food help

[fay]

Hi,
I have a hermans tortoise aged 1 and a 1/2 and there was a few questions I have and would very much appreciate if anyone could help with answers.

1) How much food should I be giving to her?
2) Is it unhealthy for her to have cucumber and tomatoes regularly?
3) Whats the best food to give to her whilst im finding it difficult to find dandelions?

Thanks

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Hello - I let my Hermann's eat as much as they want in a sitting every other day. They can have cucumber and tomatoes occassionally, but keep it to a minimum, especially the tomato. Acceptable grocery store greens are endive, escarole, radichio. I also feed mine mulberry, grape leaves, rose petals and leaves, hibiscus leaves and flowers. If you have a lawn (chemical free of course) you can let her graze if you can secure the area. Good luck!

 

[GBtortoises]

1) How much food is always debatable and everyone has their different ideas about it. When indoors, I feed my young Hermann's (and others) every other day, as much as they can eat. I place the food in their enclosures in the morning and clean the plates up in the evening with I get home. They also have timothy hay to graze on at all times. When outdoors they have an entire enclosure of weeds growing within to graze on when they wish. They are also fed wild weeds every other day when outdoors too.
2) Simply put up, cucumber and tomato are not good foods for Mediterranean tortoises. Occasionally they're probably harmless. They should not be fed as part of regular diet.
3) There really is no "best" food. The key is to feed a varied, quality diet consisting of many types of beneficial greens with some occasional vegetables mixed in. I feed mine about 80-85% greens and 15-20% qualitiy mixture of vegetables. The only supplement that I use is calcium carbonate offered seperately from their food. I do not use any type of multivitamins whatsoever.
I can't speak for the availability in England, but here in the U.S. dandelions are considered a nuisance weed by most people. It is an extremely common plant that some people go to great lengths (and expense) to purge from their property! It's also sold here in some grocery stores as human food, mostly for green salad.

 

[fay]

Ok thank you thats very very helpful.
In the summer time there are alot of dandelions around but im from the isle of man and in the winter theyre pretty difficult to be found and I'd never heard of them being sold in a supermarket!
Thanks again

 

[GBtortoises]

I live in the Northeastern U.S., in New York state. Usually from early November through mid March weeds aren't available here either. Much of the time (like right now) they're buried under a lot of snow!