Watercress, garden cress, cress??

[IkeLightner]

I have just learned from a friend who lives in the UK and keeps leopard tortoises about how he grows "cress" for his leopard tortoise.

Are you all familiar with this stuff? He says it grows SUPER fast, in like 3 days and his torts love it. Is this something that you would recommend feeding to leopards, or do you think the grazing tortoise mixes are better?

thanks!

 

[Jacob]

I Have Fed Watercress Once so Far, As Long as its in a varied diet its okay.

 

[IkeLightner]

well, I'm not going to use it if it isn't 100% recommended. I know you can get away with feeding things every once in a while that are NOT really recommended, but I don't want to do that!! I'm wondering if it is something that's good to feed them on a regular basis (1 or 2 times per week).

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, you can feed a small portion of cress with each meal. I start with a base of Spring Mix (rocket salad mix), then to that I'll add weeds from outside. If I had cress growing here, I wouldn't hesitate to add it daily to my mixture.

 

[Jacob]

Yes i do the same thing, sometimes i will add muzuri, or Cactus

 

[IkeLightner]

Thans Yvonne and Jacob!!!! I also intend to offer cactus pads once I can get my own opuntia growing well!!! The cress just really caught my attention because my friend in the UK grows it in 3 days on damp paper towels only!!!! Seems easy!

 

[Sobolco]

where can I find the recomended seed mix, I would like to start growing live food.

(edit) and I'm internet dumb.

 

[Neal]

I have offered watercress in the past but mine didn't touch it.

 

[IkeLightner]

Hey Adam, you can find the seed mix I use at Carolina Pet Supply company. http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=509. I SERIOUSLY love it!!!

On an unrelated note, I used to lurk over at corallusforums.com (before it became a spam, junk site) are you the same Sobolco I remember from there? Do you keep ETBS?

Thanks for the observation Neal!!! I guess I will have to see if my torts are interested in the stuff!!! You also said that you have started growing some plants in your outdoor enclosures that are actual plants they commonly eat in the wild, can you give some info on which ones and where you got them etc?

 

[Neal]

For succulents we have a lot of Jade plant, elephant bush, ice plant, and a few others I can't remember now. What we are going to try soon is puncturevine. The article mentions this is a critical food item for S. Pardalis. We also have a variety of opuntia.

 

[Sobolco]

Hey Adam, you can find the seed mix I use at Carolina Pet Supply company. http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=509. I SERIOUSLY love it!!!

On an unrelated note, I used to lurk over at corallusforums.com (before it became a spam, junk site) are you the same Sobolco I remember from there? Do you keep ETBS?

That is me! We have a new forum now at http://corallusforums.yuku.com/
Its much much better!

Have a great day, its nice to meet up again.

 

[IkeLightner]

Neal, thanks a LOT you just added about 4 plants to my "must grow NOW" list!!!! (; I'm very interested in looking into all of these, especially that new vine!!!

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Adam, I thought that was you!!! I LOVE your Basins and just ETBs in general!!! It is going to be some time yet, but I WILL get into ETBs eventually, and I simply cannot wait!!!!

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oh, and yes, I've been on the new forum as well. It's good, and I'm glad they finally abandoned that other place!!!!