What foods are best for baby desert tortoises?

[tortoise007]

Hello I'm new to the forum. I live in the Phoenix AZ area. I have a few questions about my four baby desert tortoises. I've been feeding them weeds from my yard, I think it is prickly lettuce and bermuda grass dusted with a vitamin powder. Is there anything else I should be giving them.

I also have a 5 year old desert tortoise hibernating in the back yard, when will he emerge and what should I do then?

Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, tortoise007!!!

You're doing a great job in the food department. Don't EVER get out of that mind set. Tortoises should be fed weeds and grasses!

Here's a list of some other things you can try for variation:

Clovers, Coreopsis, English daisy, African Daisy, Cape Marigold, dandelions, Endive, Escarole, Gazania, Geraniums, Grape leaves, hibiscus, hollyhocks, oneysuckle, kale, mallow, nasturtium, nettles, opuntia cactus, petunias, rose flowers, sedums, spider plant, violet, pansy, wandering jew, watercress, zinnia

When the other tortoise wakes up you should put him into a shallow tub of water and allow him to drink and soak for 15 minutes or so, then just put him back out into the yard. He'll start eating when he's ready. Some start right away, others have to really warm up first.

 

[tortoise007]

Thanks! Very helpful.

 

[tortoise007]

One other question I forgot to ask was is cypress mulch a good substrate for babies? When I first put it in all the little fibers kept sticking to them, but after a few days it didn't. I think its because they walked on it so much. Now they seem to love it.

 

[Yvonne G]

I think you may be talking about coco coir. I don't like it for that reason (the strings). I use orchid bark for all my babies. You can look for it online so you know what you're looking for when you go to the nursery - orchid bark, black gold.

 

[Thalatte]

You need to use a dirt and sand mixture so that you can build them a burrow and it will let them dig. This is something desert torts really love to do and it's very good for their hydration.

 

[tortoise007]

A little bit more about my enclosure:

I keep my torts in a 10 gallon enclosure. It has a basking spot of about 90-95 (it also has a heating pad under the area and a rock directly under the lamp to bask on). on the other side of the enclosure it has a half log that they really enjoy to climb on and and burrow in. There is a fake plant they like sitting under and a water dish they LOVE drinking out of and soaking in. The substrate is about 2" deep.

 

[tortoise007]

I looked online and please correct me if I'm wrong but "coco coir" is ground coconut husk?
I'm using ground bark from a cypress tree, they sell it in HUGE bags at the reptile store near me.
What do you know about this? I've read a lot of good things about both cypress mulch, and coco coir.

 

[Thalatte]

I don't like coco coir as it sticks to everything and will irritate the eyes if it gets in them. Cypress mulch is fine by it doesn't hold moisture well so you should have sphagnum moss in the hides as well as a layer of dirt, peat moss, or something else under the mulch to hold the humidity.

 

[Angi]

I like cypress mulch.

 

[tortoise007]

Should I have humidity with desert tortoises?

 

[Thalatte]

Yes. Baby torts will stay in the humid burrows for the majority of their early life so either keeping the hold cage humid (50-60%) or you could keep the cage dry but you need 12in of damp substrate that you could make a deep burrow in for them. Arizona isn't all that dry surprisingly.

 

[tortoise007]

I'm not sure about that fact... It's really dry in the desert.

 

[Thalatte]

It really isn't that dry. It is usually between 20-40% in the lower wasp tame desert. But the tortoises live further towards the mountains in rocky areas close to watering holes the humidity will be higher there. Take into account that they stay in underground burrows (naturally damp and humid) for up to 20hrs a day and only come of during early morning, late evening, and when it rains and you'll realize they stay in an environment of 40-60% humidity most of the time. And winter theat is

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*and winter they stay in a consistently high humid burrow. They need humidity so please provide it in some form.