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My wife and I have recently bought a male Horsfield and we are needing a little advice as to what he can eat, is cooked beetroot ok?
Tortoise diet help & advice
- Thread starter HorsefieldDaddy
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- Jan 14, 2012
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Try raw vegetables, it helps wear the tortoise's beak down. Grasses, dandelions, and vegetables are good. Just make sure not to feed the tortoise spinach, bok choy, peas, beans, or cabbage.
This has additional information:
http://russiantortoise.net/russiantortoisediet.htm
This has additional information:
http://russiantortoise.net/russiantortoisediet.htm
Hi HorsefieldDaddy:
Welcome to the Tortoise forum!!
What would you like us to call you?
And may we know appx. where you are?
Beets might be ok as part of a more varied diet, but the normal things Russian tortoises eat are broad-leaf weeds and plants. There are many winter weeds outside now that you can safely feed once they're washed: sow thistle, prickly lettuce, mallow, any of the pansy/viola family, plantain, and from the store you can buy endive, escarole, turnip greens, Spring Mix, etc.
Welcome to the Tortoise forum!!
What would you like us to call you?
And may we know appx. where you are?
Beets might be ok as part of a more varied diet, but the normal things Russian tortoises eat are broad-leaf weeds and plants. There are many winter weeds outside now that you can safely feed once they're washed: sow thistle, prickly lettuce, mallow, any of the pansy/viola family, plantain, and from the store you can buy endive, escarole, turnip greens, Spring Mix, etc.
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Carrots in moderation.
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I use spring mix, and use bok choy, cabbage, carrots and spinach for variety. Maybe once a moth, I feed apples. Please note that fruits should be used in moderation.
Try to avoid root vegetables. They don't have such a good calcium
hosphorous ratio and are lacking in things like vitamins, minerals (especially calcium) and fibre. Russians need a diet that mainly comprises of weeds and wildflowers, with leafy greens when weeds aren't available. Opuntia cactus pads are also a good addition. Not saying you shouldn't feed vegetables; there's nothing wrong with feeding them from time to time as long as you have the important things in the diet.
Here's a list of weeds you can feed:
http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/Diet.htm#plantlist
http://tortoisetrust.org/articles/plantfoods.html
hosphorous ratio and are lacking in things like vitamins, minerals (especially calcium) and fibre. Russians need a diet that mainly comprises of weeds and wildflowers, with leafy greens when weeds aren't available. Opuntia cactus pads are also a good addition. Not saying you shouldn't feed vegetables; there's nothing wrong with feeding them from time to time as long as you have the important things in the diet.Here's a list of weeds you can feed:
http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/Diet.htm#plantlist
http://tortoisetrust.org/articles/plantfoods.html
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RE: Tortoise diet help & advice
Hi everyone and thank you for your help and advice! You can call me Rob and we are from the UK (north west) England to be more precise, we are doing our best for this little fella but I fear he was not properly cared for by his previous owner so we are doing all we can to provide the best diet and environment we can, Frankie is a 3rd child in our house :0)
Hi everyone and thank you for your help and advice! You can call me Rob and we are from the UK (north west) England to be more precise, we are doing our best for this little fella but I fear he was not properly cared for by his previous owner so we are doing all we can to provide the best diet and environment we can, Frankie is a 3rd child in our house :0)
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RE: Tortoise diet help & advice
Good news, I have discovered a Dandelion patch at the end of the garden and Frankie loves them, I went all over town yesterday to find something for him to hide in when he's in his viv but there are no local pet shops that stock anything, does anyone have any useful and cheapish website's that stock anything for him?
Good news, I have discovered a Dandelion patch at the end of the garden and Frankie loves them, I went all over town yesterday to find something for him to hide in when he's in his viv but there are no local pet shops that stock anything, does anyone have any useful and cheapish website's that stock anything for him?
Just use a plant pot turned on its side, partially submerged in the substrate for a hide.
Opaque plastic containers turned upside down with a door cut work well too.
You can get a lot of useful tort things at hardware stores, even substrate (organic topsoil, fine orchid bark, etc.). Generally less expensive!
Think about ordering the seeds mentioned above: you can sprout them in trays (and in his summer enclosure )
Since it is winter, an important step is to make sure Frankie has good lighting, with UV and heat. Usually, they don't need heat at night if your house does not get <15C at night. In fact, they prefer a temperature drop, then basking to warm up in the morning.
Sounds like Frankie has fallen into good hands!
Opaque plastic containers turned upside down with a door cut work well too.
You can get a lot of useful tort things at hardware stores, even substrate (organic topsoil, fine orchid bark, etc.). Generally less expensive!
Think about ordering the seeds mentioned above: you can sprout them in trays (and in his summer enclosure
)Since it is winter, an important step is to make sure Frankie has good lighting, with UV and heat. Usually, they don't need heat at night if your house does not get <15C at night. In fact, they prefer a temperature drop, then basking to warm up in the morning.
Sounds like Frankie has fallen into good hands!
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RE: Tortoise diet help & advice
We have the lighting and we have been turning them off at night, our heating is always set to 18c too as we have a baby in the house. I have been looking around town for such seeds but I can't seem to get hold of any around here, I am going to a DIY shop over the weekend though so I can build an outdoor enclosure for Frankie so hopefully I'll have some luck there, Frankie certainly enjoys his new home, there has been 3 separate evenings where he has come over and cuddled into me whilst I was lay on the rug and the little fella fell asleep it was unbelievably cute! He is not keen on his bath's though!
