# Is clover too high in protein?



## MaggieeNicolee (Apr 25, 2013)

I give my tort some clover everyday because it seems he really likes it, but is that too much protein intake?


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Apr 25, 2013)

No, it's fine as part of a varied diet. Some torts seem to like it more than others, though. My redfoot used to chow down on it everyday, but my Russians barely touch it.


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## Tom (Apr 25, 2013)

I wouldn't use any food every day... Well except grass for a sulcata or pp leopard, but thats the only exception for me. Clover is good as part of a varied diet, but I'd keep it to part of a mix and no more than two or three times a week. Also make sure your tortoise is very well hydrated.

Just my personal preference on the matter.


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Apr 25, 2013)

I used to offer my redfoot a variety of foods, but when I took her outside, it was very common for her to go to big patches of clover and eat a lot of it. Perhaps not everyday, but very often. This makes sense for a forest tortoise, since clovers grow in more moist areas. I actually never gave it to her indoors, but she often looked for it when she was outdoors.

Thus far, it seems like my Russians don't really like clover. I've plunked them down near clover patches, but they really don't seem interested. Other Russian keepers say that theirs will eat clover, so perhaps it's not general to the species. However, in nature Russians live in drier areas, so they probably do not have access to clover. Wild Russians eat plants from the sunflower, mustard, plantain, buttercup, and poppy families, as well as a little bit of grass. However, in captivity it's fine to give them other plants as well, such as clover if they'll accept them.


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## MaggieeNicolee (Apr 25, 2013)

Well I have a sulcata so I was just wondering,
I'm trying to get a schedule of feeding for the little guy


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## Team Gomberg (Apr 25, 2013)

I include 3 types of clover in all my tortoises diet.

White clover, yellow clover and purple flowering clover.

All mine graze on it just fine. 

Add it to your list


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Apr 25, 2013)

BTW - Some folks like to offer their torts hay, which can be good for the larger grazing species (sulcata, leopard tortoise, and _Gopherus_ species). Hay usually contains some type of grass, along with alfalfa, which is in the legume family, just like clover. Legumes do have a bit more protein than other plants, but they are good to include in the diet if your tortoise accepts them.


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## MaggieeNicolee (Apr 25, 2013)

Oh I read that too much protein can cause pyramiding


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Apr 25, 2013)

MaggieeNicolee said:


> Oh I read that too much protein can cause pyramiding



Yep, that's true. That's why we say that legumes are good if included in a diverse diet. You wouldn't want any tortoise to subsist on just one thing, although some tortoises (like redfoots) need more protein than others (like sulcatas). All animals need some protein in their diet, but tortoises don't need much, because plants have a lot less protein in them than animals.

The advice against a lot of protein has more to do with giving tortoises meat. Tortoises may eat a few invertebrates now and then, and may even scavenge carcasses. Again, if redfoots don't get some meat from time to time, they can actually develop paralysis in their hind legs. But even sulcatas and Testudos have been known to eat dead mammals in the wild on occasion. The problem arises when people give their tortoises dog food, cat food, or food intended for aquatic turtles, especially on a frequent basis.

Legumes may have more protein than other plants, but that's still a heckuva lot less than meat. As long as they're not all they eat, legumes are actually good for ground-dwelling herbivores, including tortoises.


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