RT food list help!

[sportychick]

Hi I have a young RT. Today will be the 2nd full day I have had him. I was feeding him dandelions leaves and flower yesterday and day before. Today I bought a mix bag with carrots lettuce Spinach... is this OK? What else can I feed my little guy. He doesn't drink or soak on his own so I do a soak 2-3 times each day.. thanks for any advice

 

[JoesMum]

Start by downloading the Tortoise Table's Plant Booklet

It's your handy guide to what to feed!

Carrots are OK in moderation, but should not form a large part of the diet. Your tort should mostly be eating leafy greens.

Check out produce you can buy and weeds you find in the Tortoise Table Plant Database; it's a brilliant resource and it means you can check out things that you are able to get... which isn't necessarily what others can get!

 

[dmmj]

Carrots once a month for my russians. They are very high in sugar believe it or not.

 

[sportychick]

This mornings feed was first time for carrots but he didn't seem to touch them lol

 

[sportychick]

Question , I have a rose bush growling outside my house only the leaves so far lol but can he have the leaves? Does it matter what kind of rose type things they eat?

 

[JoesMum]

Any kind of rose - leaves and flowers is fine... if you grow it yourself and you haven't been treating it for pests or fertilising it with chemicals.

Shop bought roses should never be fed

 

[sportychick]

OK thanks. And no its never been sprayed in my yard. I'm so bad at knowing which weeds are had for him. Want to find more variety for him.

 

[Blakem]

I only give my Russian a baby carrot to munch on once a month only to help keep the beak trimmed a little. Buy a bag of spring mix and that's should work well. Remember, your little one is still BRAND new! It's probably still in shock and won't be eating much for a little while. I soak my Russian around 3x a week and I've never seen him drink water. I try to mist his food with a spray bottle 3x a day or more, when needed. That is where he will get his water, along with the natural water in the veggies. Good luck! I've learned so much from this forum and I still have a lot to learn.

 

[JoesMum]

that plant booklet I put earlier on is great for comparing with any plants you find in your yard.

Of course, just because a plant is edible doesn't mean your tort will decide to eat it! That's another problem entirely!

 

[sportychick]

I only give my Russian a baby carrot to munch on once a month only to help keep the beak trimmed a little. Buy a bag of spring mix and that's should work well. Remember, your little one is still BRAND new! It's probably still in shock and won't be eating much for a little while. I soak my Russian around 3x a week and I've never seen him drink water. I try to mist his food with a spray bottle 3x a day or more, when needed. That is where he will get his water, along with the natural water in the veggies. Good luck! I've learned so much from this forum and I still have a lot to learn.

He doesn't have a problem eating. I'm almost afraid to over feed lol. He loves to eat! OK well I think I will give a daily soak once a day seems to be good for now so I don't worry all night that he's not getting enough. I have to go buy the spring mix. I have a bag I bought today and it has spinach,endive carrot (which he doesn't eat lol) and lettuce.

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Btw does anyone suggest a good time for a soak? Morning afternoon or evening?

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that plant booklet I put earlier on is great for comparing with any plants you find in your yard.

Of course, just because a plant is edible doesn't mean your tort will decide to eat it! That's another problem entirely!

so I hear... let the fun begin lol.. although I have a soon to be 5yr old son he's the same lol sometimes just gotta try again another day

 

[sportychick]

So this morning I gave him the leafs from the roses and he loved them also had him in the sun for an hour or so How long is enough or to much?

 

[sportychick]

Hello again lol OK just wondering if any weeds that grow near dandelions are OK and good for my tort? What is best to fed more of?

 

[JoesMum]

So this morning I gave him the leafs from the roses and he loved them also had him in the sun for an hour or so How long is enough or to much?

There's no such thing as too much sun... only too hot. As long as he can get into cool shade if he gets too hot, it's not a problem.

Hello again lol OK just wondering if any weeds that grow near dandelions are OK and good for my tort? What is best to fed more of?

Some might be, some might not be. If you're not sure, take some photos of the plants growing, post them in the Plant Identification Forum and we'll identify them for you.

 

[sportychick]

OK thanks I'll post some later he ate some.endive and rose.leafs today I'm sure I read both are good for him. He eats a lot. If he comes looking for food few hours later I can feed again right? I don't want to over feed

 

[JoesMum]

Rose is absolutely fine See here

Russians can be little piggies, eating everything going. However, he's growing , so it is to be expected. He's unlikely to become obese. As long as he's getting a good varied diet (no fruit) he should be fine. He might benefit from having a tray of supermarket 'living lettuce' or an edible plant like a spider plant in his viv that he can browse on.

 

[sportychick]

Living lettuce not sure what that is lol.. will have to look looks into it thanks. Yeah he's a little piggy love watching him munch away hes soooo cute

 

[JoesMum]

In our supermarkets, we can buy trays of salad leaves growing in compost. The idea is that you can pick a few leaves and let it continue to grow. They are great for tortoise enclosures as long as you remember to water them!

 

[sportychick]

How many days can my.tort have rose.leaves dandelions endive mix? Was thinking the strawberries leafs growing I. Garden with peppers and lettuce tomorrow

 

[JoesMum]

Just try to mix it up as much as possible - They can have it a few days in a row as long as she then doesn't get it for a while.

For the OK to feed regularly stuff, I try to make it one day in three for most things, or one week in three... it's not always possible, but just try to do it.