responsible if something was to go wrong because I wasn't prepared enough. About how long does it take for the seeds to start growing?

 

[Yvonne G]

Here's a link to our thread on what to feed desert-dwelling tortoises:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...ed-Greeks-Russians-Sulcatas-etc#axzz1mqORtUEM

Hi TortNewbie:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

What would you like us to call you?

 

[Tom]

Thank you all for getting back to me so fast. Im trying to learn everything I need to know before I actually get one and my worst fear is being responsible if something was to go wrong because I wasn't prepared enough. About how long does it take for the seeds to start growing?

It varies depending on a lot of factors. Usually 2-10 days for most different types of seeds.

 

[TortNewbie]

Here's a link to our thread on what to feed desert-dwelling tortoises:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...ed-Greeks-Russians-Sulcatas-etc#axzz1mqORtUEM

Hi TortNewbie:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

What would you like us to call you?

Lol im not sure i guess my user name is fine or just tortnewb
and thank you.

 

[TortNewbie]

Ok so Leopard tortoises are very hard to come by around here apparently something was changed in michigan making them a lot harder to find and I refuse to have a live animal shipped but I have found several younger Sulcatas around here. I've seen a lot of books that center around both at the same time but how much of a difference is there? What kind of stuff nutrition wise should I be looking at? I dont plan to get one for a little while yet at least till I know what I need and everything is set.

 

[TortNewbie]

Ok so I guess I won't be getting a leopard tortoise. I live in michigan and it is apparently extremely hard to find one without having the poor thing shipped which I will NEVER do. But on the other hand I have found several sulcatas in the area. Every book I've seen always has leopard and sulcata together. How much of a difference is there between the two and what sort of nutritional differences would I have to be aware of. I have done a little bit of reading and I will NOT get a tortoise till I know everything I should know and till I have everything set up and ready to go.

 

[Greg T]

Since both are African torts and very similar, the biggest difference will be size. Sulcata's will get MUCH larger than a leopard, talking twice as big or more over time. Unless you have a large back yard and don't mind it being torn up, you should re-think getting a sulcata. They are great torts, as are leopards, but the size is somthing most people don't truly consider. Being in Michigan, you will have to figure out how to keep it indoors when it gets cold for several years until it gets big enough to handle the weather.

People ship torts all the time, so while it may be uncomfortable for them short term, it will be much nicer once they get to their new home full of love. You can also look to see if there are any reptile shows coming up in your area. They usually have lots of breeders who may have leopards. I bought one that way and he is thriving now. Good luck!

 

[yagyujubei]

I'm curious why you're dead set against shipping. Have you had bad experiences in the past? I'm in Ohio, and have had many shipping experiences with no problems.If I had to find a local breeder, I wouldn't have any.

 

[Rawbbeh]

I have to agree with Greg T (hey there from just north of ya in NW Houston!)

Shipping them overnight is really not that bad. They are handled carefully and the overall shipping experience is less than 24 hours.

I posted a thread just the other day about the seed mix from the Carolina Pet Supply: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Look-at-what-I-have-growing#axzz1n1gi28em

This is after a week or so of growing. Since they are growing in clear tubs, I could watch them grow. After 1 day, roots were already growing down...by day 2 I had sprouts. by day 5 I had a jungle. Needless to say. I put my first tray in with Bosse yesterday and he has been munching on it almost non stop. The little guy is in absolute heaven right now!

 

[Tom]

Greg is right about the size and destructiveness of sulcatas. They are an awesome tort. My favorite species, but you will go to considerable expense trying to house and heat them during you many long months of winter. My sulcatas live in a 7000 sq ft. pen, and it "feels" cramped to me. Housing one indoors over a long winter will be quite a challenge. A leopard would be much easier to accommodate, even though it will present its own challenges. The only major dietary difference is that I would provide much more grass for a sulcata and more of the other good stuff for a leopard.

And I agree with yagyujubei about the shipping. It happens every day all over the country and there is seldom an issue.

 

[TortNewbie]

See i live in the country we have a lot of acreage and the area and size isn't really a problem at alll and it is fenced in very well since our dog is a major digger as well. Keeping it housed indoors is a thought I've given a lot of thought too and I know how im going to deal with that so the only problem I have is getting one since its hard to find them around here. I have had a few bad experiences with shipping animals. I have never had a turtle shipped but several of my friends are big into reptiles and invertabrates but theyve always had issues with shipping and we did too because we have had to ship animals in the past and it didn't always work out. I would be too afraid something would happen shipping it like we had happen to the lizards a few times. I am new to the tortoise world but Ive had several reptiles turtles included in the past we foster animals constantly and weve kept a few but a tortoise is somewhat new.

Have any of you had any sort of horror story shipping a tort?

 

[Neal]

Have any of you had any sort of horror story shipping a tort?

Horror stories are probably rarer than you might think.

We have had many hundred turtles and tortoises shipped to and from us with only one issue. We purchased a group of box turtles which were sent to us via UPS. The address on the label was correct, but the driver wasn't paying attention and delivered it to house # 1953 instead of # 1935. We didn't find that out until the end of the day when our neighbors got home...but by that time the turtles were cooked.

Shipping accidents happen, but again they are rare.

 

[TortNewbie]

I found someone that comes to this side of the state that has one for sale so I won't have to worry about shipping. One of my friends had a horror story with shipping a skink. It came out alive but they had to pay a ton in vet bills to save the poor thing. We also lost a few lizards ourselves shipping them.