My Recommended Nom Nomz List: Grasses, Flowers, Greens & Other Sources of Multiminerals

I often come across the question about what comprises a healthy geochelone sulcata tortoise diet.  So I have compiled a list from my reliable sources as well as based on my own experience. Our diet should comprise "70% grass", and "30% other greens & flowers & other sources of multiminerals" to ensure that we get as much amount of fiber, calcium & multiminerals to stay healthy.  Baby sulcata tortoises & juveniles like myself are especially in need of high amounts of dietary calcium and an adequate source of vitamin D3 (ex: UVB from unfiltered sunlight) to support our rapid growth stage. Remember that when choosing what to eat, high fiber, high calcium, very very low phosphorous or phosphorus-free, very low protein, no sugar, multiminerals, organic/pesticide-free/artificial-fertilizer-free and variety are the important keywords to keep in mind  =)  Happy nomz nomz!!!

Flowers as Part of 30% of Our Diet (organically grown/ no pesticides/ no chemical fertilizer):

 •       Gumamela flowers or Hibiscus flowers & its leaves (also available in most of Southeast Asia)

•        Dandelion flowers & its leaves

•        Petunia
 •       Hibiscus flowers

•        Viola sp

•        Rose petals

•        Santan flowers (comes in color orange, yellow & pink; available in most of Southeast Asia)

•       Pumpkin flowers / Squash flowers or "Bulaklak ng Kalabasa" (also available in most of Southeast Asia)
•        Yellow bell flowers (also available in most of Southeast Asia)

Here I am stuffing my face with pumpkin flower or Squash flower or "Bulaklak ng Kalabasa". I've just discovered this last month! nomnomz nomnomz nomz!

 Other Foods as Part of 30% of Our Diet:

•        Non-toxic weeds like clovers

•        De-spined Opuntia pads <<-- This is very rich in calcium :)

•        De-spined prickly pear pads
•       Squash (bite size cubes) - eat a serving once a week for vitamin A to avoid eye infection & loss of eyesight 

•     "Kangkong" or water spinach or water convolvulus (Scientific name: Ipomoea aquatica; Also available in most of Southeast Asia)

70% of Our Diet Should Be Comprised of Grasses & Hays (organically grown/ no pesticides/ no chemical fertilizer):

•        Carabao grass or Buffalo grass

•        Couch grass

•        Kikuyu grass

•        Dallas grass

•        Blue Grama grass

•        Big Bluestem grass

•        Darnel Rye grass

•        Wintergrass or Bluegrass

•        Western Wheatgrass

•        Fescue sp. grasses” 

** Don't munch on hays that have excessively “prickly” seed heads, as these can hurt our mouths or eyes  :'(

Grass & hays should comprise 70% of our diet -- but don't ignore the other 30% for other foods too, as these are our other source of calcium & multiminerals essential for our health.

 IMPORTANT: One more thing, unless you live in the arid savannah, which is our natural habitat (and I highly doubt this, as there are no computers to view this blog from in the wild lol!) where nature provides a tremendous variety of food rich in dietary calcium & multiminerals & ample exposure to vitamin D3 from all-day access to unfiltered sunlight, I would highly suggest that you supplement your daily diet with a "powdered phosphorus-free source of calcium and vitamin D3" like "Rep-Cal" or "Miner-All".  If you live very near the equator like me where the sunshine emits a highly concentrated amount of UVB rays and you also stay out in the sun at least 4 to 5 hours a day, then I would suggest that you take a "powdered phosphorus-free source of calcium WITHOUT vitamin D3" like Nutrobal which also contains multiminerals (But when the rainy season or cold season arrives please revert back to a "powdered phosphorus-free source of calcium WITH vitamin D3" supplement); Ask your tort's veterinarian where you could buy this or maybe order it on Ebay.  It would also be great to have a cuttlefish bone in your enclosure to help you "self regulate" your own calcium intake, as well as help trim your beak!  I don't have a cuttlebone yet -- I wish I do -- but having one is a best practice recommended by my expert & highly experienced source, Tortoise Trust.  Again, please buy a multi-minerals supplement that does not contain Phosphorous because almost all greens already contain an abundant amount of phosphorous while only very small trace amounts of calcium or none can be found in the grasses and greens that I eat.  We are aiming for a Calcium : Phosphorous ratio of 2:1 or 3:1.  Phosphorous inhibits calcium absorption.

Happy nomx nomx!!!

