This is the time of year that I have access to pumpkin... if my torts were huge beasts, I´d just chuck the pumpkins in whole, but theyŕe not, so I don´t.
What I do instead is break the pumpkins down and store them in three different forms.
First, I scoop out the pumpkin guts and put them in a gallon ziploc bag (or a few) and press them flat... I this so that when I freeze them, I can later break off a chunk more easily.
There are studies out there (here´s one) supporting the idea that pumpkin seeds have antiparasitic properties, but theyŕe not done with torts so of questionable applicability... I use the guts (with seeds) as a food, but assume that they are also of benefit in helping to control the gut biota of my torts.
Next, I strip away at the flesh on the inside of the pumpkin with a strong fork... I used one of my titanium camping forks because otherwise I might bend a piece of the flatware we got as a wedding present and I´d be in trouble. It comes out looking a bit like thin spaghetti.
Again, I like to freeze this stuff in ziploc bags, frozen in thin, flat layers so that it´s easy to break off for feeding later.
I saved out about a half-cup of this stuff to give to my torts fresh at the end of the process, and although all of them had already eaten for the day, and a few of them had headed into their hides, the smell of the fresh pumpkin brought them all out and all 5 torts scarfed down the tablespoon or three that I gave them.
The last method I use in breaking down the pumpkin is hacking it to pieces with a cleaver, then chopping the meat clear of the skin. I do this because I´m not sure of what, if any treatments and chemicals have been sprayed onto the skin. I freeze these chunks in ziplocs again, but don´t worry about pressing them flat, because it´s easy enough to break it apart when frozen.
In this way, yesterday afternoon, I broke a $4 pumpkin down into dozens of meals, in three distinct forms, for my five tortoises. I don´t feed any of my torts solely on pumpkin, but use it as a part of their varied diets.
Jamie
What I do instead is break the pumpkins down and store them in three different forms.
First, I scoop out the pumpkin guts and put them in a gallon ziploc bag (or a few) and press them flat... I this so that when I freeze them, I can later break off a chunk more easily.
There are studies out there (here´s one) supporting the idea that pumpkin seeds have antiparasitic properties, but theyŕe not done with torts so of questionable applicability... I use the guts (with seeds) as a food, but assume that they are also of benefit in helping to control the gut biota of my torts.
Next, I strip away at the flesh on the inside of the pumpkin with a strong fork... I used one of my titanium camping forks because otherwise I might bend a piece of the flatware we got as a wedding present and I´d be in trouble. It comes out looking a bit like thin spaghetti.
Again, I like to freeze this stuff in ziploc bags, frozen in thin, flat layers so that it´s easy to break off for feeding later.
I saved out about a half-cup of this stuff to give to my torts fresh at the end of the process, and although all of them had already eaten for the day, and a few of them had headed into their hides, the smell of the fresh pumpkin brought them all out and all 5 torts scarfed down the tablespoon or three that I gave them.
The last method I use in breaking down the pumpkin is hacking it to pieces with a cleaver, then chopping the meat clear of the skin. I do this because I´m not sure of what, if any treatments and chemicals have been sprayed onto the skin. I freeze these chunks in ziplocs again, but don´t worry about pressing them flat, because it´s easy enough to break it apart when frozen.
In this way, yesterday afternoon, I broke a $4 pumpkin down into dozens of meals, in three distinct forms, for my five tortoises. I don´t feed any of my torts solely on pumpkin, but use it as a part of their varied diets.
Jamie
