how much is enough?

[Alan1]

I always wonder about trying to keep to what is perceived as natural or 'in the wild' type conditions. I always think that since they are not in the wild would it not be better to keep them according to the conditions that they are in rather than the conditions that they are not in.

Something I have also often wondered .. people who hibernate their Hermann torts, do they hibernate their females earlier and longer than the males as occurs in the wild or do they all get the same length of time? Do we know a reason for females hibernating longer?

[indian star]

bring it on guys far better than Eastenders!!!!!

[Geochelonian]

Originally Posted by kim davies

between stompie and the babies i use a bag of the mixed salad mixed with a handful of readigrass.will this be enough food for stompie?babies have a small handfull between them and stomp has the rest.hes eats it in pretty much one sitting then spends ages looking for more?is he still hungry or just bein a guts?x

My opinion on this subject is: it depends. Most of the foods we offer when they are indoors is different than what they would graze on outside, especially in their native ranges. 'Store-bought' food is 'richer'- higher in carbs, sugars, etc. but also lower in calcium and fiber.

Now, most of my research and experience is Red-foots, but when they are indoors, I feed them pretty much an unlimited amount of the freshest greens I can, with some being high in calcium or at least boosted by a home-made nutrient mix (ground up cubes of compressed Timothy hay, some calcium dust, and some crushed human multi-vitamins). I try to include more 'natural' foods when possible- Hibiscus flowers or leaves, cacti pads, grape leaves from an ethnic grocery store, etc. (I measure out this stuff by pretending I have a bowl the same size as the tort's shell).

Much less often- 2-4 times over 2 weeks or so, I offer 'richer' foods in an amount that would fill a bowl the size of the tort's head. For my Red-foots, this includes a wide range of fruits, veggies, bugs, and meats (meats once a month or so).

(I've outlined this idea at http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/diet.html)

[indian star]

oh forget that lot lets get back to the scrap!

[samincornwall]

Blimey it's all going on in here isn't it.

[Balboa]

I like analogies.

An outside observer might see the majority of humans working 12+ hours a day in a sweat shop, or baking in the heat of the desert building a road, etc.. Makes for a safe assumption that since "in the wild" humans spend so much time laboring in terrible conditions that it must be a requirement for their proper health and maintenance in captivity.

[littlestar]

We adapt to are surrounds so does nature. wether it likes/needs a helping hand, well that's a matter of opinion, we adapt they, adapt thats the way of life.