thoughts on this diet

[mase01]

hi yallll,

i have had a hermann for the last 7 years from birth, decided to change this diet recently just to add more varity.
just wanted peoples thoughts on it.
im from the north east of england so im having to buy shop greens, rather than growing or looking for my own.

the danelion/plantain mix is the prorep tortoise leaf mix off www.internetreptile.com

​

 

[zolasmum]

Hello from Devon. Our Hermanns tortoise, Zola, is 25, and we have had him since he was a baby,too.We do give him quite a lot of supermarket greens -watercress, rocket, pea shoots,lambs lettuce -his favourite food is radicchio - the little bits in mixed salad are not much use, but we have found a supplier who has whole ones, and we get 3 at a time, because the place is a long drive away - they keep pretty well in the fridge.
Here Zola is, showing how much he loves them ! I just give him one leaf a day.
He also has a tiny bit of Nutrobal on his food once a week. He loves dandelion leaves, and sometimes clover.We have recently started giving him a few Delite Hikari Mulberific pellets, soaked in water, and he really likes them, too.
Angie

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

In terms of variety, I always think that the more the merrier. As far as grocery store greens go, you might want to consider trying other endives like escaroles, leaf chicory or frise (as a replacement to chicory on some weeks). As far as endives go, my tortoise seems to especially love radicchio, which has a really bitter taste.

Rocket and water cress both belong in the brassicacae family. They can be replaced on some weeks with Chinese cabbage, curly kale or radish leaves.

On top of these I occasionally give my tortoise less nutritionally dense foods as "treats" just to add even more variety, but this isn't necessary. I mean foods like ice berg lettuce, romaine lettuce, cucumber and courgette. The latter two my tortoise loves, but they really have to be fed in strong moderation.

Another thing you could do to add even more variety is look for an alternative to the leaf mix you have to add to the rotation. This could be pellets etc. I know @Littleredfootbigredheart recommends Arcadia Optimised 52, which has at least 52 species, sometimes 60+ species in the mix. On top of grasses and weeds it also has flowers and flower petals, with bee pollen, vitamin D3 and probiotics as additives. I personally have used Agrobs Testudo herbs, that also has 60+ species in it. These both are really healthy options, low in protein and high in fiber, but they might take a bit of getting used to.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

In terms of variety, I always think that the more the merrier. As far as grocery store greens go, you might want to consider trying other endives like escaroles, leaf chicory or frise (as a replacement to chicory on some weeks). As far as endives go, my tortoise seems to especially love radicchio, which has a really bitter taste.

Rocket and water cress both belong in the brassicacae family. They can be replaced on some weeks with Chinese cabbage, curly kale or radish leaves.

On top of these I occasionally give my tortoise less nutritionally dense foods as "treats" just to add even more variety, but this isn't necessary. I mean foods like ice berg lettuce, romaine lettuce, cucumber and courgette. The latter two my tortoise loves, but they really have to be fed in strong moderation.

Another thing you could do to add even more variety is look for an alternative to the leaf mix you have to add to the rotation. This could be pellets etc. I know @Littleredfootbigredheart recommends Arcadia Optimised 52, which has at least 52 species, sometimes 60+ species in the mix. On top of grasses and weeds it also has flowers and flower petals, with bee pollen, vitamin D3 and probiotics as additives. I personally have used Agrobs Testudo herbs, that also has 60+ species in it. These both are really healthy options, low in protein and high in fiber, but they might take a bit of getting used to.

This is all fabulous advice as always!

Yes I 100% recommend the Arcadia optimised 52! Fantastic product, it offers so much variety and balance to their diet if you can get them to take to it, our red foot loves it! Like genuinely there’s so much packed in there, it takes care of the variety side of things, especially during the colder months when weeds are harder to forage. You can rotate in your fresh store greens too

you soak each cube in water(quantities on packet) until it’s a mushy grassy texture, and add it on top of the fresh stuff, any left over can be stored in the fridge. Most tortoises love it, but it could take a while for him to get used to, they’re very stubborn by nature, so don’t worry if it takes weeks/months of attempts for him to eat it. It’s kind of on the pricey side, but I will say a little goes a long way! It’s a brilliant food fixer