You May Also Want To Read Some of My Other Related Blog Posts:
•       For My Fellow Torts Refusing to Eat - Force Feeding Resource Materials

•       Why Basking in Unfiltered Sunlight is Important For You & Me =)

•       Having A Detox Spa In My Soaking Tub (a topic on the importance of soaking)

•       I Survived MBD (metabolic bone disease)
•       Work Out Those Muscles & Bones! =) 

Why Basking in Unfiltered Sunlight is Important For You & Me =)

Ok. This particular blog post requires some serious talk.  I will try my best to sum up everything in the shortest, simplest possible way for all of you folks out there who have short attention span like my mum  :)  You discuss something too long-winded to her and rest assured you will lose her.  Anyway, here it is:

Bottomline:

A.. We, sulcata tortoises “synthesize our own vitamin D3 from the UV component of sunlight”.

B.  “Vitamin D3 is essential for the effective metabolism of dietary calcium in reptiles.”

C.  Three to four hours outdoors in unfiltered sunlight would suffice.  Too much isn’t always good.

Here’s a simple flow-chart that I made to illustrate how we synthesize vitamin D3 when we expose ourselves to unfiltered sunlight, then use it to metabolize the calcium content from the food we eat:

Princess Peachy is exposed to UV rays from unfiltered sunlight  -->  Certain UV wavelengths including UV-B reacts with sterols in my skin to produce “pre-vitamin D3”  -->  A process that also depends upon heat converts this to vitamin D3  -->  Vitamin D3 metabolizes the calcium content from the food that I eat.

"Vitamin D3 metabolizes the calcium content from the food that I eat"

IMPORTANT:  “If inadequate vitamin D3 is available, the animal will rapidly develop the condition known as MBD or Metabolic Bone Disease. In this condition, bone density suffers and various other serious metabolic problems occur. Symptoms include swellings, lethargy, general weakness and tremors. The shell may also become soft and pliable. MBD remains the number one killer of captive lizards, tortoises and turtles (snakes are less affected as being highly carnivorous they easily obtain their D3 requirement via their prey). To prevent MBD, adequate levels of calcium must be present in the diet, and adequate (but not excessive) quantities of D3 must be provided by means of dietary supplementation or by exposure to adequate levels of UVB lighting. Rapidly growing specimens such as hatchlings are most at risk, although adults too will be affected if maintained in a state of deficiency for long enough. Egg laying females are also at great risk, due to the extra demands egg production places upon their calcium metabolism.”  (Quotation from Tortoise Trust)

I would advise that you make sure you are well hydrated (read my blog post on “soaking”) before going for a long walk in the sun outside.  And soon as you step out, search for a shady place that you can run to just in case the temps get too high, to avoid overheating.  That’s it.  :)  If you have any questions, just leave a comment below.

"Search for a shady place that you can run to just in case the temps get too high, to avoid overheating."

You May Also Want To Read Some of My Other Related Blog Posts:

•       Having A Detox Spa In My Soaking Tub (a topic on the importance of soaking)
•       My Recommended Nom Nomz List: Grasses, Flowers, Greens & Cold Season/Winter Food
•       I Survived MBD (metabolic bone disease)

•       Work Out Those Muscles & Bones! =)

My Favorite Song: "I Can See Clearly Now"

Here are the lyrics of my new favorite song, "I Can See Clearly Now" (Originally written and recorded by Johnny Nash in 1972).  After all the heartbreak of losing my bestfriend and all the illness (metabolic bone disease & runny nose syndrome or RNS) that I went thru, I have finally recovered.  Here it is.  Have a good life, everyone  :) Enjoy!

 "I Can See Clearly Now"
By Johnny Nash (it's available on the iTunes Store)

I can see clearly now the rain is gone.
I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.

Oh, yes I can make it now the pain is gone.
All of the bad feelings have disappeared.
Here is that rainbow I've been praying for.
It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day.

