Feeding 40 Chelonians...

[Kristina]

... is a daily adventure It will become even more interesting as my Sulcatas get bigger!

First things first... I make my own gel food. The recipe is here.

After it gels up, it has to be stored. I cut it into weekly portions, and layer it with freezer paper, label the bag, and freeze it. That way I can take out just one portion at a time and thaw it.

That food is strictly vegetarian. I also make a gel food for my turtles, it is mostly meat with some veggies added for fiber and vitamins.

So, I pretty much start with this -

I use a storage tub lid as a tray to portion everything out. Each group of adult tortoises and box turtles get a slightly different ratio of foods. Mushrooms are a daily thing, but the greens change daily, along with the fruits. I buy whatever is on sale at the grocery store. By doing that it cuts my costs by 40% and I usually spend $10-12 daily. I buy fresh every day as well.

The fruits I don't put on the tray, just because they are so juicy that it makes a mess, lol.

And, when all is said and done...

 

[Torty Mom]

Holy moly batman! How long does it take to feed all those critters? The jell food looks cool, I may try it. My boxie is so picky I wonder if he would eat it!

 

[Kristina]

About a half an hour. But I also have the 7 cats, the snake, Uromastyx, hedgehog, dog, axolotl, 25 birds, and a 125, 100, 29, 20, 46, 5, and 10 gallon tanks full of fish to feed...

I bet your boxie would. It has a very strong fruity smell, they go after it like MAD. You can also add some fish in the mix to up the protein content. A small can of salmon or mackerel is perfect.

 

[Tom]

Wow. That is quite an operation.

 

[SulcataSquirt]

Wow that is amazing. Thanks for showing us the whole process. Can't imagine what you go through to feed all the other animals!

 

[Torty Mom]

Thanks Kristina, he is worse than a 2 year old!

 

[Kristina]

It is an operation, but it is a labor of love

My male Three Toed is picky like that. My girls are wild caught. I would put Mika at about 20 years old, Mikaayla probably 30 plus. (I got both from individuals, I wouldn't buy wild caught adults otherwise. It makes me sad that they lived all those years as wild turtles, and then were caught and sold and ended up in homes that didn't take good care of them at all.) Both will eat everything that I put in front of them. Mikhail is captive raised (very poorly) and is the pickiest little blighter... But he loves the stuff

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

WOW..

 

[DesertGrandma]

Why do you add mushrooms every day? They must have some nutritional value, but I don't know what it is.

 

[N2TORTS]

Kristina ... cool thread and great job! ... your love for torts and critters in general shows! ... ya sure were not related?

JD~

 

[Laura]

mushrooms have Vit D...

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Love it!!!! I have um .... a few turtles/tortoises ... to feed everyday too! I keep frozen food ready for my box turtles - put it on a bed of dandelions and and add some fresh fruits and veggies to it. I'm excited to try your tortoise recipe now! Thank you!

 

[Kristina]

Why do you add mushrooms every day? They must have some nutritional value, but I don't know what it is.

Mushrooms are a great source of fiber and Vit. D2 for forest tortoises and box turtles. Many times, tortoises like Hingebacks will turn their noses up at greens, but it is important that they get their fiber as well, and I have yet to see them turn up their noses at a portabella!

My Redfoots, Manouria, Hingebacks, and Box turtles get mushrooms at every meal. I do not feed them to my grazing tortoises.

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Thanks everyone for the comments, I have a couple of other gel recipes that I need to get posted