A good mix for my leo, or should I add more?

[Reptilian Feline]

I feed my leo a mix of leaves I pick in my garden and in safe places around where I live.

Lilac (the leaves)
Hazel (the leaves)
Elm
Ground elder (have plenty of that)
Dandelions (he doesn't seem to want the flowers, just the leaves)
Broad leaf plantain
Deadnettle (the kind with yellow flowers)

Am I missing something? I'm going to get some ZooMed Grassland pellets as a supplement, and then there is the vitamins and calcium + D3 of course. But for plants? Anything I should look for?

 

[wellington]

That's a pretty good mix. Of course a bigger variety is always better. You could add some of the better grocery store greens once in a while to change it up. Riddicho, endive, cactus. You could try some grass, if he's not a picky eater. Most young Leopards won't eat grass, but it doesn't hurt to try.

 

[Reptilian Feline]

He finds grass a bit hard to chew, but the taste doesn't put him off. He prefers leaves though and will eat some clover when outside on the lawn.

Radiccio (sp?) seems like a good idea since he loves red and it's a chicory plant. I'll look for that.

Cactus - not sure I can find anything but the frutis of them, unless I should get some potted ones?

 

[Robber]

Radicchio is a favorite of almost all of my tortoises(probably because it's about $5/lb around here ) and a nutritious option, too.

 

[Careym13]

Mine like Escarole and endive if you need to buy greens from the store and from the yard I get weeds like chicory (leaves and flowers) and narrow/broadleaf plantain, dandelion. I use grassland pellets as well as Mazuri once or twice a week.

 

[wellington]

Radicchio is a favorite of almost all of my tortoises(probably because it's about $5/lb around here ) and a nutritious option, too.

Yea, not cheap stuff that's for sure.

 

[wellington]

He finds grass a bit hard to chew, but the taste doesn't put him off. He prefers leaves though and will eat some clover when outside on the lawn.

Radiccio (sp?) seems like a good idea since he loves red and it's a chicory plant. I'll look for that.

Cactus - not sure I can find anything but the frutis of them, unless I should get some potted ones?

The fruits are okay for a great once in a great while. The spotted ones? Not sure what those are. If you have any Spanish markets in Sweden, they might have them. Sometimes places that carry a lot of organic foods sometimes will have them. You can also ask if they can order it. Check out this sight for more ideas. http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

 

[teresaf]

Mine loves cactus and original Mazuri (not LS) amongst the other things I give him. You can get cactuses from websites online as actual food and plant them. they're very easy to grow. you literally just shove them in the dirt..

 

[Reptilian Feline]

I'll look for the cactus pieces, but I've read that they grow too slow here in Sweden to be of any use unless I can buy them cheaply in the store. Besides... cacti aren't native to Africa, so I think it might not be as nessessary as some seem to think... unless they contain something specific?

wellington - potted as in a flower pot, not spotted

 

[teresaf]

Maybe not necessary but a good food they like. How big is your tortoise? If he's little you can feed him the newest growth. They grow faster than you think.

 

[Reptilian Feline]

Maybe not necessary but a good food they like. How big is your tortoise? If he's little you can feed him the newest growth. They grow faster than you think.

He is about 6 cm in shell length.

I bought some ZooMed Grassland and tried it... he wasn't interested.... yet. I'll get some radiccio red sallad and try the zoomed on it.

 

[teresaf]

I would definitely buy a couple cactus pads then. He is small enough the pads would grow faster than he will so you can pop off a baby pad a couple times a week. They love them. They come spinless.

 

[Markw84]

I'll look for the cactus pieces, but I've read that they grow too slow here in Sweden to be of any use unless I can buy them cheaply in the store. Besides... cacti aren't native to Africa, so I think it might not be as nessessary as some seem to think... unless they contain something specific?

wellington - potted as in a flower pot, not spotted

Cactus is a great source of a very high calcium food. All tortoises will normally love it. A lot of the foods we offer, including ones you list, are OK in calcium, but not great. some are calcium poor, or have a ratio of calcium to phosphorus that is too low. Prickly Pear (opuntia) cactus is most widely used as it is a great food source and extremely high in calcium. I use it to "balance" out the the lower calcium phosphorus ratios of many foods. It is very well established in many parts of Africa, and a very common item there now.

I also use Mazuri regular formula as a common item in the menu to ensure good balance and the added vitamins and minerals. The Mazuri brand is not sold in Europe, but the company sells the identical product under a different brand name licensed for Europe. It is called Nutrazu there. You want the one that is the tortoise food, item # 50J3. Just soak a pellet in water for a few minutes and mash it up to put on the food. Most tortoises I've had take to it right away and soon prefer it and gobble it down first whenever offered.

You also can grow some common plants like petunias, pansies, gazanias, rose of sharon that are great additions. If a grape vine will do OK where you are that is also an excellent choice. The leaves are also very high in calcium and have a very high calcium to phosphorus ratio.

Growing the seed mix from tortoisesupply.com - the "testudo mix" is something many of us do. It is a blend of 20-30 different weeds and greens that are all great tortoise food. It grows extremely fast and in a few weeks it will be 6" high or so. Simply cut off a handful with your scissors, and you have an instant, great mix of greens to serve your tortoise. A small window box planter should be plenty for your little tortoise to give you a constant supply all year.

Here's I picture I just took for you. This is a planter I have to supply food for my group of tortoises. This section is 12 ft long and the lower section is the seed mix. The upper section is petunias. I harvest about 2 ft section every day. You can see starting at the far end, the last 3 days of harvest and how much the section at the very end has already grown back. The middle 2 ft is what I cut for them yesterday. I also cut off several handfuls of the petunias. I just work my way around the planter, and by the time I reach the other end, the beginning section has already grown completely back. And I am feeding 8 - 7"-11" tortoises with this providing about a third of their food.

 

[Reptilian Feline]

Thanks Mark! I remember you mentioned the Nutrazu before, but I have to order it online, while I just picked up some ZooMed in the herp shop.

I'll see if the store at the mall close to work might have some opuntia "leaves" in the veggie section, if not, I'll check out the different plant shops around. Finding the right calcium source is important and if oputnia is one of the best things to feed, I'll do my best to hunt some down. I have kept (and keep) some cacti, but I never really liked the opuntia because of all the tiny little spines. I haven't seen the spineless ones, but if they are available I will lokk for them first.

I know I can buy some seed mixes from a Swedish tortoise online shop. So far, I have just bought some grass seeds, maché sallad seeds, and cress seeds. Of course, I need to sow them, not just buy them. Your planter looks amazing! Do I need to grow the petunias from seeds to be on the safe side, or can I just pick some plants up in the shop and wait for new leaves to grow? Do I feed the flowers or just the leaves?

He is at the moment stuffing his face with radiccio sallad sprinkled with some calcium D3.

 

[Reptilian Feline]

*sigh* Opuntia seems like a dream far far away at the moment. When Googling for opuntia for cooking I cam across some Mexican recipies, but no place to get them here in Sweden. Looks like I either has to buy some seeds, or a plant at a shop... or find a person who is willing to part with one.

BTW... what about extra protein to make the little one grow? He likes clover. Maybe I can add more of that to the mix?

 

[teresaf]

Clover is good.