So with winter coming, and it beening my first winter with the tortoises, I'm slightly nervous. Ok I'm really nervous. Expectially when it comes to the big guys outside. I will have to make adjustments to their diet and for the big guys I have to make sure their temps are safe as well. So I am attempting to get things ready. I try very hard to offer my torts any and everything I can food wise. If I can confirm it's safe for them to eat and I can get my hand on some of it, I give it to them. Variety is the key, right? Ok so with winter on it's way, my weeds and grass supply's are on their way out. So I am looking for supplements to cover that. I decided to pick up some grass pellets. Their not as cheap as the grass in my yard but still decently priced, easy to obtain, and well I store them must easier then a bale of hay. I got a bag of Timothy grass pellets from my tractor supply, it's just pure Timothy grass. Even though I still have grass right now I thought I better give everyone some, make sure they would eat it.
My big guys:
Of course my big guys gobbled it up. I wet the pellets and dumped it on a concrete slab for them. Everything went fine. I have turned an old yard barn into a heated house and everything seems to be stable there. I am still getting clarification on the heating source but other then that I think that's taken care of. I have found a place to get my mazuri and have it delivered. So besides attempting to grow some weeds inside to add to their diet I think I have the basics cover for my big guys.
The quads:
Honestly besides some diet changes winter will not affect these guys, their indoors.
I have been feeling a little frustrated and some what of a failure when it comes to the quads. I have attempted from day one to get these guys to eat grass. It's 80% of their diet, I want to raise them right. Well they will not eat it. I have tried different grasses, I have tried grass that I see the big guys eat, I have tried grass that is in the shade all day, I have cut grass back and waited a couple days and took fresh clipping, I have cut it up so fine and mixed it w their weeds, I have chopped it up and mixed it with mazuri, I have tried everything, they won't eat it. If it's mixed w something, they won't eat that either, I even tough loved them, 3 days they ate nothing cause it had grass in it. So after 2 of my leopard baby's died, I'm here feeling like a HUGE failure and said forget it, we will retry when their older. So I had quit even attempting w the grass. So yesterday I'm thinking about their diet and what I will so if I don't successfully get my weeds to grow inside. That just leaves mazuri and grocery store greens for them. So just out of curiosity I soaked a handful of the Timothy pellets and put them in their enclosure, one a seperate plate, figured I was wasting that handful of pellets. Nope, they hit that plate like they hadn't eat in days. They gobbled it right up. Now don't get me wrong, I was so happy I would have peed my pants, but what in the world?? They won't eat fresh grass, chopped up so fine it's almost nonexistent, mixed in w their favorite stuff but yet their eating it just plain just mushy? I am so excited about this milestone I can't stand it. So now I feel that I can provide them an adequate diet over the cold months.
The leopards:
Again nothing really changes for them. They aren't fans of the grass or the pellets which the breeder I got them from said not to worry about giving grass right now they usually don't eat it till their older anyways, they don't process it very well he said. (Please keep in mind this is something I was told, I'm not saying it's true or a fact, I'm not sure if it is or not)
So over all after I get clarification on my heat source for the big guys I think I'm ready for the winter. So I think I am going to start preparing for my next addition.
My big guys:
Of course my big guys gobbled it up. I wet the pellets and dumped it on a concrete slab for them. Everything went fine. I have turned an old yard barn into a heated house and everything seems to be stable there. I am still getting clarification on the heating source but other then that I think that's taken care of. I have found a place to get my mazuri and have it delivered. So besides attempting to grow some weeds inside to add to their diet I think I have the basics cover for my big guys.
The quads:
Honestly besides some diet changes winter will not affect these guys, their indoors.
I have been feeling a little frustrated and some what of a failure when it comes to the quads. I have attempted from day one to get these guys to eat grass. It's 80% of their diet, I want to raise them right. Well they will not eat it. I have tried different grasses, I have tried grass that I see the big guys eat, I have tried grass that is in the shade all day, I have cut grass back and waited a couple days and took fresh clipping, I have cut it up so fine and mixed it w their weeds, I have chopped it up and mixed it with mazuri, I have tried everything, they won't eat it. If it's mixed w something, they won't eat that either, I even tough loved them, 3 days they ate nothing cause it had grass in it. So after 2 of my leopard baby's died, I'm here feeling like a HUGE failure and said forget it, we will retry when their older. So I had quit even attempting w the grass. So yesterday I'm thinking about their diet and what I will so if I don't successfully get my weeds to grow inside. That just leaves mazuri and grocery store greens for them. So just out of curiosity I soaked a handful of the Timothy pellets and put them in their enclosure, one a seperate plate, figured I was wasting that handful of pellets. Nope, they hit that plate like they hadn't eat in days. They gobbled it right up. Now don't get me wrong, I was so happy I would have peed my pants, but what in the world?? They won't eat fresh grass, chopped up so fine it's almost nonexistent, mixed in w their favorite stuff but yet their eating it just plain just mushy? I am so excited about this milestone I can't stand it. So now I feel that I can provide them an adequate diet over the cold months.
The leopards:
Again nothing really changes for them. They aren't fans of the grass or the pellets which the breeder I got them from said not to worry about giving grass right now they usually don't eat it till their older anyways, they don't process it very well he said. (Please keep in mind this is something I was told, I'm not saying it's true or a fact, I'm not sure if it is or not)
So over all after I get clarification on my heat source for the big guys I think I'm ready for the winter. So I think I am going to start preparing for my next addition.