I'm thinking of adding/including the following to my baby tortoises diet:

1) Finely ground almond .
2) Pure virgin Olive Oil.
3) Greek Yogurt.
4) 12 grain bread.
5) Avocado.
6) Artichokes (fresh).

Simply added in trace amounts, same as calcium and vitamin/mineral supplements. About once a week.

They currently eat wild grasses, Dandelions, weeds, Prickly Pear, mixed vegetables, Collard Greens, Carrots, mixed Spring Greens. Apple skins, Banana, and Melon once a week when available. No -- Spinach, Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Iceberg Head Lettuce.

They get Calcium with D3 and a Multi-vitamin Supplement at every meal. I also add a tiny bit of the local Sugar Sand (very fine, not much at all) as I would the Calcium about twice a week. I may add some very very fine red clay, too. The outdoor adults get those naturally occurring elements inadvertently, as a matter of normal feeding and their shells are perfect.

My theory on the casual mineral ingestion is just one more piece of the puzzle in the battle against pyramiding, providing minerals for assimilation and grit to the gut to aid better absorption of herbaceous nutrients. Probably slows the digestion process, too. Pyramiding is simply Metabolic Bone Disease manifested in Tortoises. Tortoises with Metabolic Bone Disease lay flat on their Plastron with legs sprawled out. Healthy Tortoises walk erect with their Plastron very far off the ground. Legs vertical, on their toes.

Just my opinion/observations.

jsc


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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

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