Picking and drying for winter food

[Len B]

Every fall I hate to see all the leaves I use for tortoise food change colors and fall to the ground, I have noticed that some of my tortoises eat dried leaves., especially the large sulcata he cleaned up leaves along the back fence all winter, they were mostly grape and maple,he wont touch the maple leaves if they are green, and doesn't eat the grape leaves right from the vine, I have to pick them for him and put them in a pile. This year I am picking leaves from the plants I use all summer and am drying the leaves in the hopes that they will eat them when everything is used up except store bought. yesterday I picked from mulberry, ash, honeysuckle, grape, hardy hibiscus, and ginkgo,to do a test dry, to see how it works. I blanched a large colocasia leaf and stem and froze it to see what it looks like after thawing,(which it is doing now). anyone else tried dried leaves for food before,and do you think it's worth the effort ?

 

[RonHays]

I like it! Only us tort owners can understand this way of thinking.

 

[Len B]

Today I tested the dried out leaves on the mep and mee and they loved it, I crumbled up dried colocasia, malagna, and alocasia leaves and dissolved some mazuri in water and when the mazuria water was mixed with the finely crumbled leaves it made a paste like substance,Now that I know they will eat it I can add other types of leaves and weeds to the mix for winter feeding when the live plants are not available locally.The best part is,dried leaves and weeds are easy to store. They ate the blanched leaf and stem, but using the dried leaves is much easier.

 

[Yvonne G]

When I was buying supplies to make my biological filter for the snapper tub I bought two different garbage cans to see which one worked better. I'm going to collect some mulberry leaves and store them in the empty garbage can with the lid on and see if they last long enough to feed. Thanks for the idea.

 

[terryo]

I dry out grape leaves, hibiscus, dandelion, and plantain. During the Winter months, I crumble some up and add it to my mix for the young box turtles that are inside, and tortoises. If I make enough it will last to the Spring. I store it in the garage in a big plastic bin. I don't close the bin or it will get mold and as long as it has air, and no humidity or dampness, it will last very well.

 

[Len B]

It's been so hot and dry here that I have been drying them in a nylon mesh clothes hampers and open cardboard boxes,setting in the back of the pickup. I am going to crumble them and store in marked paper bags,otherwise I will forget whats what.