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Old 28-11-2015, 05:11 PM   #1
abbie227
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So little Maggie is around 5 months old now and I just want to check I'm doing everything right. She was a bit slow to settle in and didnt really eat, but now Ive found dandelion leaves are her favourite and shes definitely got an appetite! Her heat/uv bulb is on from 0730-1600 and temps under bulb are 32ish. I mix the coir with warmish water every morning so its damp and she has a bath everyday. Shes up and about in the morning then sleeps from the afternoon onwards. Does all this sound ok? I want her to grow up healthy (although i wish she didnt have to grow up at all!)
Thanks guys x
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Old 28-11-2015, 06:10 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abbie227 View Post
So little Maggie is around 5 months old now and I just want to check I'm doing everything right. She was a bit slow to settle in and didnt really eat, but now Ive found dandelion leaves are her favourite and shes definitely got an appetite! Her heat/uv bulb is on from 0730-1600 and temps under bulb are 32ish. I mix the coir with warmish water every morning so its damp and she has a bath everyday. Shes up and about in the morning then sleeps from the afternoon onwards. Does all this sound ok? I want her to grow up healthy (although i wish she didnt have to grow up at all!)
Thanks guys x
Sounds good to me:0)
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Old 28-11-2015, 08:14 PM   #3
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Abbie, my babes get up about 8 regardless of lights and mosey around until just after lunch when they go to bed in the substrate.... Keep giving a varied diet and I am sure she will be fine. I splash water on their shells when bathing thinking it dies them good, though not sure x x x
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Old 28-11-2015, 08:41 PM   #4
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Yeah i splash water on her shell aswell, more just to clean her really. Im growing some weed mix so hopefully she will try something different but i can tell she's fussy already haha x
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Old 28-11-2015, 09:15 PM   #5
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Persevere with a varied diet.... I read somewhere dandelions are not great to feed all the time. Try her with plantain.... A tort 'super food'. I found the babes struggled with a mature plant but new growth they could eat really well. Sometimes it is a case of 'tough love' x x. Xhugs x x
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Old 28-11-2015, 10:14 PM   #6
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I keep the torts heat and light on from 7.30am to 7.30pm = 12 hours, 4pm seems too early to me x
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Old 28-11-2015, 10:39 PM   #7
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My babes are under the soil by 3pm at the latest......at 5 months old they don't want to be above ground even though the lights and heat are on. X x x hugs x x
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Old 29-11-2015, 02:20 PM   #8
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yes my two year old is in bed by 14.00 most days, I keep temps at 26 - 29 if can - I switch off early doors too, if home - between 13.00 - 16.00. I don't want them thinking they are in the bahama's too much of the time - wait till they get outside ....shocker ! CB
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Old 01-12-2015, 09:02 AM   #9
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dandelions are a mild diuretic (makes them wee) so shouldn't be the only food or even the main, you'll find the less variety you give the harder it will be to get your tort to eat a good variety of plants.
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Old 01-12-2015, 01:23 PM   #10
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Little while ago I tested my tortoise's appetite for different weeds. He was obviously used to all the 'normal' stuff...dandelion, clover, cucumber..but that wasn't good enough for me.
I have 'bad' habit with all my pets..hubby included..to get them fed with all manner of things..more variety the better. So getting a tortoise to eat as many things from my scribbled list of edible things was challenge that I was looking forward to.
Time of year for weeds wasn't helpful but luckily as a gardener, I do happen to have all sorts growing around ..outdoor and indoors plants
At first he wasn't even interested..but then I stated to stick leaves and flower petals of suitable edible plants underside of thin cucumber slice..they stick to the wet surface quite nicely and kept undernearth, tortoise didn't see them and cucumber's smell fooled him to munch it all.. You could tell that some things he could taste and wasn't overly keen, but once the chomping momemtum was on the go...there wasn't reverse gear neither
Given little taster of different things...and when there wasn't anymore cucumber on offer..his appetite was wetted and he helped himself rest of the 'stuff' that was on offer
Mine is now in 'sleep', but I'm already looking forward to near future and our adventures into world of edible plants....the list is long indeed..

Oh, just to add..if you decide to try some cucumber-weed bribery..do keep you fingers away from that wide opening gob...outch, it does hurt if you are not quick enough or not looking how much he is chomping away...

Last edited by Finsky; 01-12-2015 at 01:26 PM.
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