Is this good advice?

[bogart20]

http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/w_c/tortoise/new/DesertTortoiseDiet.pdf

 

[Neal]

Looks pretty good to me. I would disagree with a few items on their "Do not feed list", but in general, it's good advice.

 

[bogart20]

Sweet, what kinds if things would you disagree with? I'm lookin to hsve an optimal diet for this little guy

 

[Neal]

Lettuce being the biggest one. Romaine has some beneficial properties. Celery, fruit, and cucumber I would consider OK on occasion as well as certain protein rich foods.

I guess instead of avoid, I would say the above could be fed sparingly and provide a more well balanced diet.

 

[safari_lass1]

I think it seams about right, I little hard if you are in the midst of winter with no grass, weeds or leaves.

I think every animal needs a little protein, but nothing that is severely high. I catch my sulcata eating slugs/snails that come out in the morning when I set them out, so the obviously get a little.

I am in the process of seeing if I can dehydrate or flash freeze mulberry leaves/ weeds/clover. Mine are very picky at times and won't eat any kind of greens or store produce.

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I am sure you may already know this, but finely chopping up some good quality hay (I like Timothy or Bermuda) and mixing it in with what ever produce/weeds you offer is a great way to boost the fiber. Mine never would eat it outright, so I had to disguise it. Wetting the produce and shaking it in a bag full of the FINELY chopped hay is easiest.

If you guy is real little be sure to make sure it is extremely tender hay because sticks and hard stocks could be damaging to the little guy's mouth.

Hope it helps!!

 

[bogart20]

Yes very helpful thanks, will wetting the Timothy hay soften it well? I give him mostly that anyways but I don't think he likes it that much. I've got a mix of spring mix with Timothy hay I soaked for a day then drained with a little bit of zucchini and half a baby carrot all dinky chopped

 

[bogart20]

I mean orchard grass not Timothy

 

[Yvonne G]

Since this is a care sheet that is given out or printed on the 'net, I'm sure the gov't has meant to err on the side of caution. If you tell people that it is ok to feed "...this good food, that good food, another good food, this wonderful food, and lettuce." What they key in on is the easy to find, buy and keep in the fridge - lettuce. By omitting the word altogether, they don't have people feed only lettuce to their tortoise, "..because it was on the list of ok foods to feed."