Pellets - weeds, UV bulbs - sunlight debates

blondesarah · #1 (**permalink**) 22-02-2008, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -EJ

I can understand you being gunshy... here... let me take some of the pressure off you... UVB lights are not necessary.

Your main concern is temperature. You want a basking spot. You can accomplish this with a 100w flood lamp from any hardware store.

To get around the UVB requirement... 1 or 2 hours a week in the sun would work... any of the fantastic supplements currently available would also work.

I recommend a diet called t-rex tortoise diet as a part of the tortoises diet... that would work also.

You do have more options than a UVB bulb... but... if you insist on the bulb... 100w flood... not spot... should be more than enough. T-rex distributes these also. They are self ballasted mercury vapor lamps.

Oh gosh here we go again
Please use a UVB light they would get UVB from the sun in the wild
Do not use pellets, here in the UK we can pick lots of weeds and not be lazy and use pellets.

I think Ed forgets we are in the UK and not the USA

-EJ · #2 (**permalink**) 22-02-2008, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blondesarah

Oh gosh here we go again
Please use a UVB light they would get UVB from the sun in the wild
Do not use pellets, here in the UK we can pick lots of weeds and not be lazy and use pellets.

I think Ed forgets we are in the UK and not the USA

Another one of those pleasant/nonconfrontational responses to my post.

What on earth does location have to do with the husbandry of tortoise keeping?

Using pellets has nothing to do with lazy... it has to do with providing the best nutritional value that is available for my pet.

We have gone round about on this topic and you have still yet to answer the nutritional value of the plants you are suggesting to feed. You have still yet to answer the key points of what is required and in what amounts.

Unless the keeper has access to a well planted yard... how do you expect the new keep to know that they have all the nutritional bases covered

Feed weed... that should cover it.

blondesarah · #3 (**permalink**) 22-02-2008, 12:10 PM

Ed you only allow your tortoises these pellets, 3 times a week they have no choice but to eat them

We are the in UK we can provide FREE food in the form of weeds.

Have a google ed for some nutritonal valued of some weeds.
Here you go Google

-EJ · #4 (**permalink**) 22-02-2008, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blondesarah

Ed you only allow your tortoises these pellets, 3 times a week they have no choice but to eat them

We are the in UK we can provide FREE food in the form of weeds.

Have a google ed for some nutritonal valued of some weeds.
Here you go Google

I'm only pointing out that the advice of 'feed weeds' leaves a great deal to chance without including what specific weeds you should feed to meet all the nutritional requirements of their pet... not to mention what weeds shouldn't be fed or where to obtain 'safe' weeds.

You might not like using pellets that is your choice but it is a viable and in some cases a more benifical choice of nutrition.

blondesarah · #5 (**permalink**) 22-02-2008, 12:25 PM

We always advise to use a variety of weeds the nutrital value is widly available on the internet.

I see pellets as lazy and very unatural

I go weed picking every day and have to pick a carrier bag full

Some weeds also offer very thick stems which also help to stop the over growth of beaks.

I like to keep my tortoises as close to nature as POSSIBLE yes somethings i do arnt natural but if you find me a picture of a tortoise eating a pellet in the wild i will give you £100 but i bet you find lots of them eating leafy plants, yes maybe not the ones we can get in the UK but close.

There are many web site that show you pictures of safe weeds.

Ed its really made me mad when you state UVB is not essential and to feed pellets.

I will state again we are in the UK and plently of leafy green available to us.

I have a very badly deformed ibera kept in a viv and only fed pellets.

-EJ · #6 (**permalink**) 22-02-2008, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blondesarah

We always advise to use a variety of weeds the nutrital value is widly available on the internet.

I see pellets as lazy and very unatural

I go weed picking every day and have to pick a carrier bag full

Some weeds also offer very thick stems which also help to stop the over growth of beaks.

I like to keep my tortoises as close to nature as POSSIBLE yes somethings i do arnt natural but if you find me a picture of a tortoise eating a pellet in the wild i will give you £100 but i bet you find lots of them eating leafy plants, yes maybe not the ones we can get in the UK but close.

There are many web site that show you pictures of safe weeds.

Ed its really made me mad when you state UVB is not essential and to feed pellets.

I will state again we are in the UK and plently of leafy green available to us.

I have a very badly deformed ibera kept in a viv and only fed pellets.

So what your saying is that you are going to take care of your tortoise the way you see fit regardless if it is getting the best possible care available to it for good development?

This is another discussion that is going to rage on...

You prefer natural... I prefer complete.

I've posted photos of my tortoises raised... naturally and on this pelleted diet.

Gross deformity is a result of improper diet AND environmental conditions... More so on the side of environmental conditions.

I'm curious as to why my suggesting my methods angers some folks. I don't have a problem with anything anyone else tells another keeper what they have to do to maintain their tortoise.

Trice · #7 (**permalink**) 22-02-2008, 12:46 PM

Ok ok ok.. i saw that you had taken over someone elses thread, in which they were asking questions regarding UV bulbs etc. and yet because you were getting into a totally different debate i decided to move all the offtopic (from that thread) into a new thread. So carry on with this debate so long as it stays civil.
If you have facts to back up your arguments then show them,
Show proof of your preachings

blondesarah · #8 (**permalink**) 22-02-2008, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -EJ

So what your saying is that you are going to take care of your tortoise the way you see fit regardless if it is getting the best possible care available to it for good development?

This is another discussion that is going to rage on...

You prefer natural... I prefer complete.

I've posted photos of my tortoises raised... naturally and on this pelleted diet.

Gross deformity is a result of improper diet AND environmental conditions... More so on the side of environmental conditions.

I'm curious as to why my suggesting my methods angers some folks. I don't have a problem with anything anyone else tells another keeper what they have to do to maintain their tortoise.

I prefer close to natural as possible still waiting for pictures Ed????

As stated as CLOSE to natural as possible is nature wrong? well thats what you are saying

Yes improper diet PELLETS environment NO UVB AND VIVS

It angers people because most of what you say confuses people and goes against nature.

littlefoot · #9 (**permalink**) 22-02-2008, 01:18 PM

Ed where in the USA are you?

-EJ · #10 (**permalink**) 22-02-2008, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by littlefoot

Ed where in the USA are you?

Currently in Georgia... grew up in New York... moved to Texas... then Southern California... and here.

This gets brought up fairly regularly... I don't quite understand why either.

Not only do I have personal experience with the different geographical areas but I've been networking with tortoise keepers long before the internet made it this easy to disseminate information.

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