Is this ok?

Jaid10

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image.jpg Hi, I was wondering if this is a good meal for my 4-6 yo tort.
A mix of:
Blade grass (not sprayed)
Salary
Lettuce
Tomato
Red, orange, and yellow sweet mini peppers (no seeds)
 

madbad

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Take out the tomato and celery for sure, peppers are more of a treat I think (someone chime in here.) The lettuce isn't dangerous but may not be very nutritious (make sure its not iceburg lettuce.) Grass is good tho.
 

Jaid10

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Take out the tomato and celery for sure, peppers are more of a treat I think (someone chime in here.) The lettuce isn't dangerous but may not be very nutritious (make sure its not iceburg lettuce.) Grass is good tho.
Ok, why are tomato’s and celery bad for her?( out of curiosity)
 

madbad

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Celery as per thetortoiseeable.org : Celery leaves contain high levels of oxalates, and the seeds have diuretic properties. The whole plant has a high carbohydrate content, a high sodium content, and the calcium/phosphorous ratio is also not ideal for tortoises, so although it is not toxic as such, we do not recommend feeding it (although a few nibbles would do no great harm).

Tomato as per thetortoisetable.org :
There is some disagreement over the toxic principle in tomatoes: some say it is the alkaloid tomatine, while others disagree and say it is the glycoalkaloid solamine. Despite this disagreement the tomato does come from the same family as potatoes and deadly nightshade, and the leaves and unripe fruit are TOXIC and should never be fed. The ripe fruit has a high sugar content, low level of calcium and high phosphorus content with almost no fibre, so it is not nourishing and we do not recommend feeding it.

Tortoises do find tomatoes tasty though, and the one situation in which it might be acceptable to feed is when it is used to administer medication.


So the takeaway here is that if they have already eaten it I wouldn't worry, but don't continue to feed them because of the lack of nutrition and possible toxic side effects, If you are having to find food at the supermarket because you are young and lack the means to get anything you want at any time, the fruits and vegetable section of the tortoise table will help you keep from freaking out that you are poisoning your tort.

https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/fruit-vegetables/#.WxDPS-4vyUm
 

madbad

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It should also be noted that The Tortoise Table isn't sulcata specific, so even though they say fruit can be fed sparingly, I wouldn't feed fruit except on maybe a monthly basis as a treat
 

Jaid10

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Celery as per thetortoiseeable.org : Celery leaves contain high levels of oxalates, and the seeds have diuretic properties. The whole plant has a high carbohydrate content, a high sodium content, and the calcium/phosphorous ratio is also not ideal for tortoises, so although it is not toxic as such, we do not recommend feeding it (although a few nibbles would do no great harm).

Tomato as per thetortoisetable.org :
There is some disagreement over the toxic principle in tomatoes: some say it is the alkaloid tomatine, while others disagree and say it is the glycoalkaloid solamine. Despite this disagreement the tomato does come from the same family as potatoes and deadly nightshade, and the leaves and unripe fruit are TOXIC and should never be fed. The ripe fruit has a high sugar content, low level of calcium and high phosphorus content with almost no fibre, so it is not nourishing and we do not recommend feeding it.

Tortoises do find tomatoes tasty though, and the one situation in which it might be acceptable to feed is when it is used to administer medication.


So the takeaway here is that if they have already eaten it I wouldn't worry, but don't continue to feed them because of the lack of nutrition and possible toxic side effects, If you are having to find food at the supermarket because you are young and lack the means to get anything you want at any time, the fruits and vegetable section of the tortoise table will help you keep from freaking out that you are poisoning your tort.

https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/fruit-vegetables/#.WxDPS-4vyUm
Crap. I had already put them in a while before you replied. I tried to take as many out as possible tho.
 

Jaid10

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Get rid of what you can but dont stress out about whats already been eaten.
Ok, I tried. My mom was yelling at me, telling me to get in bed. I have a weird thing that I tend to feed my pets right before bed.
 

Big Charlie

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Ok, I tried. My mom was yelling at me, telling me to get in bed. I have a weird thing that I tend to feed my pets right before bed.
It's probably better to feed them in the morning. They tend to slow down at night, just like people.
 

JoesMum

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It's probably better to feed them in the morning. They tend to slow down at night, just like people.
It's definitely better to feed them in the morning. Torts are cold blooded and can't do anything, including eat and digest food, when the lamps are off and the enclosure cools. They are also not nocturnal.

Get yourself into a morning routine. Get up, put your tort in for a soak, place food, replace water, tidy the enclosure... it only takes a few minutes... have your own breakfast... replace your tort and get on with your day.

Owning a pet brings responsibilities and you have to adapt your life to them , not the other way round. It means you have to get up a little earlier, but not a lot :)
 

vladimir

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Your are still doing awesome dude.
@jaid10 just wanted to say that I've been following your posts and am impressed with how reasonable, understanding and responsible you are for being so young. Keep up the hard work, keep asking questions when you need help, and I'm sure you're going to be rewarded with many many years of happy sulcata keeping [emoji846]
 

Jaid10

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@jaid10 just wanted to say that I've been following your posts and am impressed with how reasonable, understanding and responsible you are for being so young. Keep up the hard work, keep asking questions when you need help, and I'm sure you're going to be rewarded with many many years of happy sulcata keeping [emoji846]
Thank you. I love this forum. I have had so much help from so many people. I am trying my best to give my torts the life they deserve.
 

Yvonne G

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Ok, I tried. My mom was yelling at me, telling me to get in bed. I have a weird thing that I tend to feed my pets right before bed.
You really need to change your tortoise feeding habits. Tortoises are hard wired to eat right after they warm up in the morning. Your sulcata needs to be outside. That way he can feed himself.

If you have to buy stuff to feed him, buy endive, escarole, turnip greens, etc. Then from outside find clean (not sprayed) mulberry leaves, grapes leaves, blade grass (try not to use the grasses like shown in your picture as they have a hard stem, you want the blades) and weeds.
 
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