South African leopard tortoise, Torti ... a nice read!

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

I really enjoyed reading this blog post by water colour artist, Maree Clarkson. Here is a little bit about her and the link about her tortoise:

I live on an 8.5ha smallholding in Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa, which is situated on the border of The Cradle of Humankind. I'm passionate about sketching and painting, animals, birds, nature, Moleskine note books, the beach, crystals, useless information, technology, blogging, networking, my MAC, my Landrover, positivity, gardening and discovering anything new in life.

I am a watercolour artist, taking inspiration for my art from nature and anywhere else I see fit. My inspiration is easily stimulated - a certain shape, an interesting line or shadow, a beautiful colour, the curve of a leaf as it gently sways in the wind, something somebody says or a song, a pebble as it lays half covered by sand on the beach... the beauty of nature far surpasses anything man-made, and I can only but try to represent it as I see it.

http://hedgiesjoy.blogspot.com/2013/05/caring-for-your-leopard-tortoise.html

 

[Leo1986]

I really enjoyed reading this blog post by water colour artist, Maree Clarkson. Here is a little bit about her and the link about her tortoise:

I live on an 8.5ha smallholding in Tarlton, Gauteng, South Africa, which is situated on the border of The Cradle of Humankind. I'm passionate about sketching and painting, animals, birds, nature, Moleskine note books, the beach, crystals, useless information, technology, blogging, networking, my MAC, my Landrover, positivity, gardening and discovering anything new in life.

I am a watercolour artist, taking inspiration for my art from nature and anywhere else I see fit. My inspiration is easily stimulated - a certain shape, an interesting line or shadow, a beautiful colour, the curve of a leaf as it gently sways in the wind, something somebody says or a song, a pebble as it lays half covered by sand on the beach... the beauty of nature far surpasses anything man-made, and I can only but try to represent it as I see it.

http://hedgiesjoy.blogspot.com/2013/05/caring-for-your-leopard-tortoise.html

Good read! Thanks for sharing
Curious to know your thoughts on her diet... Specifically the protein sources she uses.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

That was very interesting. Yes. One the one hand, no dog or cat food. But then she does the cooked chicken. Also the celery. But look at the enclosure. Major part of Torti's diet is grasses, as it should be. And talk about hydration. Notice how she says Torti spends a lot of time in the pond. I also found the comment about lettuce being antibacterial very fascinating. I think the bottom line is that as long as our tortoises' diet are met with variety, key element, variety of foods, a rainbow a day at the very least and lots of grass fiber like Torti, then occasional supplements, like the cooked chicken, seems okay and perhaps even healthy for them. Look at Torti. Gorgeous. : )

 

[Tom]

I know of no one that has done nutritional studies on SA leopards and what they need or what is best. All accounts I know of, including my own, are best guesses based on what little tidbits we do know. I do know that wild sulcatas do eat carrion when the opportunity presents itself. I've also read that mammal feces does constitute a large portion of the leopards diet at least in some parts of the range where they have been observed. Having been there myself, there were no heads of lettuce or celery stalks growing where they occur in the wild.

I think BeeBee is right on here. Lots of variety with a base of grass.

One of the presenters at this years TTPG shared photos and his experiences with his visit to South Africa and its tortoises. The man is a botanist as well as a successful tortoise keeper, and he was amazed that the number of species of flowering plants in that part of SA was something like more than three times the number in all of CA. I think he said there are 6500 in CA and more than 22,000 in SA. To say that leopards get a variety in the wild would be the understatement of the year.

I enjoyed the piece and the enclosure. I don't think I will be adding chicken or dog food to the diet of my leopards, but soaked Mazuri does look and smell an awful lot like something that a mammal might excrete...

Thanks for posting BB.

 

[Pokeymeg]

Very interesting read! Especially her thoughts on lettuce. Is this a common belief about lettuce in SA?

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

The lettuce statement was very interesting. How many tortoises from old days lived on nothing but lettuce and although missing many other nutrients, still lived. Dare I say, parasite free, perhaps? And perhaps because they ate only lettuce. I am thinking back in the 60's and 70's here in California where it seemed everyone had desert tortoises in their yard and most ate grass and lettuce, that's it. Oy, what were people thinking? Oh wait, they weren't. And perhaps it wasn't super duper bad. Just not enough variety of things.

So check it out, on chelonian.org, the website for the World Chelonian Trust:

Lets explode the myth about lettuce: It is high in nitrates and is converted in the mouth into compounds that produce nitric oxide - a potent antibacterial chemical. The "disinfectant" effect of this chemical was tested and salivary production was high enough to kill even E.coli 0157 (the deadly bacterium that is so often responsible for outbreaks of food poisoning). A small trial conducted with volunteers on a trekking expedition through Nepal and Tibet showed that those who took nitrate tablets suffered less vomiting, diarrhea and infections than the rest who did not. Contents: Protein 0.9g, Carbohydrates 2.9g, Fat 0.9g, Fiber 0.5g, Phosphorus 22mg, Calcium 20mg, Iron 0.5mg, Sodium 9mg, Potassium 175mg, Vitamin A 330iu, B1 0.06mg, B2 0.06mg, B3 o.3mg, B6 0.005mg, Folic acid 10.3mcg, Vitamin C 6mg, Vitamin E 0.5mg. So often I hear people "barring" the use of lettuce or condemning it as a "bad" food. Its not all bad, and along with a good balanced diet can actually be beneficial. What is NOT recommended is a diet of lettuce alone as this will not provide all the nutrients your tortoise needs.

Here is the link for further reading: http://www.chelonia.org/articles/mistypardaliscare.htm

So, I guess this is where the author did her research. And applied it to her Torti's care. Rock on! Good to know.