tortastic
New Member
Hey fellow tortoise lovers! I'm a 16-year-old reptile enthusiast and I've been thinking about getting a tortoise for a long time now. I'm very set on a Golden Greek, and now after hours upon hours of research I still have a few questions about some care requirements for my future pal.
First of all is substrate. This seems to be a very controversial subject among tortoise people out there, and I have a couple suggestions that I might go with. I'm either going to probably use either a topsoil/sand mixture, a coconut fiber, or some kind of reptile bark. I'll feed out of a dish or on some slate, so the tortoise won't ingest any of the substrate.
Next is feeding. I've heard a lot of people say you shouldn't feed grocery bought veggies, others who say to only feed store bought veggies, and holy heck I'm confused. I'm thinking about growing my own dandelions to feed the leaves and flowers to my tortoise, then the rest of the diet will probably be romaine lettuce, kale, spring mix, vegetable tops, ect. I know to limit protein and try to get as much calcium and fiber into the diet, so I'll also be supplementing vitamins and calcium with D3.
Finally is the whole lighting situation. I'm thinking about using a 125-watt mercury vapor bulb that provides both the heat and UVB/UVA lighting the tortoise will need. Will this work out okay? Or will additional lights be needed?
Thanks in advance, and happy tortoise keeping everyone!
First of all is substrate. This seems to be a very controversial subject among tortoise people out there, and I have a couple suggestions that I might go with. I'm either going to probably use either a topsoil/sand mixture, a coconut fiber, or some kind of reptile bark. I'll feed out of a dish or on some slate, so the tortoise won't ingest any of the substrate.
Next is feeding. I've heard a lot of people say you shouldn't feed grocery bought veggies, others who say to only feed store bought veggies, and holy heck I'm confused. I'm thinking about growing my own dandelions to feed the leaves and flowers to my tortoise, then the rest of the diet will probably be romaine lettuce, kale, spring mix, vegetable tops, ect. I know to limit protein and try to get as much calcium and fiber into the diet, so I'll also be supplementing vitamins and calcium with D3.
Finally is the whole lighting situation. I'm thinking about using a 125-watt mercury vapor bulb that provides both the heat and UVB/UVA lighting the tortoise will need. Will this work out okay? Or will additional lights be needed?
Thanks in advance, and happy tortoise keeping everyone!