Baby Leopard Tortoise Food during Winter

[psadasivan]

Hi,

I live in Chicago and have two baby leopard tortoises - 6 months old.

i am tired of looking for their food . Most of the articles talk about grass ,hay and flowers. but dont talk where to get those from.

Only things i can get from our local grocers are baby spring mix, dandelion greens, baby lettuce, baby kale etc.

Can somebody guide me what else i can get for these guys and from where?

 

[wellington]

Online mostly. Lots of the flowers and stuff have to wait until summer. Whole foods can order squash blossom which can be fed sparingly. They can also order cactus pads. You can order seeds from tortoisesupply.com to grow weeds from. Whole foods also sometimes has dandelion greens. Us here in Chicago and other northern cold states have to do with grocery greens for winter. Christmas cactus is a leopard fave, sparingly. Next summer, collect some hibiscus plants and rose of Sharon trees and dry the leaves for winter. Also buying edible plants in the summer time and trying to keep them going during the winter months is something to try.

---

Oh, leopards won't really eat a lot of hay at that age, but if you want to try, the Timothy and orchard hays/grass sold at the pet stores in the small animal departments is what I use. Chop up small and soak in a little water. Also add the Mazuri tortoise diet, Petco sells it. Repashy from tortoisesupply.com. Tortoisesupply.com also has other foods you could add.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Check out this ongoing thread. Good links and some ideas. : )

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-84112.html

 

[diamondbp]

have you tried mazuri yet as another food to feed on ocassion?

 

[tkoehle]

You could grow grasses, succulent (only some) and hibiscus in doors beside a window or under Grow lights. I'm am currently trying to grow hibiscus aloe mulberry and grass I dug up it the woods.( so there isn't any pesticides or fertilizers) I live in PA and I had the same problem.

 

[psadasivan]

have you tried mazuri yet as another food to feed on ocassion?

Yes I have tried mazuri (moistened) but they don't eat it at all. Even when I mix it with the greens they eat the leaf around the mazuri. Also I have heard that mazuri is slightly higher in protein and should be fed only once a week or so.

 

[wellington]

A couple times a week is fine. Chop the greens up really small and then mix with Mazuri and spritz with water. They have to eat the Mazuri to eat the green.

 

[Tom]

Yes I have tried mazuri (moistened) but they don't eat it at all. Even when I mix it with the greens they eat the leaf around the mazuri. Also I have heard that mazuri is slightly higher in protein and should be fed only once a week or so.

The old idea that a little protein is bad, or causes pyramiding has been proven wrong. A little protein is good for them. Mazuri is a fine way to provide it.


Tortoises are creatures of habit. It often takes weeks or months to slowly introduce a new food.

 

[Cpm1992]

Hi i just read your reply wellington, i feed my tortoise once a day and he eats it all! Should i only feed him a couple of times a week? He's only 6-8 weeks old.

 

[Tom]

Hi i just read your reply wellington, i feed my tortoise once a day and he eats it all! Should i only feed him a couple of times a week? He's only 6-8 weeks old.

I think she was suggesting that the OP only feed Mazuri twice a week. Daily feedings of other things are fine.

 

[gieseygirly]

I feed mine everything from spring greens to mustard greens to mazuri, dandelion greens, kale, collard greens.........he eats it ALL and then some....he's 13 months old and eating and growing like a little monster.

His favorite is a mixture of spring greens and mazuri. Keep introducing the mazuri - I had to mix a little with spring greens to get mine to take it, but now he knows what it is and comes running for it!

 

[dawnypooh]

Online mostly. Lots of the flowers and stuff have to wait until summer. Whole foods can order squash blossom which can be fed sparingly. They can also order cactus pads. You can order seeds from tortoisesupply.com to grow weeds from. Whole foods also sometimes has dandelion greens. Us here in Chicago and other northern cold states have to do with grocery greens for winter. Christmas cactus is a leopard fave, sparingly. Next summer, collect some hibiscus plants and rose of Sharon trees and dry the leaves for winter. Also buying edible plants in the summer time and trying to keep them going during the winter months is something to try.

---

Oh, leopards won't really eat a lot of hay at that age, but if you want to try, the Timothy and orchard hays/grass sold at the pet stores in the small animal departments is what I use. Chop up small and soak in a little water. Also add the Mazuri tortoise diet, Petco sells it. Repashy from tortoisesupply.com. Tortoisesupply.com also has other foods you could add.

Mine will not eat hay either. I had to ground up the hay with the greens and give it to they way. Im going to start putting in less greens and more hay. This is the easy way to get them to eat it.

 

[Yvonne G]

This is a very old thread.