Can any one tell me what kind of tortoise this is.

Tidgy's Dad

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I like to give Tip a variety of diffrent things to eat such as dandelion greens, beet greens, baby spinach, he loves kale. Also he loves strawberries and raspberries for breakfast. He eat a variety of nutritional leafy greens. I give him carrots once in a great while, he loves carrots sooooo much,. Is okra good to give him too?
Dandelions are great tort food, beet greens okay as part of a nice varied diet, spinach shouldn't be fed, kale good in moderation
No fruits, i'm afraid, they're very bad for Russian tortoises, carrots only in small amounts
Okra, the leaves and flowers are fine, but not the fruit
See the list in the care sheet I posted for what's good or use http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/index.php#.WY-FmlWGPIU
to see what's safe and what's not (they tend to be overcautious, but I think that's sensible)
 

Corinna

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Dandelions are great tort food, beet greens okay as part of a nice varied diet, spinach shouldn't be fed, kale good in moderation
No fruits, i'm afraid, they're very bad for Russian tortoises, carrots only in small amounts
Okra, the leaves and flowers are fine, but not the fruit
See the list in the care sheet I posted for what's good or use http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/index.php#.WY-FmlWGPIU
to see what's safe and what's not (they tend to be overcautious, but I think that's sensible)
Wow! After looking over that link, Iam speechless. What is left to feed the little guy? Everything I looked up was a no feed.. Other websites I looked up, alot of the no feed on this like, was alright on other sites. I do not know what to feed him now.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Wow! After looking over that link, Iam speechless. What is left to feed the little guy? Everything I looked up was a no feed.. Other websites I looked up, alot of the no feed on this like, was alright on other sites. I do not know what to feed him now.
As I say, they're overcautious, but other sites often have old and dangerously outdated information.
Definitely, no fruit.
Try the list on the caresheet and I like :
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/nutrientanalysis.htm
The one's in bold are best, but it explains when and how you can feed some of the other stuff safely.
 

Jbrez

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Most broadleaf greens are ok . Mine likes clover , thistle, collared greens,dandelion, spring mix, radish greens,kale.
 

Stuart S.

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Ok thank you all for the tips. Iam learning.

Welcome! Everyone is overwhelming for the first week or so but you will soon get a consistent routine down and it will be a breeze, the best thing is that you're asking questions and that's because you care; which means that this tortoise is going to get the care it needs to live a happy life! Good luck!!
 

TammyJ

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I like to give Tip a variety of diffrent things to eat such as dandelion greens, beet greens, baby spinach, he loves kale. Also he loves strawberries and raspberries for breakfast. He eat a variety of nutritional leafy greens. I give him carrots once in a great while, he loves carrots sooooo much,. Is okra good to give him too?
Don't see why not okra. My redfoots love it anyway.
Welcome to the site!
 

RosemaryDW

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Don't see why not okra. My redfoots love it anyway.
Welcome to the site!

Okra is actually a fruit, as are tomatoes. Not as much sugar, but still a fruit. :eek:

A little okra on occasion is fine. My gets an average of maybe one a month-ish. She gets some other fruits that we usually think of as vegetables: a little cucumber, some squash. A strip of red pepper on occasion or an inch or so of carrot.
 
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RosemaryDW

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Wow! After looking over that link, Iam speechless. What is left to feed the little guy? Everything I looked up was a no feed.. Other websites I looked up, alot of the no feed on this like, was alright on other sites. I do not know what to feed him now.

There definitely is a lot of conflictinng advice out there. Some of it is outdated, as others have mentioned; on the exact opposiite side is The Tortoise Table, which is extremely conservative. For now take a look at what is on this site and do the best you can. It will get easier! Just don't feed fruit! :)

-------------------------------
Here is a looong list of information on foods, most of it put together by very experienced members of this forum. It's a ton of reading, for now you will probably want to focus on the section about grocery store foods from the link; I bolded the parts that mention spring mix, and the greens that go into it.

There is a great list for foods that was written for another type of tortoise but if you skip the first bit about grass, all the foods below it are great for your Russian: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/.

You may need to rely on grocery store foods for now. Good foods for tortoises are "chicories," types of lettuce that are likely to be on the far side of the more common floppy green heads of lettuce most people buy. Anything labeled as simply "chicory" is good, as are radiccio, frisee, escarole, and endive; you might even find something labeled as dandelions. You may find a bag of "Spring" or "Spicy" mix that is okay, just check the label to be sure it has some of the chicories I just mentioned. The Ready Pac brand has a "Santa Barbara" mix that is entirely chicories.

The leaves (just the leaves) of turnips and radishes are also good, as are carrot tops. Collards, mustard greens, bok choy, and other dark, leafy greens are okay as well, all in moderation. If you have any kind of Mexican/hispanic market near you, they will sell cactus, labeled "nopales."

You don't need to feed all of these at one time, just make sure your tortoise is getting access to different types of food. As you get more experienced, you can find the better types of food listed on the care sheets.

Here are a whole bunch of non-grocery store suggestions. Just be sure they aren't treated with pesticides--another thing you'll learn how to identify in time.

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Sunflower leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Nasturtium
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Cactus pads

Weeds:

Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard
 

Corinna

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Thanks everyone for all your help and advice. I feel like Tip is another one of my kids I love the little handsome guy soooo much.
 

Corinna

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Hi! Can anyone tell me about Russian tortoise pee. Ok so I keep him hydrated I give Tip a soak every day. Always has water on his food. He has always peed clear and once in a great while a just a little white stuff, hardly any, I have looked good at his pee it looks great just it seems like it has a slight kind of gel texture. Is this normal, or am I doing somthing wrong. His feces is normal and looks very healthy.
 
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