Can I feed my leopard tortis leo grass from the garden

[Mammyjuls]

Hi can I feed my leopard tortis leo grass from the garden of it has been washed and left to dry .

And dos anyone know of any were in UK were I can buy the plans grass and seeds from please

 

[dmmj]

Can you? Yes. Will he eat it? Who knows. They are not big grass eaters but you can offer and see what happens it won't hurt. Is it pesticide free?

 

[Mammyjuls]

Yes it is going to give it a try

 

[Lyn W]

Hi can I feed my leopard tortis leo grass from the garden of it has been washed and left to dry .

And dos anyone know of any were in UK were I can buy the plans grass and seeds from please

Hi Juls so you opted for leopard then? How old is he? I have a 3 year old (approx.) - he is 10.5" now, and has his own room.
They are quite difficult and expensive to keep in the UK - My bills have double over winter with the heat that they need! I use MVB for day and a CHE on a thermostat at night - plus there is a radiator on 24/7 in his room when chilly.
He was found in a field (probably abandoned because if the cost) and unclaimed so ended up with me - I had no idea what I was taking on, but TFO has been a godsend. The caresheet will tell you all you need to know as will Beginners mistakes and Enclosures, - which have prob been mentioned before.

Some pet shops with reptile sections sell seeds - not found them in Pets at Home or The Range yet
A lot of people order them on line.
My leopard isn't fussed about grass - although he will graze on shorter grass it if I put him out - on rare warm enough days.
He loves dandelions and plantains and clover which I wash thoroughly.
To add fibre to Lola's diet I grind 'Readigrass' almost to a powder in a blender and sprinkle it on wet food then spray with water again to make it stick. but you could use fresh grass from your garden and cut it up very small to add.
Any grass seeds you use mustn't have any additives like fertilisers or quick grow chemicals etc with them.
I don't give any fruit apart from a tiny bit of tomato about once every 4-6 weeks. Good luck!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

TORTOISE SUPPLY has species specific grass seeds for sale.
I've used the Testudo mix before and I still have some left. The bags seem small, but there are like a jillion seeds in there.

 

[Mammyjuls]

He is 18 months yes i am finding its a lot harder then i thought with a leopard
Also shop owner said he would grow between 9 to 10 inch long but i am finding people are saying no that wrong
Also shop owner has told me lots of wrong information
I also think he is going to be a lot bigger than i wanted i did not owant a really large tortise and told the shop keeper that and he said it will not be large but been doing more reading on them and yes i am sure they are going to be large

Thank you for food advice will have a look online is there any chance you could send me a picof your enclouser please

 

[Mammyjuls]

TORTOISE SUPPLY has species specific grass seeds for sale.
I've used the Testudo mix before and I still have some left. The bags seem small, but there are like a jillion seeds in there.

Thank you I will have a look

 

[Mammyjuls]

Can you buy plants frome like garden centres if I get the in organic soil will they sell the plants I need to put in

 

[Lyn W]

He is 18 months yes i am finding its a lot harder then i thought with a leopard
Also shop owner said he would grow between 9 to 10 inch long but i am finding people are saying no that wrong
Also shop owner has told me lots of wrong information
I also think he is going to be a lot bigger than i wanted i did not want a really large tortise and told the shop keeper that and he said it will not be large but been doing more reading on them and yes i am sure they are going to be large

Thank you for food advice will have a look online is there any chance you could send me a picof your enclouser please

Leopards can grow up to about 2 feet -but in captivity in UK, I read 16 - 18 " is more likely. I was told my tort was about 10yrs when I first took him to a vet for check up, but then I saw a 7 year old which was about 16" and the owner said that mine was prob only about 2/3 yrs - but they all grow at different rates so vary.
I don't have a camera that I can upload pics with at the mo but my tort lives in an room with huge flat trays of substrate - coco coir and orchid bark - and a humid hide with sphagnum moss. I use the cover of a cat loo for his hide which I bought in the Range for about £10 - the tray part of it I use as his bath.
Humidity has been a problem but I keep it up with buckets of water in the room and also give luke warm soaks everyday and he has water he can self soak with.
I hang the mvb/ che about 10 inches above carapace. he has plenty of room to wander and when ground temps are 70+ outside he goes out in his enclosure - I use a temp gun which is better for spot checking temps than a fixed thermometer.
Some people keep them outside in heated sheds when they are big enough.

 

[Lyn W]

Can you buy plants frome like garden centres if I get the in organic soil will they sell the plants I need to put in

Garden centre plants are ok if repotted in chemical free soil but I was advised that it could take up to a year for them to be safe.
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk will tell you what is safe or not. Spider plants are good for enclosures.

 

[Mammyjuls]

What humidity have you got yours set at

 

[Mammyjuls]

Hi i thought like a horsefield i could have him in an enlcouser up till he is an adult of a size of 8 by 4 feet like you can with a gorsefeild but when i have been readying up on it he will need a 10 by 10 feet one is his right

 

[Lyn W]

What humidity have you got yours set at

I struggle to get mine above 65- 70 which is why I soak daily try to counteract this. It would be easier in an enclosure with a lid, but would need an enormous one, so I am looking at ways of rigging up a lower plastic 'ceiling' to contain heta and humidity.
Lola already had pyramiding when I got her but I think it's under control now - doesn't look any worse anyway.
Is that your tort in your avatar? Just wondering what substrate it is on there.

Pet shops are notorious for giving bad advice as they are only really interested in profit - not animal welfare, so they will sell you lots of stuff you don't need or things that are unsuitable. Best thing to do is check everything you are told here before putting your hand in your pocket.
'No coil or loop type bulb' is a golden rule as they damage torts eyes. as is 'no sand or substrate with little white bits'
which they often sell to new tort owners.

There is a lot of great advice and info on care sheets and in diff threads about leopards here so your best bet is to take the time to find them and have a good read.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi i thought like a horsefield i could have him in an enlcouser up till he is an adult of a size of 8 by 4 feet like you can with a gorsefeild but when i have been readying up on it he will need a 10 by 10 feet one is his right

Basically the bigger the better for any tort as they are wandering animals, Read the care sheets for best advice Juls, I am only repeating what I have read and learned myself in the last year.
All torts are hard work until you have the set up right. I am always tweaking mine to do the best for Lola.

Can you post pics of what your tort is living in at the moment? Then if anything needs changing members can help you get it right.

It is best to read up on the different species before you buy so you know what to expect and better for the tort too because change is very stressful for them.

 

[Mammyjuls]

 

[Mammyjuls]

At the min he is in this but my husband is going to build a big one for him
And on floor he has Coco coir

 

[Mammyjuls]

But his humidity is 50 at the min dos it need to be higher

 

[Lyn W]

At the min he is in this but my husband is going to build a big one for him
And on floor he has Coco coir

Oh yes he needs to be in a much bigger home asap!
You may want to put some paper on the outside of the glass as a sight barrier as he could get stressed trying to get through it, and a bushy plant for ground cover in a corner may make him feel more secure. What are you using for essential uvb?

 

[Gillian M]

An adorable tortoise-GOD bless.

I'd just like to draw your attention to something: glass is NOT reccomended as torts do NOT understand the concept of glass, so they keep trying to get out.

 

[Lyn W]

But his humidity is 50 at the min dos it need to be higher

Check the care sheet for humidity and the 4 temps he needs in his enclosure.

humidity + heat = healthy tort
humidity + cold = sick tort