Drying weeds - Page 5

Ozric Jonathan · 06-12-2015, 10:09 PM

Yes that's right Lynn, the Pre Alpin people now say it mustn't be fed if it hasn't been soaked first.

CB What I do is to use plenty of water to soak, and then squeeze most of it out before feeding.

Baby Pre Alpin is different in that you can add a little water to make a paste, but it doesn't bulk up when it's moistened in the way the other products do. It's less messy.

All my tortoises would like to be eating 'baby' but I can get most to eat 'herb' and sometimes 'testudo'. There is something about 'baby' which really appeals to them and I wish I knew what it was!

Jan W · 07-12-2015, 04:24 PM

Just had a go at my first drying session as picked 24 dandelion flowers. I cannot ever remember seeing them in December, but with sunshine today they all came out. Also drying plantain and dandelion leaves, so just experimenting.

Thanks for tips.

CherryBrandy · 07-12-2015, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozric Jonathan

Yes that's right Lynn, the Pre Alpin people now say it mustn't be fed if it hasn't been soaked first.

CB What I do is to use plenty of water to soak, and then squeeze most of it out before feeding.

Baby Pre Alpin is different in that you can add a little water to make a paste, but it doesn't bulk up when it's moistened in the way the other products do. It's less messy.

All my tortoises would like to be eating 'baby' but I can get most to eat 'herb' and sometimes 'testudo'. There is something about 'baby' which really appeals to them and I wish I knew what it was!

thanks Jonathan that's useful. It just seems like wet autumn leafs all mushed together and seems much nicer all dried like a little museli breakie, (personally I don't like museli) but maybe I am doing it a dis service. I am preparing for spring time if we get a rough winter......will test again and squeeze it out this time, CB

Ozric Jonathan · 07-12-2015, 05:59 PM

CB you will find lots of folk saying their torts don't like Pre Alpin.

Do small children like Chocolate Crispy Mermaid Rubbish Popsicles with added sugar and E numbers for their breakfast or do they demand porridge made with water and no sugar or salt?

Once they are eating Pre Alpin they like it, but of course they would rather have some nice dandellion leaves and flowers or some floretti salad.

markbigears · 07-12-2015, 06:06 PM

Jonathan .... I have some baby Pre Alpin, but havent used it. Would you use it over say fresh baby leaf and lambs lettuce? I'm a bit confused over dried, pre prepped foods as people don't seem to recommend them. I have a few different ones in the cupboard, but haven't used any because of the comments on here and various other forums. Would love to hear your thoughts on the subject

vikki · 07-12-2015, 07:26 PM

Hi Mark - I really use my own dried and pre alpin for variety and fibre content. I generally give fresh weeds/flowers/florette in the morning and some dried later in the day (especially if I have used florette) but is mainly for winter emergencies! My two wouldn't eat pre alpin to start with but cut down on fresh food and once they were hungry they got the idea!! Herbie is quite keen now but Daisy will still only eat it if hungry. However the home dried stuff they love and will wolf it down

Ozric Jonathan · 07-12-2015, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbigears

Jonathan .... I have some baby Pre Alpin, but havent used it. Would you use it over say fresh baby leaf and lambs lettuce? I'm a bit confused over dried, pre prepped foods as people don't seem to recommend them. I have a few different ones in the cupboard, but haven't used any because of the comments on here and various other forums. Would love to hear your thoughts on the subject

Hi Mark. Yes there are different views and that's perhaps a good thing. My view is that Pre Alpin products are good and once they have been dampened they are no longer dried foods. It's just meadow plants that is in there and it is very low in protein and fat, very high in fibre. The truth in my opinion (!) is that Pre Alpin is a lot nearer to the wild tortoise diet than what we grow in our gardens. This is because our gardens are quite rich soils and also water content of our fresh weeds is high.

But when there is stuff in my garden of course I want to feed it and the torts love it. I grow loads of different things for them and get a lot of fun out of it.

Pre Alpin is no good for poorly torts or underweight ones.

Like Vikki I've fed home-dried stuff at times and I do have a huge jar of dried sow thistle in hand.

I'm not sure what an objection to Pre Alpin would be and I'm keen to have a go at correcting any mistakes other people might make there! It mimics the wild diet, it's wholesome and plain and has no additives.

My tortoises all like Baby Pre Alpin and if it wasn't for the cost I would only use that one. With Baby, I just add some water and stir it into a paste. It is now ready to feed and a tortoise that is hungry will eat it unless it knows from experience that the keeper will give up in a minute and bring something else!!