We have the lighting and we have been turning them off at night, our heating is always set to 18c too as we have a baby in the house. I have been looking around town for such seeds but I can't seem to get hold of any around here, I am going to a DIY shop over the weekend though so I can build an outdoor enclosure for Frankie so hopefully I'll have some luck there, Frankie certainly enjoys his new home, there has been 3 separate evenings where he has come over and cuddled into me whilst I was lay on the rug and the little fella fell asleep it was unbelievably cute! He is not keen on his bath's though!
M
Maggie Cummings
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RE: Tortoise diet help & advice
Thank you very much Maggie :0) Frankie didn't have any lighting at all when my wife went along to pick him up, he was not looked after at all, no heat or UV, I am a tad concerned in case this could have done any long term damage to our little fella.
Thank you very much Maggie :0) Frankie didn't have any lighting at all when my wife went along to pick him up, he was not looked after at all, no heat or UV, I am a tad concerned in case this could have done any long term damage to our little fella.
They are amazingly hardy. You can change his life now. So forward!
Get a bagged mix salad ('Rocket Mix', in UK?) to use as a base, and rotate 1-2 other greens from the list under the 'diet' section on the link Maggie provided until gone, then get 1-2 new greens and continue.
Sprinkle some calcium powder with D3 on the food very lightly about 2x per week.
Here is a good source for seeds in the UK (even in the US we usually have to mail order 'weeds', lol :
http://www.herbiseed.com/pets/home/mix.aspx
You can sprout them outside eventually, and in trays if you have a sunny window (don't worry, the tort will take over your house one way or another!)
Nice place to get supplies (including the powder and seeds as well), they have a forum specific to the UK as well!
http://www.shelledwarriorsshop.co.uk/
Get a bagged mix salad ('Rocket Mix', in UK?) to use as a base, and rotate 1-2 other greens from the list under the 'diet' section on the link Maggie provided until gone, then get 1-2 new greens and continue.
Sprinkle some calcium powder with D3 on the food very lightly about 2x per week.
Here is a good source for seeds in the UK (even in the US we usually have to mail order 'weeds', lol :
http://www.herbiseed.com/pets/home/mix.aspx
You can sprout them outside eventually, and in trays if you have a sunny window (don't worry, the tort will take over your house one way or another!)
Nice place to get supplies (including the powder and seeds as well), they have a forum specific to the UK as well!
http://www.shelledwarriorsshop.co.uk/
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You can buy weed seeds online from shelledwarriors.co.uk. Too many dandelions isn´t good.
Valerie
www.cactusinspain.com
Valerie
www.cactusinspain.com
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RE: Tortoise diet help & advice
Thanks for all your helpful advice! Frankie seems much happier now and his shell is slowly starting to return to its more natural rounded shape! just one more question, can he eat pineapple leaves? He has also started to show us his penis which was quite a shock at first but he must be happy if he is doing this right?
Thanks for all your helpful advice! Frankie seems much happier now and his shell is slowly starting to return to its more natural rounded shape!
just one more question, can he eat pineapple leaves? He has also started to show us his penis which was quite a shock at first but he must be happy if he is doing this right?
He is happy, and it is also Spring!
Can't answer about the pineapple leaves, but check out the tortoise trust website listed above. If you don't see a plant on there, you can email them, very helpful.
Can't answer about the pineapple leaves, but check out the tortoise trust website listed above. If you don't see a plant on there, you can email them, very helpful.
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RE: Tortoise diet help & advice
Thank you very much! Is this common in spring then? Our little fella is so much more active than he used to be! Although I caught him ramming a rock earlier over and over again and I'm a little worried about that, but in general he is 100% happier than we he first arrived!
Thank you very much! Is this common in spring then? Our little fella is so much more active than he used to be! Although I caught him ramming a rock earlier over and over again and I'm a little worried about that, but in general he is 100% happier than we he first arrived!
He is probably active because his conditions are so much better too, lucky for him. He is much happier. They do some strange things like ramming and climbing one spot repeatedly at times, but not to worry as long as they are bright eyed, eating, etc. Horsfields, especially males, can be very busy.
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RE: Tortoise diet help & advice
He is very busy generally apart from when his uv bulb broke, then he hid a lot with little movement! I was sceptical about getting a tortoise but my wife convinced me and I adore him he is a perfect pet! A wonderful addition to the family, I'm thinking about getting a female in the future and maybe breed are they ok to live together?
He is very busy generally apart from when his uv bulb broke, then he hid a lot with little movement! I was sceptical about getting a tortoise but my wife convinced me and I adore him he is a perfect pet! A wonderful addition to the family, I'm thinking about getting a female in the future and maybe breed are they ok to live together?
Russian males don't usually get along with females, they often pester and harass the poor female. A russian male won't encounter a female everyday in the wild so when one is introduced they usually think they have gone to tortoise heaven. Get another one if you wish but keep it superstate unless you are introducing them for breeding purposes. The male won't need more than 5 minutes or so to get the job done. As for pineapple leaves, I seem to recall the leaves are toxic, either way they are a tough leaf and I would avoid it on that principle alone.
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