No weeds...so time for a mish mash of all of it!

[yuna1971]

Firstly - thank you Vicky (phonecall earlier today) and to Laura for sending me the sample komodo fruit and flower pellets (Lily ate them happily)

Ok to get myself a bit more au fait with pellets - due to non existant weeds (thank you very much snow and ice! ) I feel I have to just ask a few questions.

I am thinking to fill Lilys little bowl with pellets, not masses as its a small little exo terra bowl that Lily has had since a baby. I keep it as he knows its his food. I am thinking in here - I will put the pellets. I am thinking to make some sort of mixture of the fruit and flower and the grass pellets (that Sarah sold in her shop). If I mix them up....Lily might be fooled to eating it all. I know he will eat the fruit and flower...HAVENT tried the grass but a big mish mash might fool him.

Can I prepare the pellets the night before?? This wont do any harm will it?

The rest of the mix I was thinking this:
Rommaine Lettuce, dried mallow flowers, pak choi, and what ever weeds I have in possession (I do have a little in stock but not much, picked in the week)

How does this sound?

Lets hope the snow and ice can thaw and next weekend better for weed hunt. Been out a couple of hours....struggling to even type due to frozen bleeding hands! But jack.......about.!!! xx

Thoughts, advice on the above - would be grateful.

PS Butternut squash is also an alternative...?? And Kale once per week (little bit) in the mix??

If this all works then I think the winter diet might be ok, short term obviously.

xx

[yuna1971]

One more thing....is there another "flavour" of pellet that perhaps can be bought as an alternative to the komodo - just to not keep things too samey for Lily? Or dont bother??
Was thinking try the F&F one day, then after a few days - try another flavour??

[16 shells]

The flavouring i don't realy agree with, it is just a marketing ploy the pellets nutrients and vit's is more important. I would feed the pellet's twice a week of 1-2% body weight and use the other food's available to fill in the week. Also a no food day is possible when feeding pellet's, if all eaten when offered.

[yuna1971]

I cant do a no food day Paul, Lily would go bonkers. I do try and keep things as a routine. His appetite has not decreased thus far. Although he is sleeping longer now, due to the cold ....but I expected this to happen.
Apart from this, his routine is the same as before. He is up at 6.30am, probably is now going back to bed at about 11am. I then wake him around 5.30/6pm - pending what the temp in the table has reached.
Its hard to not feed pellets on certain days. I do prefer weeds obviously but if I havent enough in supply then I will have to do pellets + mixtures of what I said above to make the meal. I cant pick and choose days really. I dont think, taking things into account - what I have said above is too bad.
I would prefer not to have things like this at all but needs must at present. xx

[TortBabe]

I am doing the same at the moment, 1% of body weights of pellets, mixed with weeds/salad twice a week. Other days mixed salad/weeds/flowers I have dianthus, snapdragon, campanula and violas/pansies still going in my garden. Wish the snow would bog off so I could get out to look for weeds

[Lolly8]

I wouldn't mix pellets with anything else.Just pellets.And give other food available to fill the days when no pellets given.Pellets are quite nutritious so I think there is no need to add anything else.I often don't give any food next day when feeding pellets.

[joanna]

I feed pellets twice a week and do mix with weeds / salads but mine aren't fussy and eat the lot. If your thinking of offering daily Rach I would definately stick to the 1-2% of body weight, maybe every other day would do to start and monitor how it goes. It is actually adviced to feed along side greens but some feed seperate as it ensures the torts are getting both as some just pick want they prefer and leave the rest.

Kale in small amounts once a week should be fine. Also as well as romaine lettuce don't forget endive / Escarole as it has a higher Ca:P ratio than romaine and more fibre. Watercress also has a good Ca:P ratio but little fibre it could be added once weekly. Lambs lettuce is another good one, I like the florrette bags as they have a good mix and includes lambs lettuce. Also a dried weed mix can be sprinkled over food.

[yuna1971]

Ok.
I am going to confess.
And this is for fear of everyone jumping on me....I am actually embarassed to say this. I may have said before but here we go. So dont hate please....

I dont know what Lilys weight is.
I do not weigh really at all. I just try and keep the feeding roughly the same. I dont increase unnecessarily and I dont decrease. It just is a little box I fill up - and I might add a bit of rommaine at the end of the day.

So there we go. So thats why I dont know what 2% of Lilys weight is.
I dont know if I even want to know as if I do....I know people will say "oh overweight" "cut back food" "let him have a day with no food"
I am sorry. I cant do 'days with no food'. I keep it the same, thats all.

So ......well, you have seen pics. Maybe grown too fast...overweight. I dont know.
I am scared to know. So really I dont want to enter into weight things....I cant take the answers that will come back.
Im not too happy today....personal things getting the better of me so bit weepy.

If at all possible, if perhaps someone can tell me roughly what would be safe amounts of the pellets to feed ....(like say, a small saucer) or quarter of a cup full, something that I can work with...without getting to the weight issue.

Ready for abuse now... Bad owner.....

[Lolly8]

Originally Posted by yuna1971

Ok.
I am going to confess.
And this is for fear of everyone jumping on me....I am actually embarassed to say this. I may have said before but here we go. So dont hate please....

I dont know what Lilys weight is.
I do not weigh really at all. I just try and keep the feeding roughly the same. I dont increase unnecessarily and I dont decrease. It just is a little box I fill up - and I might add a bit of rommaine at the end of the day.

So there we go. So thats why I dont know what 2% of Lilys weight is.
I dont know if I even want to know as if I do....I know people will say "oh overweight" "cut back food" "let him have a day with no food"
I am sorry. I cant do 'days with no food'. I keep it the same, thats all.

So ......well, you have seen pics. Maybe grown too fast...overweight. I dont know.
I am scared to know. So really I dont want to enter into weight things....I cant take the answers that will come back.
Im not too happy today....personal things getting the better of me so bit weepy.

If at all possible, if perhaps someone can tell me roughly what would be safe amounts of the pellets to feed ....(like say, a small saucer) or quarter of a cup full, something that I can work with...without getting to the weight issue.

Ready for abuse now... Bad owner.....

You are not bad owner.You are worried and scared owner.I don't comment that part that you don't know how much Lily weight is.Because as long Lily behaviour is normal,active etc.-that all it matters.Right? As for pellets. Two teaspoons per feeding (twice on week) will do because you're feeding Lily every day so that would be enough.Other members have maybe more options for you but that's the amount I give to mine
Just to add here that I was weighting my tort every day when I got him.That made me only more confused because it was different every day!Then I started to weigh him once on month only.Just to keep on eye on his weight.We both are much happier with the results since then.

[Marly]

Rach, what are you like? You are worrying too much today, as you say possibly affected by other stuff. We all have those days.
I don't weigh Marly too often but I have an idea based on the last weigh in. Maybe you should, you may be pleasantly surprised. Lily looks fine so I am sure his weight will be too. You are worrying about the unknown, maybe if you do weigh you will find its ok, then worry gone I'm pretty sure that will be the casex