Tortoise Bedding And Food

[tropicaltink81]

hi again
my tort's bedding is a swadush bottom and for his bedroom he is living in a birdhouse without the bottom and i have stuffed it with straw he has made a little home of it and loves it

is the hay and swadush ok for him what other alternative can i use i dont fancy sand as it may become to hot under the light?

slao food he has been feeding on rocket lettuce small amount of cucumber and chickweed and water cress also lollo rosso lettuce wich is his favourate he picks it out and leaves the rocket? is he ok with this lettuce the lollo rosso as he seems to love it

i dont have many weeds in my garden but i have some wild bird seed could grow this and feed the weeds from that?

im guessing the tort seeds you can buy are the same just weed seed?

 

[Saedcantas]

Hiya Tink,

Sawdust is really unsuitable for your tortoise, not only will the dust in it be harmful to his respiratory system but if he eats any with his food it's not exactly digestable
What you need is something like a substrate called "ReptiTurf" or "TortoiseLife". Both of these products are totally digestable and made of a compacted dried grass pellet.
Not only will it absorb any spilt water or urine your tortoise might pass, but you'll know because it expands and crumbles so you know that area needs changing
In something like that he'll be able to burrow himself down to sleep etc without the risk of impaction by accidental eating

Hay would be better for him than straw as not only does it keep him snuggly but he should be eating it as a good portion of his diet
Avoid really watery veg such as cucumbers, tomatoes etc unless you're having trouble keeping him hydrated, Horsfields are really adapted to a very fibrous dry diet in the wild.
Rocket has a very peppery taste, torts are individuals just like us, some of us like a strong flavour others dont

Primarily he needs high fibre, low oxalate greens as well as hay. We've listed quite a few already, just yell if you need more