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Old 12-03-2017, 10:05 AM   #31
sandy
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Hello, I have 2 female hermanns called 'the Trudes'. Just wondering if they can have cucumber and tomato? When I got them last year someone told me not to give them lettuce either! Any advice to a newbie much appreciated. J x
Cucumber is junk foods for tortoises, but can be fed sparingly during the Summer months, as it does have a good water content, and can help keep your tortoise hydrated in the warmer months.
Tomato is a fruit and can cause upset stomachs and loose stools. So is better not to be fed. I generally work on the rule, if they find a fallen tomato from mine growing or blackberry I dont worry as is only one or two. But fed on a regular basis can cause problems.
Lettuce again is junk food, but at some points in the year when new keepers panic about not being able to find weeds (usually they cant be bothered, as there is always enough weeds to feed one tortoise) they panic. So cos or romaine lettuce can be fed in moderation. As again it has no useful vitamins etc.
Weeds such as dandelions, sowthistle, bittercress, plantains wide and narrow leaf, campanula are all good weeds to feed, again variety is the spice of life:0)
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Old 12-03-2017, 11:33 AM   #32
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Thanks for your advice. It's so handy to speak to people in the know. Over the winter I have been feeding them the occasional dandelion but mainly mixed salad bought from the shops with rocket, red chard, water cress and spinach. I have offered them cauliflower green leaves and sprouts but they don't seem too impressed with those. Is this a terrible diet and what can I do quickly to remedy this? I have grown tortoise weed seeds for last autumn and it looks like they are starting to grow again. Until they are ready, what do you advise? Thanks in advance. J x

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Old 12-03-2017, 12:21 PM   #33
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I would use diluted betadine or the like, to bath the area, as it looks like a couple of others may well come loose. This is to stop bacteria setting in and causing shell rot:0)
It looks quite dry underneath and can't see any infection but bathing it with the betadine will certainly help. As Sandy has said it looks as though there might be more to come off.
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Old 12-03-2017, 12:45 PM   #34
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Can I still leave him free in the garden when it rains in the summer?
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Old 12-03-2017, 01:32 PM   #35
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Can I still leave him free in the garden when it rains in the summer?

If he/she were mine, I wouldnt worry about the rain:0) As long as he/she has somewhere to go to get out of the rain:0)
Just monitor regularly:0)
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Old 12-03-2017, 02:34 PM   #36
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Thank you Sandy. One more question if I may. Should I attemp to clean the area and will it always look as unsightly as it does now? Thanks again
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Old 12-03-2017, 03:33 PM   #37
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Thank you Sandy. One more question if I may. Should I attemp to clean the area and will it always look as unsightly as it does now? Thanks again

The shell should return to normal, but it might take a few years:0)
Nothing with tortoises is quick:0)
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Old 12-03-2017, 05:02 PM   #38
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Originally Posted by Janie View Post
Hello, I have 2 female hermanns called 'the Trudes'. Just wondering if they can have cucumber and tomato? When I got them last year someone told me not to give them lettuce either! Any advice to a newbie much appreciated. J x
If you want to ask a new question, about something different , it's best to start a new thread. The best food for Mediterranean tortoises are weeds, flowers, of the right sort. You can give them florette crispy lettuce, when weeds are scarce, avoid surgery fruit, cucumber can be given occasionally.
Have a look on the tortoise table site for a plant database of what you can and can't feed them.

Vegetables are not part of a tortoise diet, spinach is a no no, they are leaf and flower eaters.
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Old 12-03-2017, 08:14 PM   #39
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Thanks Sandy. Is it best to scrape the white or just leave it be. I'm going to add the betodine every other day . You really have been so helpful and I'm so grateful to you
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Old 12-03-2017, 08:28 PM   #40
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Thanks Sandy. Is it best to scrape the white or just leave it be. I'm going to add the betodine every other day . You really have been so helpful and I'm so grateful to you
I would just do the betadine and leave it to do its thing:0)
Just make sure the betadine looks like weak tea, bathe for a couple of days, then something like every five days. As you dont want to over do things:0)
After a couple of weeks just bathe every so often, something like once a month:0)
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