QUOTE(NiniWahab @ Jul 6 2017, 07:00 PM)
Hello.
New tortoise mom here. I have 2 cherry head redfoot baby tortoises. You may have been asked this questions so many times. I have also gone through some threads about this. There are so many foreign greens and vegetables that can only be bought in the supermarket. There are some that are well known and I can readily get from my garden like hibiscus leaves and flowers, grape leaves, mulberry leaves, rose flowers. I am also happy to know that sawi and bunga kertas, mint, cilantro, aloe vera can be given as food, as well as papayas.
I love gardening and i have some plants and weeds that I need to run through with you guys to see whether it is safe and that if I can use it as staple or just on the 'occasional' list.
1. Pegaga - Centella asiatica, pennywort. I have a variety of it including the Hydrocotyle leucocephala (used for planted tanks)
2. Daun kesum - Persicaria odorata
3. Daun cekur - Kaempferia galanga
4. Daun sup - Apium graveolens
5. Fig leaves, fruits
6. Pucuk ubi kayu - cassava shoots
Weeds:
1. Maman pasir - Cleyome gynandra
2. Sireh cina - Peperomia pellucida
I tried to find some in the Tortoise Table Database but I could not get any. same as in Tortoise Forum. There is a thread on Indian plants for Indian Star Tortoises. That was very helpful too.
The reason I like using my own plants is of course because it's free and readily available so I can pick them fresh. It is also pesticide free.
My redfoots are still babies and have not fully recovered from the stress of a new home so I am sticking to the ones I know that is safe including store bought ones.
So I'd appreciate the help.
1. on the list above
2. other suggestion for easily available edible plants for tortoises
3. since redfoots are omnivores, what animal protein would you give to the babies?
Thank you so much.
PS: I supplement their diet with Repashy supervege powder with calcium carbonate, mazuri pellets (which they aren't interested at all). Daily sunlight in 80% shady area in the garden for an hour or two, then back to the patio where it is bright but no direct sunlight. Temperature 29C min 35C max average 32C with 80% humidity and above. Substrate coco husk and some spots of damp sphagnum moss. Of course readily available, easily accessible water bowl and some pots for them to sleep in. No UVB or basking light as they would not come out at all with the lights on and I personally think it is not necessary for rainforest tortoises with parameters as above.
Sorry for the long post lol. Would really love some input. Thank you guys. Have a nice day.
Nini
Hello, to start of, I have multiple land tortoises comprises of leopards, Indian star and cherry head. All I can tell is that each of them have their own preference in terms of food. The adults are more tolerable and would mostly consume different vege that we gave them such as romaine lettuce, sweet potato leaves, choy sum, and French beans.
When it comes to juvenile tortoises, they're a bit more picky in terms of food. I have a leopard that only eats fresh vege and flowers/leaves and some that do not mind either vege or pellets. For pellets, we provides them with a mixture of mazuri, cactus and Lt20. My cherry head is the most picky of all and would only eat pellets or hibiscus leaves/flower. All the food we gave will be sprinkled with calcium powder and some Timothy hay powder (own blended).
As for protein source for cherry head, it should only be 10% of their total diet so mostly is still vege. Protein I saw other owners has been feeding theirs with hard boiled eggs and some with meats like boiled fish or chickens. I have tried giving earthworm to mine but she doesn't seem to be interested and is rather afraid of it.
Just be careful of baby tortoise and rmb they shouldn't be fed alot of fruits or they'll start picking only fruits and avoid all veges at all costs. Most of my Tortoises love the Macfn cactus pellets. You can try that to start with. Not all my tortoises love mazuri but most of them love the cactus pellets.