have to admit i rarely used this part of the forum even though i had torts...and in all honesty it was because of some of the reactions i got from a certain self proclaimed godess of tortoises....such a shame really that as a grown man i felt too uncomfortable to post pics and ask for advice after the initial reactions.....i pity the younger generation who have or are planning to get tortoises, but are too uncomfortable to ask for advice and see if they are doing things right etc.....at the risk of being made to feel like total inadequate keepers who don`t deserve tortoises at all!!!

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huge fan and breeder of Pituophis! bulls are my main passion!

HI,

You say you have been a breeder for 15 years and a keeper for 30, how is it that you were unable to write an accurate care sheet, you of all people should want whats best for torts, i think any pet shop no matter what animal or rep they sell should have accurate care sheets and sell the right products for that animal, you do have a choice and you sell pellets, bad choice!!
weed seeds would be just as easy to sell and if your customer sees the seeds they might buy them instead of pellets!!

I don't think i need to re-read but i will let everyone else judge and see what they think as i have copied and pasted the diet section of care sheet below;

Standard tortoise diet is similar with many species. The bulk of the diet in many species (about 90%) is green leafy plants. Iceberg and normal "salad" lettuce must not be offered. A mix of spring greens, romaine lettuce, kale, water cress, savoy cabbage, chinese leaf is okay, but a natural mix of meadow plant leaves such as dandelion and chickweed is the ultimate choice. Make sure they are free from pesticides and are washed before use. The rest of the diet can be small amount of fruits (except Red and Yellow foots, they can have lots of fruit – especially ripe), small amounts of salad items such as tomatoes etc, broccoli, grated root vegetables and a source of fibre such as dried grass or hay. Grass and hay can cause dietary problems for Hermanns, Spur-thighed, Marginated and Horsefields, but is a necessary food item for Leopard tortoises. Red and Yellow foots must have a higher proportion of ripe fruits, African Spurred and Leopards must have much higher levels of hay such as alfalfa. Most commonly kept species must not have meat in their diet, Red and Yellow foots must have a small amount, easily provided in defrosted rodents.

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I wouldn't call that a bad care sheet as most of the info 'okay' but not as clear as it could be.

More emphasis is needed on the fact that weeds are the diet and nothing else is needed (in the case of meds, and most others for that matter)

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