# Can torts eat to much dandelion? Carrots?



## Blessed3x (Jun 17, 2012)

Mine seems to live off dandelions, it's his favorite.
I see him grazing grass but he sure prefers tons of dandelion.
Are shredded carrots an ok snack? I've not tried giving him any yet.

ok while waiting for an answer found a thread on this site.
He just loves dandelion flowers.Not the stems, but read dandelion leaves should be limited.
Dang I got to get this boy on a healthier diet. He grazes grass in the yard, won't touch hay (will try the 
tort meatball recipe) Where can I get that prickly cactus leaves?

Can anyone share what kind of tort salad (for lack of better terminology) they make their torts daily?


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## lampshade (Jun 17, 2012)

Every morning i make my sulcata chopped spring mix from a container, not a bag, a limited amount of diced carots, a hearty amount of brumuda hay (best thing you can give a tortoise) and then i put it in a ziplock, add water, blow air into it, shake it up and serve. Boy does she love it


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## Blessed3x (Jun 17, 2012)

I was reading about Mustard greens, turnip greens and Collard greens.
In my area all I can get is orchard grass, alfalfa or Timothy hay.
(No bermuda hay) Have some Mazuri coming in Wednesday.
I don't think my guy is as healthy as he should be. Of course I've only had him 6 days.
I see on the list pear and apple are ok tiny amounts.
Also he is pooping but not urinating, only once the day after he got here (the white stuff)
and not again since. I have been soaking his dandelion flowers in water. He doesn't seem to drink.
Have tried soaking hay, was already told by prior owner the tort did not like hay.
If I go to an area of my yard that has 4 to 5 inch high nice green grass and hand him a bunch
he goes to town on it, but I do seem him daily grazing the front yard (80 x 300 ft)


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## dmmj (Jun 17, 2012)

Over consumption of dandelions have been known to turn urine pink, as for carrots my russians get them once a month. The best way to get a spoiled tortoise (one who only wants certain foods) is to chop up finely all of his food.


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jun 17, 2012)

Here's what I feed my pair of Russian tortoises.

Leafy green staple foods:
Lettuce (cultivated)
Lettuce (wild)
Chicory
Endive
Dandelion
Arugula
Turnip greens
(Spring Mix includes some of these)

Occasional vegetable foods:
Collard greens
Mustard greens
Broccoli
Plantago
Spinach
Bermuda grass
Wheat grass
Millet grass
(Spring Mix includes some of these)

Fruits or vegetables for a monthly treat:
Diced carrots
Strawberries
Raspberries
Grapes

Commercial food for when I run out of fresh fruits and vegetables:
Rep-Cal Tortoise Food
T-Rex Dry Tortoise Formula
*Note:* Alas, my little friends usually refuse Mazuri Tortoise Diet, and barely touch ZooMed Natural Grassland Tortoise Food! Maybe someday.


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## ascott (Jun 17, 2012)

Dandelion greens (leaves) and flowers are a food that contains such beneficial elements that it should be a significant part of a torts diet...not the main item of their diet, but offerings frequently....

I say this as I keep the torts here very well hydrated and therefore they can partake of multiple items as part of a varied diet...and dandelion is their fav by far....so I offer it as often as possible....it is also a great food for humans too....

Carrots are not an item the torts here seem to lose their mind over????


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## JoesMum (Jun 18, 2012)

I agree with Angela that dandelions can form a significant part of diet, but not the majority of the diet.

Carrots have a high sugar content like fruit (including bell pepper and tomato) an should only be fed occasionally, preferably never, to Russians and other Testudo because they cannot digest the sugars properly and this could make them sick.

You say your tort doesn't appear to be urinating and that does concern me. If a tort is urinating infrequently and/or the majority of it is white urate, I would start soaking the tortoise more frequently. It needs to be for a good 20-30 minutes and I suggest you do it daily for now. My soaking tips are here


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## GBtortoises (Jun 18, 2012)

Dandelion is an excellent food source for many vitamins and minerals. But too much _might_ cause issues with oxalates binding with calcium and other minerals. Excessively this can lead to heavy, thick urates and possibly even constipation in serious cases. None of this has been positively proven to happen with tortoises. It's all based on results of studies done with human subjects. But it bears keeping in mind. 
The best safegaurd when feeding dandelions, as well as any part of a regular diet of greens is to keep tortoises very well hydrated. Good hydration ensures that wastes and toxins are constantly flushed from the tortoise's system thereby decreasing the chances of urates, kidney stones and other build ups.


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## Terry Allan Hall (Jun 18, 2012)

Blessed3x said:


> Where can I get that prickly cactus leaves?



Any market that gets significant Hispanic trade will carry cactus pads (nopales), but they're pretty easy to grow, yourself...just don't make the mistake that I did and plant them in the tortoise's enclosure...my torts pigged out BIGTIME and 2 days of diggingg and planting got eaten very quickly!


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