Help with feeding my leopard

[Perca05]

Hi...I know there are tons of threads on this, but just wanted to get help. I have a leo, who is a year old now. Pretty sure it's a she. She eats like a pig and always has. I have wanted to get her off of the salad mix I have been feeding her, to more of a pellet diet. I have tried mashing the mazuri into the salad, and she very carefully picks around it. I have tried the dried herb salad, the zoomed grassland diet, and hay. I have just recently tried using the repashy tortoise gel...she took a bite, and then left it as well. I am worried a little as her shell is starting to pyramid, and I was hoping if she got on a pellet diet that it would stop. She drinks water every day, is outside in her own house. She is fed a salad of romaine, dandelion greens, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, beet greens. The salad varies week to week, and I add carrot in there and zuchini as well from time to time.
I have been told I should not feed her for a while, so she is good and hungry, and then give her the pellets (I always soak them). Is this ok to do?

Thank you...

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Why do you want to switch to pellets?
By pellets you mean Mazuri?
There are two types of Mazuri. The regular and the LS. The LS is one that FEW tortoises will eat.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi I also have a leopard but confused as to why you would want to give her just pellets? The weeds/plants listed in the caresheet are much better for her. Does she have grass to graze on or do you add that to her food?

As I understand it people only use pellets to supplement fresh food.

The pyramiding is nothing to do with diet but is the result of a humidity problem. What is your humidity in her enclosure and are you soaking her regularly in warm water up to base of shell?

There is a good caresheet for leopards. I also found the Beginners Mistakes and Enclosures threads useful to keep my leo happy and healthy.

If you can post pics of your tort to show the pyramiding you are concerned about and her enclosure the experienced folks here will be able to help you more quickly.

 

[Jodie]

I 2nd the above post. The diet she has is way better than commercial food! I supplement with mazuri and grassland in winter when I have to.
Pyramiding is caused by to dry of conditions. Little ones do better inside in closed chambers. Check out the care guides in the leopard section.

 

[Perca05]

Hi...I keep her outside in a tortoise table we built for her. It has a wire top to keep out birds. I have only been having her outside since it is now warm enough at night. It has a house for her to sleep in at night, and a water bowl she can climb into and out of, as well as shade spots. I will try soaking her substrate to keep it moist to create more humidity. I had thought the pyramiding was caused by diet, but if it's not, I will try to keep up the moisture instead.
Thanks for the replies.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi...I keep her outside in a tortoise table we built for her. It has a wire top to keep out birds. I have only been having her outside since it is now warm enough at night. It has a house for her to sleep in at night, and a water bowl she can climb into and out of, as well as shade spots. I will try soaking her substrate to keep it moist to create more humidity. I had thought the pyramiding was caused by diet, but if it's not, I will try to keep up the moisture instead.
Thanks for the replies.

The moisture will escape through the mesh so you need to do it regularly but keep it moist but not soaking wet
cold and moist = sick tort
warm and moist = healthy tort.
So make sure your day/night temps are warm enough too.

Just check the care sheets and do a search or come back and ask some more questions any time.

 

[Tom]

What size is your baby? Grams? Babies should not live outside full time, especially in SoCal.

Diet does not cause pyramiding. Growth in conditions that are too dry causes it. Living outside in SoCal is DEFINITELY too dry.

Please read these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Read this for feeding suggestions. Pellets are not your answer, but grocery store greens aren't great either. I wrote it for sulcatas so just skip all the info about grass. Just scroll to the list of good stuff:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/