Tortoise Cookies (winter prep/treats)

Bambam1989

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2017
Messages
3,112
Location (City and/or State)
East Texas
What is the shelf life? I love the idea.
You could easily keep them in a Ziploc bag on the counter for several weeks. If you store them in a jar with one of those moisture absorbing packets (silica?) Then they will keep a few months depending on your climate. You can freeze them for even longer storage without issue as well since the water has already been removed, you won't end up with a gooey mess.
 

Alicia Hoogstra

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2017
Messages
361
Many of us tort keepers have already started preparing for winter feeding. I have begun making something that I call "Tortoise Cookies" and thought I would share what they are and how I make them.
The concept was to create a flavor combination that would be very appetizing for my tort while still being HEALTHY! The end goal is to create several variations that I can add to the fresh food that is available during winter to help create a more balanced diet.
This is the third batch that I have made and I took a few pics of the process to give anyone interested an idea of how to make it.
Here we go..

For this batch of cookies I used-
A medium sized Opuntia cactus pad
Hosta leaves
Squash leaves, stems, and a handful of blossoms
Sow Thistle
Various types of grasses
Smaller amounts of nipplewort, zinnia, and snapdragon

Sounds like some fairly yummy tort foods!

I then gradually fed my ingredients into my food processor. I blended it all up until I felt like I wasn't going to get it any finer. The results look like this..
View attachment 244510

O yes that looks yummy..

I then divided it roughly in half and put each half on a nonstick mat and rack for my dehydrator (if you don't have a nonstick mat or a dehydrator then you can use parchment paper and your oven on its lowest setting)
View attachment 244511

Ok, that just looks like someone already ate it and just came out the other end... better sample the "batter" and make sure it is ok!

View attachment 244512
View attachment 244514
View attachment 244515

I guess it was good..
Continuing on..
Spread your batter out as thin as you can get it without creating holes in it, like this
View attachment 244516
Then dehydrate it for several hours (I set my dehydrator to 135F) after 4 hours I would start checking it hourly. Its ready once it will cleanly peel from the mat. If it still tries to stick or come apart then leave it longer. The actual time will depend on what your "ingredients" are. This batch took almost 7 hours but that was largely because of the cactus. Here it is completely dehydrated.
View attachment 244517

Now its time to cut your cookies. The size you choose is completely up to you.

View attachment 244518
View attachment 244519

Now that they are done, the finished product has to be tested.

View attachment 244520

The firmness should help encourage a healthy beak. If it does seem to be to hard for your tort you can always dip it in water to soften them slightly or let them soak for a minute to return them to mush.
They are such a huge hit with Clunker! Other than a great winter supplement, they make delicious treats. Not as tasty as Mazuri though!
Genius!! I am so excited to start making "cookies"!
Thank you so very much!
 

KBeam

Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2018
Messages
61
Location (City and/or State)
Central Illinois
Many of us tort keepers have already started preparing for winter feeding. I have begun making something that I call "Tortoise Cookies" and thought I would share what they are and how I make them.
The concept was to create a flavor combination that would be very appetizing for my tort while still being HEALTHY! The end goal is to create several variations that I can add to the fresh food that is available during winter to help create a more balanced diet.
This is the third batch that I have made and I took a few pics of the process to give anyone interested an idea of how to make it.
Here we go..

For this batch of cookies I used-
A medium sized Opuntia cactus pad
Hosta leaves
Squash leaves, stems, and a handful of blossoms
Sow Thistle
Various types of grasses
Smaller amounts of nipplewort, zinnia, and snapdragon

Sounds like some fairly yummy tort foods!

I then gradually fed my ingredients into my food processor. I blended it all up until I felt like I wasn't going to get it any finer. The results look like this..
View attachment 244510

O yes that looks yummy..

I then divided it roughly in half and put each half on a nonstick mat and rack for my dehydrator (if you don't have a nonstick mat or a dehydrator then you can use parchment paper and your oven on its lowest setting)
View attachment 244511

Ok, that just looks like someone already ate it and just came out the other end... better sample the "batter" and make sure it is ok!

View attachment 244512
View attachment 244514
View attachment 244515

I guess it was good..
Continuing on..
Spread your batter out as thin as you can get it without creating holes in it, like this
View attachment 244516
Then dehydrate it for several hours (I set my dehydrator to 135F) after 4 hours I would start checking it hourly. Its ready once it will cleanly peel from the mat. If it still tries to stick or come apart then leave it longer. The actual time will depend on what your "ingredients" are. This batch took almost 7 hours but that was largely because of the cactus. Here it is completely dehydrated.
View attachment 244517

Now its time to cut your cookies. The size you choose is completely up to you.

View attachment 244518
View attachment 244519

Now that they are done, the finished product has to be tested.

View attachment 244520

The firmness should help encourage a healthy beak. If it does seem to be to hard for your tort you can always dip it in water to soften them slightly or let them soak for a minute to return them to mush.
They are such a huge hit with Clunker! Other than a great winter supplement, they make delicious treats. Not as tasty as Mazuri though!

Great idea!
 

Sue Ann

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2019
Messages
436
Location (City and/or State)
chapin , South Carolina
Many of us tort keepers have already started preparing for winter feeding. I have begun making something that I call "Tortoise Cookies" and thought I would share what they are and how I make them.
The concept was to create a flavor combination that would be very appetizing for my tort while still being HEALTHY! The end goal is to create several variations that I can add to the fresh food that is available during winter to help create a more balanced diet.
This is the third batch that I have made and I took a few pics of the process to give anyone interested an idea of how to make it.
Here we go..

For this batch of cookies I used-
A medium sized Opuntia cactus pad
Hosta leaves
Squash leaves, stems, and a handful of blossoms
Sow Thistle
Various types of grasses
Smaller amounts of nipplewort, zinnia, and snapdragon

Sounds like some fairly yummy tort foods!

I then gradually fed my ingredients into my food processor. I blended it all up until I felt like I wasn't going to get it any finer. The results look like this..
View attachment 244510

O yes that looks yummy..

I then divided it roughly in half and put each half on a nonstick mat and rack for my dehydrator (if you don't have a nonstick mat or a dehydrator then you can use parchment paper and your oven on its lowest setting)
View attachment 244511

Ok, that just looks like someone already ate it and just came out the other end... better sample the "batter" and make sure it is ok!

View attachment 244512
View attachment 244514
View attachment 244515

I guess it was good..
Continuing on..
Spread your batter out as thin as you can get it without creating holes in it, like this
View attachment 244516
Then dehydrate it for several hours (I set my dehydrator to 135F) after 4 hours I would start checking it hourly. Its ready once it will cleanly peel from the mat. If it still tries to stick or come apart then leave it longer. The actual time will depend on what your "ingredients" are. This batch took almost 7 hours but that was largely because of the cactus. Here it is completely dehydrated.
View attachment 244517

Now its time to cut your cookies. The size you choose is completely up to you.

View attachment 244518
View attachment 244519

Now that they are done, the finished product has to be tested.

View attachment 244520

The firmness should help encourage a healthy beak. If it does seem to be to hard for your tort you can always dip it in water to soften them slightly or let them soak for a minute to return them to mush.
They are such a huge hit with Clunker! Other than a great winter supplement, they make delicious treats. Not as tasty as Mazuri though!
Thanks so much.great post!
 

New Posts

Top