Best place to buy vegtables.

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

I have a 5 and a half inch Russian tortoise with a big appetite. One problem was I used to buy him some grocery greens, changing the types of 3 greens I buy him every time and picked some wild weeds from yards (There was no weed killers). However, since the weather is cold I've been having trouble finding any good and healthy wild weeds outside and I can't just feed him Grocery greens (I do get dandelion greens from the grocery store, but I just can't feed him only that type of weed). Another problem is that I waste too much greens. To buy grocery greens in my local store, I need to buy big clutches and multiple different types of greens too. Even though I use the paper towel humidity reduction trick, the amount of variety and greens usually never get fed to my tortoise and is thrown out or fed to the wildlife in my yard. Is there any tortoise food websites you guys recommend because my local stores don't offer a lot of variety and I almost used most of the greens. (Not even sure if there is a website where you can buy tortoise greens)

 

[myk]

You could go to local farm and buy bail of hay and or clover.

 

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

You could go to local farm and buy bail of hay and or clover.

Thanks, I have a local farm I could go to. I might be able to luck out and find some hay.

 

[wellington]

You could go to local farm and buy bail of hay and or clover.

Russians don't really eat hay and clover is not good for feeding a lot all the time.

 

[wellington]

Kapidolo Farms sells a lot of different items that you could use.
Also, You can buy one green and feed that for two or three days, then buy a different one next time and so on. You shouldn't need to feed the same green for at least 7 days.
Add to the greens list, cactus, ridicchio, arugula, mustard and collard greens, kale, spring mix, just to name a few.

 

[myk]

I have a 5 and a half inch Russian tortoise with a big appetite. One problem was I used to buy him some grocery greens, changing the types of 3 greens I buy him every time and picked some wild weeds from yards (There was no weed killers). However, since the weather is cold I've been having trouble finding any good and healthy wild weeds outside and I can't just feed him Grocery greens (I do get dandelion greens from the grocery store, but I just can't feed him only that type of weed). Another problem is that I waste too much greens. To buy grocery greens in my local store, I need to buy big clutches and multiple different types of greens too. Even though I use the paper towel humidity reduction trick, the amount of variety and greens usually never get fed to my tortoise and is thrown out or fed to the wildlife in my yard. Is there any tortoise food websites you guys recommend because my local stores don't offer a lot of variety and I almost used most of the greens. (Not even sure if there is a website where you can buy tortoise greens)

I heard you can grind up the greens and freeze them,like a mix in ice cube trays, then just remove and thaw when needed

 

[wellington]

I heard you can grind up the greens and freeze them,like a mix in ice cube trays, then just remove and thaw when needed

Greens get mushy when frozen

 

[Tom]

You could go to local farm and buy bail of hay and or clover.

Russians don't eat grass or grass hay, and alfalfa or clover is too high in protein to be offered every day. You'll cause a bladder stone in a Russian. I've never seen bales of clover for sale. Do they do that back east?

 

[Tom]

I have a 5 and a half inch Russian tortoise with a big appetite. One problem was I used to buy him some grocery greens, changing the types of 3 greens I buy him every time and picked some wild weeds from yards (There was no weed killers). However, since the weather is cold I've been having trouble finding any good and healthy wild weeds outside and I can't just feed him Grocery greens (I do get dandelion greens from the grocery store, but I just can't feed him only that type of weed). Another problem is that I waste too much greens. To buy grocery greens in my local store, I need to buy big clutches and multiple different types of greens too. Even though I use the paper towel humidity reduction trick, the amount of variety and greens usually never get fed to my tortoise and is thrown out or fed to the wildlife in my yard. Is there any tortoise food websites you guys recommend because my local stores don't offer a lot of variety and I almost used most of the greens. (Not even sure if there is a website where you can buy tortoise greens)

Did you read the care sheet that was linked for you? I explain what to do for your situation right here:

Feeding:
So much contradictory info on this subject. Its simple. What do they eat in the wild. Grass, weeds, leaves, flowers, and succulents. Feed them a huge variety of these things, and you'll have a healthy tortoise. All of these species are very adaptable when it comes to diet and there is a very large margin of error, and many ways to do it right. What if you don't have this sort of "natural" tortoise food available for part of each year because you are in the snow? You will have no choice but to buy grocery store food. What's wrong with grocery store food? It tends to lack fiber, some items are low in calcium or have a poor calcium to phosphorous ratio, and some items have deleterious compounds in them. All of these short comings can be improved with some simple supplementation and amendments. A pinch of calcium two times per week will help fix that problem. You can also leave cuttle bone in the enclosure, so your tortoise can self-regulate its own calcium intake. What about fiber? Soaked horse hay pellets, soaked ZooMed Grassland pellets, Mazuri tortoise chow, "Salad style", "Herbal Hay" both from @TylerStewart and his lovely wife Sarah at Tortoisesupply.com, or many of the dried plants and leaves available from Will @Kapidolo Farms. If you must use grocery store foods, favor endive and escarole as your main staples. Add in arugula, cilantro, kale, collard, mustard and turnip greens, squash leaves, spring mix, romaine, green or red leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, water cress, carrot tops, celery tops, bok choy, and whatever other greens you can find. If you mix in some of the aforementioned amendments, these grocery store foods will offer plants of variety and fiber and be able to meet your tortoises nutritional needs just fine. I find it preferable to grab a few grapevine or mulberry leaves, or a handful of mallow and clover, or some broadleaf plantain leaves and some grass, but with the right additions, grocery store stuff is fine too. Grow your own stuff, or find it around you when possible. Tyler and Sarah also sell a fantastic Testudo seed mix that is great for ALL tortoise species and also super easy to grow in pots, trays, raised garden beds, or in outdoor tortoise enclosures. When that isn't possible, add a wide variety of good stuff to your grocery store greens to make them better.

 

[SuzanneZ]

Russians don't really eat hay and clover is not good for feeding a lot all the time.

I have a 5 and a half inch Russian tortoise with a big appetite. One problem was I used to buy him some grocery greens, changing the types of 3 greens I buy him every time and picked some wild weeds from yards (There was no weed killers). However, since the weather is cold I've been having trouble finding any good and healthy wild weeds outside and I can't just feed him Grocery greens (I do get dandelion greens from the grocery store, but I just can't feed him only that type of weed). Another problem is that I waste too much greens. To buy grocery greens in my local store, I need to buy big clutches and multiple different types of greens too. Even though I use the paper towel humidity reduction trick, the amount of variety and greens usually never get fed to my tortoise and is thrown out or fed to the wildlife in my yard. Is there any tortoise food websites you guys recommend because my local stores don't offer a lot of variety and I almost used most of the greens. (Not even sure if there is a website where you can buy tortoise greens)

I'm in a long term drought, so the wild greens finally expired. I dug up one of his special favorites when it was two dying leaves and a baby leaf, put it in a pot and watered. Here's the results after about 1 1/2 weeks.

 

[SuzanneZ]

I don't know how that happened.

 

[SuzanneZ]

Wild dying green dug up and potted about 1 1/2 weeks ago.

 

[SuzanneZ]

Wild dying green dug up and potted about 1 1/2 weeks ago.

You'll have to use your imagination. Won't load.

 

[SuzanneZ]

You'll have to use your imagination. Won't load.

Well drive me crazy.