Having A Detox Spa In My Soaking Tub

The sky is clear and the harsh heat from the sweltering sun is bearing down on my keratin and scutes.  Today is a good day to have a 10-minute soak in my tub  :)  Soaking in slightly warm water lets me do several things all at once!  Whenever I'm soaking, I take this opportunity to drink water, absorb water into my dry skin, clean my shell & nails, help me poop and wee, and most of all, soaking helps me flush out the urates thru my cloaca.   You don't believe me?  Try it yourself  :)

"Do you see what I mean? This is what I'm talking about lol! Here I am having a relaxing soak on my tub while listening to my fave song, "I Can See Clearly Now" (by Johnny Nash; I got this from the iTunes Store  :)  I covered my poop with smileys just in case you're eating while reading this post lol! "

"I hydrate myself while soaking even if you don't see me actually drinking water from my mouth.  Sometimes, the water enters my body thru my cloaca. The water is yellowish here because of my wee -- I missed my soak yesterday, which explains why the color of my wee is a bit dark. (pic taken Dec. 2012)"

I like to soak in my tub under the morning/afternoon sun or under my basking lamp, because I easily get too chilly brrrrr!  I could  get sick from the cold water.  Plus my human makes sure that the water level is just high enough to submerge my cloaca (my butt), but shallow enough so that the water level doesn't go higher than the edges of my plastron or doesn't soak my chin.  This way, even if I retract my head into my shell, my mouth & nares (nostrils) would still be above the water.  There was one time when I was younger and my human was still soaking me in too much water, I accidentally inhaled some water into my nares.  My nares got irritated, which later resulted in me getting runny nose  :(  So there you go!  Be extra careful with your water level when soaking in your tub.  Try having this detoxifying 10-minute soaks daily and you will find that it's very refreshing  :)  If you have any questions, just leave a comment below.

"Make sure that the water level is just high enough to submerge my cloaca (my butt), but shallow enough so that the water level doesn't go higher than the edges of my plastron or doesn't soak my chin.  I was only about a year old here."

  

You May Also Want To Read Some of My Other Related Blog Posts:
 •      Whitish Chalky Substance in My Wee

•       Why Basking in Unfiltered Sunlight is Important For You & Me =)
•       My Recommended Nom Nomz List: Grasses, Flowers, Greens & Cold Season/Winter Food
•       I Survived MBD (metabolic bone disease)  
•       Work Out Those Muscles & Bones! =)

Tipping The Scale

Back in February, I weighed only 200 grams and I still fit on the palm of my human's hand.  I also had calcium deficiency then so my plastron felt soft to the touch.  Now, eight month later, I weigh 1,850 grams (1.85kg or 65oz. or 4 lbs) and my plastron is solid as a rock!  I'm no longer in the habit of lying on the palm of my human's hand; Instead, I now like to sit snugly on her lap while we watch TV together  :)  What has helped me overcome calcium deficiency?  My first of two salad meals per day is sprinkled with a pinch of the calcium supplement powder that my veterinarian gave me.  My supplement powder contains:  calcium, vitamin D3 and minerals.  I'll ask my mum to ask my vet for the brand name of my calcium supplement powder (it's placed in a Ziploc bag whenever my vet gives it to my human), and then I'll post it on the "comments" field below this post.  In the meantime, I would recommend either Vionate or Rep-Cal (if you're heat lamp doesn't emit UVB; a phosphorus-free source of calcium and D3; United States) or Nutrobal (if you're heat lamp emits UVB; doesn't contain Vitamin D3; by Vetark  Products, Britain) a calcium balancer & multivitamin supplement for tortoises, which are some of the calcium supplement brands that Tortoise Trust recommends (I am in no way related to the owner of Tortoise Trust -- they are on the other side of the globe -- but I have a high regard for their expertise & credibility).  I don't know where to buy these supplements so please ask your vet about it or maybe go on Ebay (please take extra steps to ensure that what you are buying isn't fake).  Also, remember my fellow sulcata tortoise readers and humans, our ideal diet should be comprised of 70% "grass & hay" and 30% leafy greens & some acorn squash. Yes, please throw in some acorn squash in our diet because it contains vitamin A to protect our eyesight from infection and to avoid going blind -- like what happened to my deceased bff Koopa days before he died from complications caused by his advanced stage MBD (metabolic bone disease).  Daily exercise and basking in unfiltered sunlight will help us absorb calcium too, while the warmth will help activate our digestive enzymes.  Here is a table of my monthly weigh-in's progress as of  this month: 

February 2012:  200 grams
March            :  350 grams
May               :  750 grams
June              :  850 grams
August          :  1,450 grams
October         :  1,850 grams
January 2015  12 kg

I weighed only 200grams back in February

"Now, eight month later, I weigh 1,850 grams (1.85kg or 65oz. or 4 lbs) and my plastron is solid as a rock!"

You Might Also Want to See the First Time I Celebrate My Hatchday With My Humans in:
•    Happy Hatchday to Me! 
•    My Recommended Nom Nomz List: Grasses, Flowers, Greens & Other Sources of Multiminerals