Re: help for a deset tortoise

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Posted by Heather on August 04, 2000 at 17:28:32:

In Reply to: help for a deset tortoise posted by amanda on August 04, 2000 at 16:23:21:

Hi Amanda,
Is this a desert tortoise as one that is found in the deserts of CA, NV, UT and Arizona?
If not, post back and we will help you identify your tortoise.
Pesticide free grasses and weeds are a good start. They love dandelion flowers, dandelion greens, and spinelss opuntia cactus and hibiscus flowers.
Annie sells a good grazing mix, desert seeds, and cactus at her website www.turtlestuff.com.
If you are feeding green vegetables, feed dark, leafy greens as EJ mentioned. Feed a variety of things like Romaine, escarole, endive/chickory, watercress etc. You can add a carrot or squash every so often as well.
Eliminate the fruit or only feed as an occasional treat and avoid veggies like beans, corn, broccoli, etc. Avoid spinach, chard, kale, bok choi and other cabbages or feed very sparingly as part of a highly varied diet.
I have cuttlebone available for mine at all times.
Mine won't drink out of a dish, so instead I run the hose at least once a week, sometimes 2-3 times a week, depending on the heat and they drink from puddles on the lawn.
If you can house outdoors, do so as they do not seem to do as well indoors as they do out.
Desert Tortoises require a dry, warm to hot environment and do not tolerate being damp or damp conditions. They are prone to Upper Respiratory Infections so warm and dry conditions will help keep him healthy.
They normally hibernate in the wild, however as this tortoise is new to you this year, I would keep him up in the winter.
Finally, if he is a desert tortoise that is native to your state, you should contact your local fish and game to find out about permit procedures. Here in CA, one is required for each tortoise and it is a relatively easy process.

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: Hi Amanda, : Is this a desert tortoise as one that is found in the deserts of CA, NV, UT and Arizona? : If not, post back and we will help you identify your tortoise. : Pesticide free grasses and weeds are a good start. They love dandelion flowers, dandelion greens, and spinelss opuntia cactus and hibiscus flowers. : Annie sells a good grazing mix, desert seeds, and cactus at her website www.turtlestuff.com. : If you are feeding green vegetables, feed dark, leafy greens as EJ mentioned. Feed a variety of things like Romaine, escarole, endive/chickory, watercress etc. You can add a carrot or squash every so often as well. : Eliminate the fruit or only feed as an occasional treat and avoid veggies like beans, corn, broccoli, etc. Avoid spinach, chard, kale, bok choi and other cabbages or feed very sparingly as part of a highly varied diet. : I have cuttlebone available for mine at all times. : Mine won't drink out of a dish, so instead I run the hose at least once a week, sometimes 2-3 times a week, depending on the heat and they drink from puddles on the lawn. : If you can house outdoors, do so as they do not seem to do as well indoors as they do out. : Desert Tortoises require a dry, warm to hot environment and do not tolerate being damp or damp conditions. They are prone to Upper Respiratory Infections so warm and dry conditions will help keep him healthy. : They normally hibernate in the wild, however as this tortoise is new to you this year, I would keep him up in the winter. : Finally, if he is a desert tortoise that is native to your state, you should contact your local fish and game to find out about permit procedures. Here in CA, one is required for each tortoise and it is a relatively easy process.

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