Sue Ann
Well-Known Member
Beautiful tortJoseph,
I am a leopard tortoise breeder and have had great success with my hatchlings alternating between Mazuri LS Tortoise diet and mixed greens. I soak the Mazuri LS diet in warm water for just a few minutes and use organic mixed greens (spring mix) that consist mainly of different baby lettuces. They love it and even though there is a lot of moisture in this diet, the droppings are typically compact and firm. Some spring mixes have a fair amount of spinach in them that can be picked out. My hatchlings don't seem to like the spinach anyway and avoid it on their own. I believe the current consensus is that a little spinach is ok as long as the balance of diet is balanced. I also supplement with a very light dusting of multivitamin plus D3 on the greens about once a week because my hatchings are raised primarily indoors without UV bulbs. I live in Florida so it is warm enough to put them out for a soak and natural sun a couple of times a week. The Grassland tortoise diet is also an excellent food but my hatchlings and adults don't seem to like it as much as the Mazuri. I have attached a picture of one of my yearlings that I held back to show the kind of shell growth I get with this diet.
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