Treats

[missjmg19]

Give him a little treat!
You all deserve it!
No need to give treats at all, of course, but I think most of us do it occasionally.
Up to you, chuck it in or cut it up, he'll love it all the same.

So, is a carrot okay? Or, will he choke on that? What about bell peppers?

 

[missjmg19]

So, is a carrot okay? Or, will he choke on that? What about bell peppers?

And, do I cut up the carrot or just put it in there? I've heard carrots can be good occasionally for beak maintenance.

 

[Pearly]

Thanks Tom. My concern continues to be: is there a safe way to wash things to ensure that they are safe for eating? Other than what grows in my own yard, I have no idea whether there are pesticides. For example: I'm on east coast so things like hibiscus are annuals when grown outdoors. I buy them at nursery so I know that in all liklihood there are pesticides that have been used. Does washing them/ rinsing them remove the toxin or will they still be unsafe?

I'm glad you asked about it instead of making assumptions. Great majority of big garden centers use systemic pesticides. The best way to tell is when you walk in and see lush plants and trays of different colors all looking gorgeous... they have been treated with something! I planted couple of nursery plants in my tort garden but I had bought them 7-8 months ago, repotted in my own soil, let them sit in those new pots and grow out while I keep flushing them out with water. Those are the plants I planted in tort enclosure mainly for shade now. The plants for food i either start from the seed or get from little dinky country nursery run by old hippies here in Austin. There plants look like my garden, there are bugs and snails on them during the certain bug and snail "season". This is the only place I trust to buy a plant to pick off some leave to put on my babies plate. My nursery plants will grow out and be repotted and roots flushed couple times over next several months bfr I'm comfortable to harvest them. That goes fir all ornamental plants. Any human edible plants I assume to be safe for torts if they pass safety human consumption inspection

 

[JoesMum]

As with all sweet food (e.g. fruit, bell pepper, carrot, tomato) it should be fed very sparingly and very occasionally. Banana is too sweet and must not be fed by the way.

Too much and too often causes digestive and kidney problems.

I'd grate carrot as it is pretty hard. It depends on the size of the tort as to whether or not you chop other stuff. Big torts can just chomp it.

My 7lb Greek takes bites out of windfall apples when he gets chance - I try to make sure he doesn't, but occasionally he beats me to it.

Otherwise, I don't feed sweet stuff. His treats are dandelion flowers or similar that I pick for him.

Oh and he adores clover flowers they're pretty sugary too which is why bees go for them. I have watched him walk from flower to flower on the lawn eating them.

 

[missjmg19]

As with all sweet food (e.g. fruit, bell pepper, carrot, tomato) it should be fed very sparingly and very occasionally. Banana is too sweet and must not be fed by the way.

Too much and too often causes digestive and kidney problems.

I'd grate carrot as it is pretty hard. It depends on the size of the tort as to whether or not you chop other stuff. Big torts can just chomp it.

My 7lb Greek takes bites out of windfall apples when he gets chance - I try to make sure he doesn't, but occasionally he beats me to it.

Otherwise, I don't feed sweet stuff. His treats are dandelion flowers or similar that I pick for him.

Oh and he adores clover flowers they're pretty sugary too which is why bees go for them. I have watched him walk from flower to flower on the lawn eating them.

Thanks...... he is 5 year old russian...... I had heard that carrots helped with beak maintenance (is this untrue?) which is why I wasn't sure if we should chop it or not. We have never done any actual fruit, so no worries there. To date, have also used dandelion (from produce market now because no more around outside here) for treats. And, when we go out back for "exercise" he will definitely wander until he finds clover and sorrel!

 

[JoesMum]

Thanks...... he is 5 year old russian...... I had heard that carrots helped with beak maintenance (is this untrue?) which is why I wasn't sure if we should chop it or not. We have never done any actual fruit, so no worries there. To date, have also used dandelion (from produce market now because no more around outside here) for treats. And, when we go out back for "exercise" he will definitely wander until he finds clover and sorrel!

Gnawing on carrot would help with beak maintenance, I agree. Cuttlebone is better as it also helps with calcium.

If you did put a large piece in then let him gnaw on it, but don't let him have the lot. Take it out. And I'd do it no more than once a month in any case.

Also take care when he's out. It only takes you being distracted for a second and you will lose him. It happens frequently on TFO. Tie a large coloured bow round him so you can find him easily if he does make an escape bid.

 

[missjmg19]

Gnawing on carrot would help with beak maintenance, I agree. Cuttlebone is better as it also helps with calcium.

If you did put a large piece in then let him gnaw on it, but don't let him have the lot. Take it out. And I'd do it no more than once a month in any case.

Also take care when he's out. It only takes you being distracted for a second and you will lose him. It happens frequently on TFO. Tie a large coloured bow round him so you can find him easily if he does make an escape bid.

Oh....we have two cuttlebones in there......he seems to move them around but that's about it. And, when outside, I hover like a protective mama bear. At first he would pull head into shell when I got too close. Now, he's given up and happily wanders around. Sometimes he looks at me as if to say "I was waiting for you to show up!" My son is in "charge" of watching him but I know better than to trust a 13 year to do that, so mama bear happily walks around with Twizzler and we both get exercise.

 

[missjmg19]

Red Bell Pepper and Carrot....... today was TREAT day!!! Tried explaining to Twizzler that this was it for at least a few weeks!

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Red Bell Pepper and Carrot....... today was TREAT day!!! Tried explaining to Twizzler that this was it for at least a few weeks!

Tidgy lies to me, big eyes clearly saying, "I haven't had a treat in months", when it was only yesterday.
naughty tort.

 

[missjmg19]

Tidgy lies to me, big eyes clearly saying, "I haven't had a treat in months", when it was only yesterday.
naughty tort.

Trust me, Twizzler will be saying the same thing when we put in spring mix, kale, and turnip greens tomorrow! He couldn't get at this stuff fast enough.