Hi I'm a proud new owner of 2 6 month old Herman hatchlings. I have been feeding them twice daily with dandelions and supplement and weekly weight gain is averaging 3g, can anyone tell me recommended weekly growth is it right/too little/too much as can't seem to find much out! Thanks
Weight gain
- Thread starter coxy012
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Hi coxy012:
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You need to provide more variety on your babies' diet:
(from Austin's turtle page)
"The best diet is a natural one that allows the tortoise to graze on various weeds and greens. Such things as dandelion, bindweed, opuntia cactus, sedum, plantains (the weed, not the fruit known as plaintain), coreopsis, hibiscus, mulberry leaves, California poppy, mallow, honeysuckle, some vetches, some clovers, bermuda grass, and many other wildflowers and weeds can be grown in an outdoor tortoise pen. It is also possible to grow many wildflowers and weeds indoors and in greenhouses so that your tortoise does not have to rely on grocery store greens, especially in winter. Anything the tortoise might graze on must be pesticide free.
If fed grocery store produce, it should be mixed into a salad and may include endive, escarole, shredded carrot, kale, opuntia, occasional romaine, and occasional pumpkin. The mixed salad diet is low in fiber so it is helpful to sprinkle with bermuda grass hay that has been ground to a powder (a coffee grinder works well). Dust the food with calcium daily, and if the tortoise isn't kept outdoors in natural sunlight, also use a combination calcium-D3 product a couple of times a week. It is also helpful to keep a cuttlebone (with the back removed) in the enclosure so your tortoise can nibble on it if she or he feels the need for more calcium.
Foods to avoid (or to use in very *tiny* amounts) because they interfere with the uptake of calcium: spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, beans, peas, cauliflower, collard greens, beet greens, turnip greens, mustard greens. Fruit also should be avoided because the hermanns tortoise's digestive system can't process it."
Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!
What would you like for us to call you?
Also, when we know approximately where you are, it helps us design our answers to better fit your questions.
You need to provide more variety on your babies' diet:
(from Austin's turtle page)
"The best diet is a natural one that allows the tortoise to graze on various weeds and greens. Such things as dandelion, bindweed, opuntia cactus, sedum, plantains (the weed, not the fruit known as plaintain), coreopsis, hibiscus, mulberry leaves, California poppy, mallow, honeysuckle, some vetches, some clovers, bermuda grass, and many other wildflowers and weeds can be grown in an outdoor tortoise pen. It is also possible to grow many wildflowers and weeds indoors and in greenhouses so that your tortoise does not have to rely on grocery store greens, especially in winter. Anything the tortoise might graze on must be pesticide free.
If fed grocery store produce, it should be mixed into a salad and may include endive, escarole, shredded carrot, kale, opuntia, occasional romaine, and occasional pumpkin. The mixed salad diet is low in fiber so it is helpful to sprinkle with bermuda grass hay that has been ground to a powder (a coffee grinder works well). Dust the food with calcium daily, and if the tortoise isn't kept outdoors in natural sunlight, also use a combination calcium-D3 product a couple of times a week. It is also helpful to keep a cuttlebone (with the back removed) in the enclosure so your tortoise can nibble on it if she or he feels the need for more calcium.
Foods to avoid (or to use in very *tiny* amounts) because they interfere with the uptake of calcium: spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, beans, peas, cauliflower, collard greens, beet greens, turnip greens, mustard greens. Fruit also should be avoided because the hermanns tortoise's digestive system can't process it."
Yvonne is right about variety in their diet...as for weigh gain, 3 grams a week is fine for right now, but as they get larger, the increases every week'll likely get larger, too, up until adulthood, when it'll be considerably more subtle.
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