Winter food?

[Rylatts]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to know what everyone feeds their tortoises during the winter?

I have a spur-thighed tortoise so i mainly feed him weeds and mazuri, but weeds are becoming harder and harder to find

 

[JoesMum]

Hi

I see you're in the UK. Where do you get Mazuri?! I didn't think you could get it in the UK.

Few of us manage without store bought greens and pellets (I use Komodo) in the winter months.

Look up the greens you can buy on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability - http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

You could also try growing your own weeds in pots on the windowsill. Get seeds in the UK from here
http://www.shelledwarriorsshop.co.uk/seeds---grow-your-own-food-302-c.asp

 

[Rylatts]

Hi

I see you're in the UK. Where do you get Mazuri?! I didn't think you could get it in the UK.

Few of us manage without store bought greens and pellets (I use Komodo) in the winter months.

Look up the greens you can buy on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability - http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

You could also try growing your own weeds in pots on the windowsill. Get seeds in the UK from here
http://www.shelledwarriorsshop.co.uk/seeds---grow-your-own-food-302-c.asp

I managed to get it on eBay also amazon have some sellers, its from the shelled warriors company that you linked

I have been looking on that website already, with the greens/vegetables most of them are feed in moderation there for i have been a bit hesitant to buy any, that and i don't like buying from a supermarket and feeding to my tortoise. Is it okay to buy greens from the supermarket as long as you wash them then?

I have recently bought some seeds, just waiting for them to grow now

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it.

 

[JoesMum]

I managed to get it on eBay also amazon have some sellers, its from the shelled warriors company that you linked

I have been looking on that website already, with the greens/vegetables most of them are feed in moderation there for i have been a bit hesitant to buy any, that and i don't like buying from a supermarket and feeding to my tortoise. Is it okay to buy greens from the supermarket as long as you wash them then?

I have recently bought some seeds, just waiting for them to grow now

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it.

If it's safe for you to eat and safe according to TTT then yes it's fine.

Feeding in moderation means that you feed it and then when you shop next time buy something else. Don't buy it again for a couple of weeks.

 

[wellington]

Totally agree. Lots of us have to rely on grocery greens. That and trying to grown your own, preserving grasses, weeds, leaf and flowers from the summer/fall months, tort pellet food like Mazuri and cactus is a easy item to grow and feed too. Biggest thing is give as much variety as possible.

 

[Lyn W]

I use bags of salads which have a good mix of leaves e.g.
Florette Classic Crispy Salad
Sainsbury's mixed leaf
Aldi Mild leaf
Aldi Crispy Mix (but I pick out the iceberg - also avoid little gems etc)
Tesco mixed leaf
Romaine
Pak Choy
Spring Greens
Kale
Watercress
Rocket
sometimes the living salad trays of red and green multileaves - they often have mustard in them s check that's ok for your tort

- whatever I can get to add variety that TTT says is safe or ok in moderation. I add a pinch of calcium or Nutrobal a couple of times a week and cuttlefish bone is always available.
I soak all well before feeding to wash and rehydrate the leaves.
My leopard won't eat dried grass so buy 'Readigrass' and finely grind it in a blender then sprinkle it over the wet leaves and spray again to make sure it sticks. Your tort may not be a grass eater though so maybe you won't need to do that.
You can but packs of weed seeds but I've not had any luck - many people are successful though.

 

[Rylatts]

I use bags of salads which have a good mix of leaves e.g.
Florette Classic Crispy Salad
Sainsbury's mixed leaf
Aldi Mild leaf
Aldi Crispy Mix (but I pick out the iceberg - also avoid little gems etc)
Tesco mixed leaf
Romaine
Pak Choy
Spring Greens
Kale
Watercress
Rocket
sometimes the living salad trays of red and green multileaves - they often have mustard in them s check that's ok for your tort

- whatever I can get to add variety that TTT says is safe or ok in moderation. I add a pinch of calcium or Nutrobal a couple of times a week and cuttlefish bone is always available.
I soak all well before feeding to wash and rehydrate the leaves.
My leopard won't eat dried grass so buy 'Readigrass' and finely grind it in a blender then sprinkle it over the wet leaves and spray again to make sure it sticks. Your tort may not be a grass eater though so maybe you won't need to do that.
You can but packs of weed seeds but I've not had any luck - many people are successful though.

Thank you for the advice,

I have been buying shop bought mixes just to get him through the winter. Will continue with weeds and get better prepared for next year quite like the idea of drying out weeds during summer to use over the winter period.

Anyone else had luck with this?

 

[Lyn W]

Thank you for the advice,

I have been buying shop bought mixes just to get him through the winter. Will continue with weeds and get better prepared for next year quite like the idea of drying out weeds during summer to use over the winter period.

Anyone else had luck with this?

I haven't tried.
I don't know how well they would rehydrate.
I have heard of people trying to freeze them but they have said they go mushy when defrosted.
If you have a small green house or any where to grow them you could try growing from seeds in trays.

 

[domagoj]

Thank you for the advice,

I have been buying shop bought mixes just to get him through the winter. Will continue with weeds and get better prepared for next year quite like the idea of drying out weeds during summer to use over the winter period.

Anyone else had luck with this?

I've tried drying some weeds, rose and hibiscus leaves and also some strawberry leaves. Most of the stuff gets rehidrated pretty well. Anything that has thicker leaves will usually be fine. Dandelions get kinda soggy so I mix it with store bought stuff, actually I mix everything with store greens. After drying I usually freeze the leaves to kill any mites or anything else that could eat it. I leave it in the freezer for 2 days and then store it in a cool dark place.