Update on Roxy

[Oceania]

Hello everyone, I havent posted anything since my introduction but I decided I would do a little update on my Desert Tort Roxy, hopefully this is the best place to put this.

She had started out in a 2ft octagon fish tank where she could barley move. I decided to take someones advice and luckily i had an old bookshelf in storage. I reinforced it well put a liner in it. Its perfect she can walk around and explore she loves to climb and dig so shes loving that.
I just got my tax's back and was going to get her the MVB light from petco but the lady there said amazon was cheaper for the same bulb. 28$ instead of 70$ that was exciting news! She should have it any day now. It gets really cold in my house so I am thinking on getting a heat emitter also. What is everyone's opinions on them?

Also for her diet I try to rotate leafy greens with broccoli, carrots etc... I tried spinich leafs she hates them haha. I got a Cactus Pad. Now sure how to prepare it for her. I took out the spines and cut it up in cubes.. now im conteplating on weather or not to feed it to her. I am 99.9% sure its the right cactus pad looks like this:

I tried to look how to on here but i didnt find much info on how to prepare it. to cook or not to cook it etc.

I also want to start putting plants in her enclosure but thats another thing I have no clue where to start.

Anyway thank you again everyone for any opinions given. I will try to get photos soon of her new enclosure and her cool lil soaking bowl. Have a great day!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hey Heather:

So good to hear that you're setting your tortoise up in a nice big enclosure. As for the cactus, all I do is cut it into a few pieces. As long as they have a nice edge to bite on, they'll bite off pieces. I don't even remove the spines.

Looking forward to your pictures.

 

[tortoisenerd]

You can take any spines out by either cutting them or singing them over the stove (use tongs and be careful). For a small tort, I chop it up really small as its kinda hard for them to bite off. For a larger tort, just toss it in. What you did sounds fine. No, you don't need to cook it (only stuff like squash, and that optional...personally I'll just use a cheese grater on the raw squash/pumpkin, but more commonly, I get organic pure canned). Personally I wouldn't feed broccoli (starchy), carrots (sweet), or spinach (you want to limit oxalic acid). Stick to the greens, weeds, edible flowers, good lettuces, etc.

What kind of MVB? Hopefully a T-Rex Active UV Heat, Mega Ray, or Powersun. There are a few other inferior brands out there that aren't much better than a tube bulb. If you can get your tort out regularly for sun you can avoid the expense. Make sure you also have a lamp stand, a ceramic socket hood fixture, and a good thermometer like a temp gun. You need to mount it with the bulb face parallel to the substrate, or else you risk injury to the tort or bulb (thus the stand...with which you can also adjust the height to adjust the temp). Read the instructions as far as min and max distance, adjust it with the tort out of the enclosure, check your temps regularly, and write on your calendar to replace it in 12 months (sooner is even better).

I find plants very tricky and prefer the fake ones with large leaves from Michael's craft store lol. Otherwise, you either need to grow it from seeds, find organic (rare), or buy it and wait for 6 months to put it in the enclosure...problem with plants no meant for human consumption is they are full of chemicals, and washing it or re-potting doesn't fix that. You can find safe plant lists, but there are some much more liked than others of course...browse the posts to get some ideas. I would recommend something well liked and also something you don't normally find in the store (ie. don't plant romaine). You can get a seed mix of graze, or you could pot some edible flowers, a leafy plant, etc. Lot of options...not sure what you are thinking of.

 

[Shelly]

As far as the cactus goes, it's best to use newer growth, or "baby" pads, as they are much softer and easier for young torts to eat, and any spines are softer and smaller.

 

[Oceania]

Thanks everyone!
I am getting the powersun one.

I had no idea I shouldn't feed her that. I got a Tort book and it says that was part of there diet and to switch it up. AH crazy! I am always looking for things to get her I wish i found some dandelions. What kind of flowers can they eat?

I dont think she likes the cactus. I did it as said and she just makes this weird face. Maybe its the goo?

 

[Mao Senpai]

I usually slice mine into strips... that way they have something to hold onto and rip it up if they want. Since I have smaller once cutting into fine cubes is tricky sometimes and if it's too big they have trouble with the larger ones.
Mine didn't touch it at first either, especially my Greeks and once they took a bite they were hooked on it right away so it may take time.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Sometimes they ignore food on the first or second try of it...you can either try mixing it in with some yummies (like some mushy squash or pumpkin treat...but keep in mind you want to limit this sort of treat stuff...I like < 5%). Also, sometimes the cactus you get at the store may have already gone bad (if its mushy and floppy). I'll also find with greens, every once in awhile my tort just won't eat the bunch, even though its his favorite. I think they sense something is off.

They can eat flowers such as roses, pansies, marigolds, geranium, dandelion, hibiscus, etc...but the most important thing to keep in mind is they must be chemical free. Other stuff to feed are grape leaves and pretty much any fruit or veggie leaf from your garden except stuff in the nightshade family (example, tomato). Lots of other weeds besides dandelions are great too--you just have to identify them as safe and chemical-free. Variety is the big key. Almost anything is ok to feed a tort in moderation, but most of us like yo just stick to the good stuff, and even that in moderation.

You can't just go to the garden center and feed you tort from it right away...the plants there are sprayed with all sorts of chemicals to make the plants look pretty since they are not meant for human consumption. The grocery stores near me sell a tiny packet of organic edible flowers for about $5 I'll get my tort as a treat. I'll visit different grocery stores in different neighborhoods to find variety. The best case scenario really is to grow stuff at home--cheaper and more variety (I just have black thumb, no yard, and our weather is against me). Otherwise, you either grow your own, find organic (rare), or let a nursery plant sit for 6 months for it to leech out the systemic pesticides.

Most of the tort books are very outdated. I'd be cautious to take advice from them. I have found this forum to be the best resource out there on up to date tortoise info. Also, just because its in a book or some so called expert writes it online, doesn't mean its best. Always do the research on your own and go with your gut feeling on something. Its tough many times because you'll find conflicting info. Good luck!

 

[Oceania]

Woah awesome thanks for all the info again! We have an organic nursery about 20 mins away. I only eat organic so lucky her! I cant wait to go and get her some extra yummie goodies for her.

I will be doing more research on here I have found a lot of great information that I couldnt find anywhere else.

I really appreciate it



Pictures will be coming soon!