Komodo tortoise pellets

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Teddy28
Posts: 156
Joined: 06 May 2017, 10:57

Komodo tortoise pellets

Post by Teddy28 » 10 Feb 2019, 19:07

Hi Nina/Lin
I hope you are well. I was given some Komodo Tortoise Diet Dandelion pellets and gave my little Horsfield a few soaked in water. He loved them.
His normal diet is fresh weeds but I struggle to get his calcium supplements down him so have found the pellets useful for this. Would he be ok having a teaspoon of these pellets as an aid to him taking his calcium? I ve got the pre alpine pellets which he just will not entertain!
Thanks

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lin
Posts: 1034
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:27

Re: Komodo tortoise pellets

Post by lin » 10 Feb 2019, 19:42

Hiya.
If I were to be honest its not something I would use especilly if I cannot read the ingredients list. Would you be able to send us in a photo of the ingredients so we can research what is in them before offering advise ?

Lin

Teddy28
Posts: 156
Joined: 06 May 2017, 10:57

Re: Komodo tortoise pellets

Post by Teddy28 » 11 Feb 2019, 09:23

Hi Lin
Not sure how clearly this will come through as the ingredients print is tiny but hopefully you 'll be able to zoom.
Thanks
Teddy
in[attachment=0]20190211_091316_resized.jpg[/attachment]
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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Komodo tortoise pellets

Post by Nina » 11 Feb 2019, 11:22

Hi and many thanks for posting that photo. Is this the food that you said was called Dandelion pellets? If so that is interesting because there are no dandelions in it (so false advertising maybe)! The main constituents are oats, beetroot and corn (maize), all of which are too high in starch/carbohydrates for my liking (and the crude protein levels although not super high but a bit high as well). If you were to feed your tortoise one or two pellets a week, in addition to a good diet of weeds, etc. it probably would do no harm, but personally I wouldn't feed them much of it as tortoises do like them and sometimes will then start refusing weeds etc. and only want to eat the pellets.

Re the calcium powder that your tortoise doesn't like -- is it Nutrobal? If so then quite a few tortoises don't like the taste of it and if that is the case then you can use limestone flour or buy pure calcium carbonate powder and they have no problem with that. Always wet the leaves that you are giving your tortoise and sprinkle the powder on them so that the powder sticks to the wet leaves.

Re the Pre Alpin pellets. My tortoises wouldn't eat them at all to start with either, but now they happily gobble them down. The trick is to soak the pellets as directed so that they soften and expand and then mix them with your tortoise's favourite food (weeds, and maybe some cucumber mixed in if he likes that). Cut the good food up into teeny tiny pieces and mix it with the Alpin so that when he goes for a leaf or bit of cucumber that he likes he gets some Pre Alpin too. Start out with mostly food he likes, mixed with a little Alpin and gradually reduce the amount of leaves, etc. and increase the amount of Pre Alpin so that eventually it is mostly or all Pre Alpin. Here's a link to our article on changing diets:
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... GFaTrjgq9s in case that is any use to you.

Nina

Teddy28
Posts: 156
Joined: 06 May 2017, 10:57

Re: Komodo tortoise pellets

Post by Teddy28 » 11 Feb 2019, 13:32

Hi Nina, well you know I had not actually noticed the lack of mention of dandelion in the ingredients. It's really annoying isn't it that manufacturers are allowed to give false information and claim foods to be everything your tortoise needs.
Yes he does very much like these pellets so unfortunately for him he s going to be very limited on them, in fact it 'll probably take us four years or so to get through the little tub.
I 've actually got some limestone flour which I ve started using now, unfortunately the Zolcal-D liquid from our tortoise vet just drips off so i'm never sure he s actually getting it.
I've tried several times with soaking the alpin pellets in water and mixing with chopped fresh weeds but he point blank refuses even when I 've added cucumber (which he didn't recognise when he first came to me but you said to keep trying and now he usually goes potty for). And then of course it's a battle of wills when he refuses to eat it, it's me who gives in first so i'm going to have to persevere; he certainly won't starve! Plus i'll try chopping up much smaller and see how we get on.

On a plus note, with such nice weather today he s had a run around the garden in the sun this morning!

Thanks again for all the advice
Teddy

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