Winter Diets

ayleekay_przystal

New Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2019
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Buffalo, NY
Hello!!

I'm curious what those of you who live North with cold winter climates do to find fresh food for your tortoise. I have a Hermann Tortoise, Prudence, that I have had since August. Since it is now winter and there aren't any fresh flowers growing anywhere near me, I have just been buying whatever fresh greens I can find at my local grocery store, but I'm worried she's not getting all the nutrients she needs. I have been alternating between Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, and Dandelion Greens. A lot of people mention Spring Mixes, but all the Spring Mixes I find have Spinach in them. Do you just take the Spinach out? Also curious about where your getting flowers? I know not to go to a greenhouse or florist because of use of pesticides. I'm interested in getting some Cactus Pads, but I'm not sure where to go for those either. I'm going to start trying to plant some Hibiscus flowers, I know that they can grow indoors. I'm in Buffalo, NY. Our Winters are usually very long and I might not be able to start picking flowers and weeds until end of April, beginning of May.

Thank you guys : )
 

TOOTSIESMOM

New Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Messages
7
Location (City and/or State)
Pennsylvania
From the grocery store, try sticking to escarole, endive, radicchio. You can add to that some dandilion, turnip greens. You can buy spineless opuntia pads off of eBay for reasonable price. Tortoise supply sells testudo seed mix that you can try growing indoors with a grow light, and they also sell a dried flower topper. You can also add some majuri a few times a week.
 

Maggie3fan

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5 Year Member
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Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
Don't worry about the spinach in Spring Mix, used with a good diet there is not enough spinach to harm. Rose of Sharon looks like hibiscus but is smaller and will make it thru your winters, I believe. I grow them in Oregon. I have a 17 year old tortoise that has a chronic disease and can't hibernate or be with any other tortoises so I feed him Spring Mix with other stuff mixed in, creating a decent winter diet. this is one color...feb 2018 104.JPG
 

Len B

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Aug 3, 2010
Messages
4,986
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Md - Northern Neck Va
I agree with @maggie18fan about the spring mix. I also feed my two Hermann hatchlings both Mazuri formulas. For the LS mazuri I buy the mini one, they soften quick if needed. but are small enough after they acquire a taste for it, wetting may not be necessary. The tortoise pictured on the mini bag is a hermanns tortoise. I've been lucky here this winter with the weathers above average temps and no snow (yet) so I have had access to the yard weeds, which are plentiful.
 
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