# Best things for California desert tortoise to eat from the grocery store.



## WolfRune1988 (Sep 19, 2018)

Hello, I was wondering, what are the best items to buy for your tortoise from the grocery store to eat that will still give them diversity in their diet? Is the dried fruit you buy at the pet store for tortoises good? I live in Vegas so finding the various grass on the list provided is difficult but I use the tortoise pellets softened with water. Thinking of starting the calcium powder 2 times a week back up too soon. Any suggestions on which is best? Thank you for any advice!


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## Kapidolo Farms (Sep 19, 2018)

Escarole


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## Yvonne G (Sep 19, 2018)

and endive.


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## jamespc (Nov 4, 2018)

Spring mix!


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## Tom (Nov 4, 2018)

Endive and escarole are good staples. Spring mix, dandelion greens and lots of other stuff is good for variety once in a while.

Grocery store foods tend to lack calcium, lack fiber, and sometimes have a low calcium to phosphorus ratio. To fix these problems, it is best to add something to "amend" the grocery store foods and make a better meal out of them. You can add some chopped and dehydrated grass hay, a few soaked ZooMed Grassland tortoise chow pellets, herbal hay, sprouted wheat grass from Petco, etc.

A DT should also really have some cactus in its diet. You can get spineless opuntia at most Mexican grocery stores, or you can order it online too. A spineless opuntia pad fed on a bed of grass hay makes an excellent meal for a DT.


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## WolfRune1988 (Nov 4, 2018)

Thanks everyone I appreciate it. She is sleeping now so I have to wait, but this is really helpful for when she wakes up. Its appreciated


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## RosemaryDW (Nov 5, 2018)

Welcome @WolfRune1988!

Living in Vegas, you have access to more foods than you might think.

There will be a hispanic market nearby; there you can buy cleaned cactus pads, called nopales.

There are several Asian grocery stores, which will offer some more uncommon foods; you might have to check out a couple in person to see what their produce section is like. If you can find a specifically Korean or Laos market, I’d try there first.

There are some Persian grocery stores in your area as well. 

If you take a look through the (long) thread pinned to the top of this section, Tortoise Chef, you’ll see some of the foods I’ve found at our local stores. I’ve coped a few individual posts for you. The nice thing about some of these foods is that they are higher in fiber than what you can find at a “regular” grocery store.

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-tortoise-chef.153728/#post-1472541

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-tortoise-chef.153728/page-2#post-1477195

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-tortoise-chef.153728/page-4#post-1496353

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-tortoise-chef.153728/page-4#post-1518453


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## Kathy V (Mar 21, 2019)

Both of my desert tortoise's vets have recommended collard greens and kale. My guy won't touch the kale but does enjoy the collards.

Since you live in Las Vegas, you should be able to grow your own cactus. Where I live in L.A. we have a lot of prickly pear growing wild in the hills, but I also grow my own in the yard. I have one section of the yard that's always in bright sun, so have a little desert garden growing.


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## howard biolos (Apr 25, 2019)

WolfRune1988 said:


> Hello, I was wondering, what are the best items to buy for your tortoise from the grocery store to eat that will still give them diversity in their diet? Is the dried fruit you buy at the pet store for tortoises good? I live in Vegas so finding the various grass on the list provided is difficult but I use the tortoise pellets softened with water. Thinking of starting the calcium powder 2 times a week back up too soon. Any suggestions on which is best? Thank you for any advice!


put a cow head in my yard for the old west look. found that my sulcata eats the bones, I assume for the calcium. she is at least 2 + years old, about 20 lbs and lives outside full time. any info on this [good or bad} would be appreciated.











would be appreciated.


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