Hiya, i'm posting for advice not criticism so if you have nothing nice to say then keep your mouth shut! (Pregnancy hormone overload sorry!)

I know it's a lame excuse but since i've been pregnant i've been a bit neglectful of my tortoises, i love them very much but at the minute i have no energy to look after my son let alone my tortoises!

They've been living off of shop bought greens, mainly floretti, because i can't stand the smell of wet grass when i go out weed hunting, it actually makes me voilently sick, as does the smell of pellets which i used to give once a week.

They have lost a bit of weight but nothing dramatic and seem a little bit glum. Is there anything else that i can give them to help with slow weight gain that's a bit more 'natural' than salad!! Like winter pot plants etc.. I have prickly pear and aloe but i need to let them grow again before i feed it.

Also what substrate would be ok to use instead of soil for the time being, this is also another of my sickness triggers. I've tried hemp but find it quiet sharp and have had to pull it out of their mouths sometimes when they have dragged food across the floor and the hemp has stuck to it for fear that it might choke them if swallowed.

Cheers for reading guys and gals! x

P.S They're both horsfields.

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I know how you feel when i was pregnant in my first stages it was awful felt so sick couldnt even get in front of the computer!!!
But after the 3rd month i felt so much better

I would suggest readigrass as a substrate but you cannot stand grass.

Horsfield like to dig so you will need a deap substrate

How about growing your own weeds?

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I have some growing but it's quite slow because of the bad weather, i still need to go out to get a mini green-house, but after the last outing in the car i've been put off of driving for a bit - lets just say after a good scrub and 2 bottles of fabreeze it still doesn't smell the same!
I actually have a whole pack of wildflower seed mix that i bought from you that i haven't got round to planting yet

I need easy options.

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why not see if one of your friends/ neighbours kids want to earn some pocket money by collecting weeds for you. I pay my kids £1 for a carrier bag full of weeds when i am feeling particularly lazy. They only need to know the basics, dandleion, plantain and vetch etc and that will top up the supermarket food.

as for substrate, readigrass will make you hurl, it has a very sweet aroma but its overwhelming when your pregnant. Aspen is softer than hemp so that may be worth a try. or oystershell maybe? and of course, there is always newspaper as an emergency.

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Get you OH to look after them for a while until you feel more up to it

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Everything good is bad ............. everything bad is good ....
Looky0.1.2 Horsfield1.0.0 Bearded dragon0.0.1 Royal Python1.1.0 Rex Rabbits

I feel for you. With my first daughter I had morning sickness, well all day sickness, for about 5 months!!! Cat food and our coal fire made me feel like death.... I could smell my hubby feeding the cat through 2 shut doors!

You could use aubiose as a substrate for now, make it deep so your Horsfields can dig in it, ok they won't be able to make tunnels, but it is only for now so it won't do them any harm.

I would certainly suggest getting someone else to feed the torts for you until the sickness is over with, or, is there someone who could look after them for you for a month or so.... They you can hibernate them so it won't be a problem.

If they have lost a little weight you could just feed them a bit more Crispy Floretti than normal. Buy some winter flowering pansy's as well

Hope you are feeling better soon.

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http://pic2.piczo.com/GalaxybearsNewfoundlands

dont worry about it,i doubt their weight loss if from not having weeds,u have fed them florette,
as for substrate i aint a clue,i have horsfields and they love to burry them selfes i use soil,
sorry cant help with that 1

when i was preg i had sickness all the way through its a nightmare i feel for you deeply,i used to love a certain afterhshave andy had and even now i cant stand it since then lolalong with the smell of lavander eww

hope u have some luck soon x

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home sweet home

cant you oh help look after them?

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we men have it so easy... i know that pelleted feeds are a bit frowned uopn but for a short while wouldnt hurt , then they,d get the vits and mins and it would save you another worry.....its amajor worry having pets when ya feeling ill..

didnt see the bit about the smell of pellets making you barf, try a peg.........