CherryBrandy · 07-12-2015, 09:07 PM

First time I have ever bought pre alpin thinking along the same lines as Jonathan and comments on SW. It looks and smells lovely. I hope to use it as back up as storage is superb. I love vikki's idea of drying though and suspect a lot of 'ol hands already do this. I still have plenty of weeds in the garden and cloches for the over winterers. There are little shoots too....only thing I don't like which is personal as I am sure they have their place, is the pellets from pet shops. when I've had rescue torts over the years, the ones fed on these are the hardest to wean off and I find they eat stones too as they think it's food time pellets not recognising a dandelion....

vikki · 07-12-2015, 10:29 PM

Have not tried any pellets but did check out a few and was not convinced by the "ingredients"! With the pre alpin mine prefer the cob one (cant remember which is which!!) to the loose one - it can be a bit awkward breaking them up for small amounts and not sure if there really is any difference but they do seem to prefer that one

PS - If you dry your own weeds do make sure they are completely dry before putting in jars otherwise they quickly go mouldy (as I found out with some of my cosmos!) so I now make sure they are crispy

Pussygalore · 08-12-2015, 08:06 AM

you can always put the cobs through a grinder/blender which then makes them into 'baby' as the cobs are cheaper than baby its one way of making them go further. I always fed them either soaked or on really wet leaves and once ground everyone ate them, again fed for extra fibre. I had a small electric nut/seed grinder bought as a xmas present and didn't really know what to do with it but it was ideal for the cobs.

06-12-2015, 10:09 PM	#41
Ozric Jonathan Senior Member Adult Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: West of Scotland Posts: 4,226	Yes that's right Lynn, the Pre Alpin people now say it mustn't be fed if it hasn't been soaked first. CB What I do is to use plenty of water to soak, and then squeeze most of it out before feeding. Baby Pre Alpin is different in that you can add a little water to make a paste, but it doesn't bulk up when it's moistened in the way the other products do. It's less messy. All my tortoises would like to be eating 'baby' but I can get most to eat 'herb' and sometimes 'testudo'. There is something about 'baby' which really appeals to them and I wish I knew what it was! __________________ Testudo Hermanni Hermanni (Corse) tortoises Last edited by Ozric Jonathan; 06-12-2015 at 10:11 PM.

07-12-2015, 05:59 PM	#44
Ozric Jonathan Senior Member Adult Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: West of Scotland Posts: 4,226	CB you will find lots of folk saying their torts don't like Pre Alpin. Do small children like Chocolate Crispy Mermaid Rubbish Popsicles with added sugar and E numbers for their breakfast or do they demand porridge made with water and no sugar or salt? Once they are eating Pre Alpin they like it, but of course they would rather have some nice dandellion leaves and flowers or some floretti salad. __________________ Testudo Hermanni Hermanni (Corse) tortoises

07-12-2015, 09:07 PM	#48
CherryBrandy Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: SE England Posts: 4,262	First time I have ever bought pre alpin thinking along the same lines as Jonathan and comments on SW. It looks and smells lovely. I hope to use it as back up as storage is superb. I love vikki's idea of drying though and suspect a lot of 'ol hands already do this. I still have plenty of weeds in the garden and cloches for the over winterers. There are little shoots too....only thing I don't like which is personal as I am sure they have their place, is the pellets from pet shops. when I've had rescue torts over the years, the ones fed on these are the hardest to wean off and I find they eat stones too as they think it's food time pellets not recognising a dandelion.... __________________ Horsfields, Spur Thighed, & Marginata

07-12-2015, 10:29 PM	#49
vikki Member Hatched Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Gloucestershire Posts: 456	Have not tried any pellets but did check out a few and was not convinced by the "ingredients"! With the pre alpin mine prefer the cob one (cant remember which is which!!) to the loose one - it can be a bit awkward breaking them up for small amounts and not sure if there really is any difference but they do seem to prefer that one PS - If you dry your own weeds do make sure they are completely dry before putting in jars otherwise they quickly go mouldy (as I found out with some of my cosmos!) so I now make sure they are crispy Last edited by vikki; 07-12-2015 at 10:31 PM.

07-12-2015, 04:24 PM	#42
Jan W Senior Member Sub Adult Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Hampshire Posts: 1,400	Just had a go at my first drying session as picked 24 dandelion flowers. I cannot ever remember seeing them in December, but with sunshine today they all came out. Also drying plantain and dandelion leaves, so just experimenting. Thanks for tips.

07-12-2015, 06:06 PM	#45
markbigears Member Incubating Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Kent Posts: 222	Jonathan .... I have some baby Pre Alpin, but havent used it. Would you use it over say fresh baby leaf and lambs lettuce? I'm a bit confused over dried, pre prepped foods as people don't seem to recommend them. I have a few different ones in the cupboard, but haven't used any because of the comments on here and various other forums. Would love to hear your thoughts on the subject

07-12-2015, 07:26 PM	#46
vikki Member Hatched Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Gloucestershire Posts: 456	Hi Mark - I really use my own dried and pre alpin for variety and fibre content. I generally give fresh weeds/flowers/florette in the morning and some dried later in the day (especially if I have used florette) but is mainly for winter emergencies! My two wouldn't eat pre alpin to start with but cut down on fresh food and once they were hungry they got the idea!! Herbie is quite keen now but Daisy will still only eat it if hungry. However the home dried stuff they love and will wolf it down

08-12-2015, 08:06 AM	#50
Pussygalore Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cambridge Posts: 6,479	you can always put the cobs through a grinder/blender which then makes them into 'baby' as the cobs are cheaper than baby its one way of making them go further. I always fed them either soaked or on really wet leaves and once ground everyone ate them, again fed for extra fibre. I had a small electric nut/seed grinder bought as a xmas present and didn't really know what to do with it but it was ideal for the cobs.

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