What will Kiko like best?

This forum covers all aspects of tortoise diet and nutrition, including mineral and vitamin supplementation and foods appropriate for different species.
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asecca
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Joined: 23 Feb 2018, 00:08

What will Kiko like best?

Post by asecca » 06 Mar 2018, 20:56

Good afternoon. autumn and winter comes here in my country, and this winter my tortoise will not hibernate, I am still in period of adaptation of its diet, mixing the ingredients with lettuce and petals, also planted wheat and cat grass. the lettuce I mix it sometimes with arugula, other times with kale, also with plantain.
What I want to know, from the experience of you, is about pre alpin, I have the option to ask for ebay. according to your personal experiences, which I recommend, with reference to the likes of the tortoise, or easier to give. fibre or herbs?. I know that one comes in pellets and the other does not, but according to which one could you like the most?
I have a horsfielddi

gracias.

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Nina
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Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: What will Kiko like best?

Post by Nina » 06 Mar 2018, 22:12

Hi Asecca,

I use Pre Alpin every now and then, and it is a very good food. I have mainly used the Herbs, which come in very large pellets that they call 'cobs'. You soak them in warm water for a few minutes and they rehydrate and expand a lot. There was no particular reason why I used the Herbs -- it was just the one I happened to buy. I did once find the ingredients of both the Fibre and the Herbs and was surprised at how similar they were -- I think the ingredients were very similar, so I don't think it matters which you use.

My experience with the Herbs cobs is that at first my tortoises didn't like them at all. But I cut up fresh leaves and flowers into really tiny pieces and mixed them with some of the Pre Alpin (more fresh food than pre-alpin) and because the cobs were soaked in water until they expanded and fell apart the fresh food stuck to the particles of Pre Alpin so when my tortoises took a bit of fresh food they also got the Pre Alpin. Gradually I mixed more Pre-Alpin and less fresh food until they developed a taste for Pre Alpin and now they are happy to eat it on its own (but I still often mix it with some fresh food just for the variety.

In general I would always prefer fresh food, but because Pre Alpin is made from so many different plants, it means the tortoise is getting lots of variety, and also in the winter it is often difficult to get fresh food and the Pre Alpin is very useful. So I think which ever one you get will be fine for your tortoise, but do remember to soak it well (I think that you probably soak the loose Fibre mix too, but I can't remember now). And be patient if your tortoise doesnt like it at first -- he will get used to it in time. Also, the cobs swell up a lot, and it is easy to soak too much, and as you can't keep it after it is soaked then it is wasted, and if you get the cobs you will just have to experiment to see how much to make for a meal. So maybe the Fibre is easier to use -- I don't know.

Nina

asecca
Posts: 22
Joined: 23 Feb 2018, 00:08

Re: What will Kiko like best?

Post by asecca » 07 Mar 2018, 01:00

thank you very much nina, I want to be prepared for winter ... and give it a good nutrition

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Nina
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Re: What will Kiko like best?

Post by Nina » 07 Mar 2018, 08:07

That is good Asecca, and Kiko will appreciate the healthy diet you give him. Don't forget that he will need extra calcium and vitamins too. Are you using a good calcium and Vitamin D3 supplement, like Nutrobal, and general extra calcium like calcium carbonate powder that you can sprinkle on his food, or a cuttlefish bone (they are commonly sold to put in pet bird cages) for him to nibble on? If you need more details let me know.

Nina

asecca
Posts: 22
Joined: 23 Feb 2018, 00:08

Re: What will Kiko like best?

Post by asecca » 08 Mar 2018, 17:48

Yes, I give it 2 times a week calcium + d3. (the vet told me that it is not proven that his body uses the vitamin D that comes with calcium powder, but I bought it the same)and 2 times a week, vitamins in drops.)


For the heat that I plan to buy bed mat constant temperature carbon fiber flexible waterproof pad, instead of the heat bulb.

Gracias Nina

Ange

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Nina
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Re: What will Kiko like best?

Post by Nina » 08 Mar 2018, 18:04

Hi Asecca,

If the bed mat that you are going to buy is one that you would put on the floor of his enclosure -- maybe under the substrate or maybe not -- then I wouldn't do that. In general, tortoises prefer their heat to come from above, not below, but more important is that it is very easy for tortoises to get bad burns if they are resting on a heat mat -- even a heat mat with a low wattage. If you want to use one of those mats, then it is better to mount it on the side wall of his enclosure, or even the roof of a sleeping area if there is room, but I wouldn't use one at night.

in most houses tortoises don't need any heat at night (in fact they like the temperature to drop at night -- just like it would drop in the wild when the sun goes down. As long as the temperature in your house doesn't go below about 12C or 13C at night he should be fine. If you do need extra heat then a ceramic heat emitter is the best thing. They look like little ceramic light bulbs and give out heat but no light, and they can be hung from above -- and can even be attached to a thermostat so that they turn on if the temperature drops below a certain number. They look like this:
https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/exo-te ... wave-lamp/ but you can get them cheaper. But actually he shouldn't need any extra heat at night if he is in your house.

Nina

asecca
Posts: 22
Joined: 23 Feb 2018, 00:08

Re: What will Kiko like best?

Post by asecca » 08 Mar 2018, 21:34

Uf!!!...

Gracias, que bueno que pregunté. creo que no necesitaré calor entonces, solo uv.

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: What will Kiko like best?

Post by Nina » 08 Mar 2018, 21:46

No necesita UV por la noche; nada por la noche estará bien, y calor y uv durante el día. No te preocupes, estás bien.

Nina xx

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