'Nutrobal'- old school?

[Kirkie]

Originally Posted by sandy

So how do tortoises in the wild get their vitimins etc then?
I use rain water for my tortoises.

Maybe their mummys make them take them

I've just totted 37 plants (sad I know) I feed to my torts but that is in no way comparable to the natural environmnet where there are hundreds to choose from. You'd also have to consider the soil in which the plants are growing, they are probably entirey different to the soil my plants grow in. (classic example, Portugal, perfect climate, no tortoises. Why? no Limestone).

Living in London I don't think I could trust rain water, I've seen what it does to statues round here I was asking because although I live in a hard water area I'm trying a water conditioner that claims to remove Chlorine, neutralize heavy metals and replenish Calcium. Just wondered if it would make much of a difference. A lot of american Herp books rant on about wate rquality.

[sandy]

lol what do tortoises drink in the wild then?
I live in Kent lots of limestone here.

[Kirkie]

I might give rain water a go, they do drink it when they're outside. If they start dissolving I'm blaming you though

On the Portugal thing for some weird reason the bedrock of the entire Med part of Europe is made from Limestone as a result of the Tethys Sea and its shrinking to what is now the Mediterranean Sea and depositing Limestone as it went. The exception is Portugal, its a geological freak!

[Zoomer]

Originally Posted by Kirkie

I might give rain water a go, they do drink it when they're outside. If they start dissolving I'm blaming you though

On the Portugal thing for some weird reason the bedrock of the entire Med part of Europe is made from Limestone as a result of the Tethys Sea and its shrinking to what is now the Mediterranean Sea and depositing Limestone as it went. The exception is Portugal, its a geological freak!

I thought it was the pigeons that eroded buildings in London Lots of lime in that.!

[sandy]

You obviously have not seen tortoises drink from rain puddles, or from rain that has got caught in thick leaves. They drink both readily. And its great to see.

[Kirkie]

Ok I'll give it a go . One last question. Is water from a water butt safe?

[Zoomer]

Originally Posted by Kirkie

Ok I'll give it a go . One last question. Is water from a water butt safe?

Water from a water butt ? It would contain bird dropings washed from the roof and gutter,which could contain samonella [sp?].Freshly collected in containers around the garden would be a safer option.

[Zoomer]

Originally Posted by sandy

So how do tortoises in the wild get their vitimins etc then?
I use rain water for my tortoises.

Vit D3 from sunlight,which helps them to absorb calcium,other vits from a varied plant diet.

[Sylvia1]

Originally Posted by Zoomer

Water from a water butt ? It would contain bird dropings washed from the roof and gutter,which could contain samonella [sp?].Freshly collected in containers around the garden would be a safer option.

In the wild, i'm sure the water drunk by tortoises contains more than bird poo. I'd be surprised if rain water from a butt is contaminated to a degree that it would affect a tortoise's health. There may be someone who disagrees?

[sandy]

Yes I know but someone was saying that they cant and dont from plants here in the UK. Which is rubbish, if you have enough varied plants.
I just wondered how they thought torts in the wild got their supplements if not from plants and other things.