Winter is coming

[Pebbles&Petunias]

Hey guys,

So I live in Salt Lake City Utah and it's getting cold, soon all the plants will be gone from the garden. I was wondering where I could get weeds like dandelion and clover for my Greek tortoise. Do grocery stores even sell stuff like that? Maybe I should grow some? Can you freeze them and use them throughout the winter? Also what would be a good list of different weeds and flowers I could feed her? I know the basics I just wanna know what some other people with Greek tortoises feed their torts. Any feedback is welcome and appreciated! Thanks

 

[Nephelle]

Hi there!

They sell dandelion at Whole Foods, I was just there yesterday and they carry a bunch

 

[Pebbles&Petunias]

Alright cool. I know they still sell flower too haha. I know it's funny to buy a nice bouquet for food. Once I bought flowers for my tort to eat and the check out lady was like "Those are pretty, are those for anyone special?" And I said "Yeah, my tortoise, she loves them" she just sat there and chuckled. It was quite humorous.

 

[leigti]

I can get cactus year around at my grocery store. Be careful with flowers, you have to make sure they don't have any fertilizers etc. on them. Most flowers at the stores do.

 

[wellington]

Alright cool. I know they still sell flower too haha. I know it's funny to buy a nice bouquet for food. Once I bought flowers for my tort to eat and the check out lady was like "Those are pretty, are those for anyone special?" And I said "Yeah, my tortoise, she loves them" she just sat there and chuckled. It was quite humorous.

I hate to bust your bubble, but flowers that are sold as bouquets should not be fed to your tortoises. They are loaded with pesticides and some with dyes, sorry.

 

[wellington]

I hate to bust your bubble, but flowers that are sold as bouquets should not be fed to your tortoises. They are loaded with pesticides and some with dyes, sorry.

Now if you buy the flowers that are sold for human consumption, those are fine. I know Whole foods sells those, I ordered squash blossoms from them in the past.
You can also buy many seed mixes to grow inside for winter use. If you still need to cut your grass and its chemical free, save the clippings and dry it out for winter use. Also, any edible flowers, weeds or leafs you may still have growing outside and be dried to feed over winter.

 

[Nephelle]

Now if you buy the flowers that are sold for human consumption, those are fine. I know Whole foods sells those, I ordered squash blossoms from them in the past.
You can also buy many seed mixes to grow inside for winter use. If you still need to cut your grass and its chemical free, save the clippings and dry it out for winter use. Also, any edible flowers, weeds or leafs you may still have growing outside and be dried to feed over winter.

Awesome, I didn't know you could special order things like squash blossoms. I'm going to ask next time I go in!

@Pebbles&Petunias - This is a super popular mix that a lot here recommend, and I just tried it last week. It sprouted within 48 hours and grows like crazy! I guess there are lots of different things in it, but my little bug is mowing it down before I'll ever get a chance to find out haha. She's a fan! http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix

 

[Pebbles&Petunias]

I don't buy dyed flowers. There ugly. I wash everything I feed her. I don't buy them really for her. I buy them for myself, my fiance, and my grandma. She just gets a flower or two as a treat. But thanks man good feedback. I know that though.

 

[Pebbles&Petunias]

I can get cactus year around at my grocery store. Be careful with flowers, you have to make sure they don't have any fertilizers etc. on them. Most flowers at the stores do.

I have never seen cactus at my grocery store. I will look harder and maybe at other stores. But I don't think that's super common in Utah haha.

 

[Pebbles&Petunias]

Awesome, I didn't know you could special order things like squash blossoms. I'm going to ask next time I go in!

@Pebbles&Petunias - This is a super popular mix that a lot here recommend, and I just tried it last week. It sprouted within 48 hours and grows like crazy! I guess there are lots of different things in it, but my little bug is mowing it down before I'll ever get a chance to find out haha. She's a fan! http://www.tortoisesupply.com/ TestudoMix

Thats awesome! That looks great. Thats very helpful! I will order some when the weather starts getting worse. For now what is in my garden will last. I was also wondering my grandma grows a lot of plants and flowers and pebbles is always in the garden. I used to live my grandma but now I just visit. When I visit she let's me take various plants and flowers from the garden. So I'm not to worried about getting her a variety that she needs now but when it's winter what would you suggest as variety are there different kinds of that stuff I could grow or is it one general type sorry I didn't go through the website I only briefly looked at it. The internet is not great where I'm at right now.

 

[Nephelle]

Thats awesome! That looks great. Thats very helpful! I will order some when the weather starts getting worse. For now what is in my garden will last. I was also wondering my grandma grows a lot of plants and flowers and pebbles is always in the garden. I used to live my grandma but now I just visit. When I visit she let's me take various plants and flowers from the garden. So I'm not to worried about getting her a variety that she needs now but when it's winter what would you suggest as variety are there different kinds of that stuff I could grow or is it one general type sorry I didn't go through the website I only briefly looked at it. The internet is not great where I'm at right now.

I posted this to another person a few days ago, so some of the links may have changed but they're probably still good These are the seeds I've ordered in the past few weeks to start for my baby. I am a brand new mom with a baby RT, not a Greek, so you might want to just double check these.

A few of them are listed as "Feed Occasionally or Sparingly" on the Tortoise Table http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/ , so it'd also be worth a double check before you ordered anything My specific focus has been plantain and the testudo mix so far, but all my seeds are already popping up their heads

https://www.etsy.com/listing/213523541/plantain-heirloom-herb-seeds-organic

https://www.etsy.com/listing/214931954/plantain-broadleaf-plantago-major-use-as

https://www.etsy.com/listing/173529093/miners-lettuce-wood-elf-greens-heirloom

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121639865845

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111774113410

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111740062290

 

[leigti]

Tortoise supply.com has a good broadleaf weed mix. Carolina pet supply.com also does. Russians and Greeks eat the same things. Well Russian and Greek tortoises do anyway some grocery store items are better than others, check out the top of the Russian tortoise section for Tom's list of food items. The key is variety over time.

 

[Nephelle]

Russians and Greeks eat the same things. Well Russian and Greek tortoises do anyway

hehe, thanks, leigti I wasn't sure

 

[southcarolinareptiles]

I've been looking for something like this

 

[Pebbles&Petunias]

Thanks guys! Super helpful, I'm going to order seeds here soon before it gets to cold. I want to start growing them before I run out of my supply I already have when the cold hits so it's already ready by then.

 

[bouaboua]

Not yet. No where near California. I hope we get a good El Nino winter. We need rain...........

 

[Yvonne G]

I have never seen cactus at my grocery store. I will look harder and maybe at other stores. But I don't think that's super common in Utah haha.

It's called Nopales or Nopalitas.

 

[Pebbles&Petunias]

Not yet. No where near California. I hope we get a good El Nino winter. We need rain...........

Were already dipping into the mid fourty's at night here in Salt Lake. Its getting chilly, we need snow though, really bad. It hardly snowed at all last winter so if we don't get some moisture in the mountains we might be looking at a drought.

 

[Pebbles&Petunias]

It's called Nopales or Nopalitas.

Oh cool thanks I'll look around for it.

 

[SGT Fish]

I buy collard greens, kale, and dandelion at giant eagle grocery store for my sulcata