# Lettuce on a daily bases.



## Leery24 (Aug 12, 2012)

Hat are the cons of feeding a tortoise lettuce as part of its everyday diet?


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Aug 12, 2012)

Although lettuce itself is not bad, it is not particularly rich in nutrients, either. If that's the only plant your tortoise eats, then he's not going to get enough nutrients in his diet. Also, variety is good for tortoises because it keeps their appetite up, and keeps them feeding normally.

In addition, some tortoise species need to eat not just leafy greens, but also grasses, which contain more fiber. If a sulcata, for example, only gets lettuce, then it will develop indigestion, diarrhea, and metabolic problems. It's fine to give them lettuce, but it must be part of a much more varied diet.


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## wellington (Aug 12, 2012)

Ditto. Also, think of it like this. Do you think humans or any other grass/weed/hay/etc eating animal could live a healthy long life on nothing but lettuce? For that matter any one food and one food only. Probably not.

Okay, I kinda misunderstood your question. So, still Ditto, but forget the rest. It doesn't really pertain to your question, sorry.


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## Leery24 (Aug 12, 2012)

Although it isn't high in nutrients, isn't it true a tortoise could get all the water it needs from eating lettuce?


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## wellington (Aug 12, 2012)

No. Tortoises need to be able to drink water and soak in water. You have been searching old outdated not very good info it sounds like. The old way that tortoises don't need water and feed only lettuce is one reason why there are so many older pyramided tortoises. The old way is also keep them hot and dry. That's not good either, another problem with pyramiding.


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Aug 12, 2012)

Leery, that information is not really accurate. It is true that tortoises do get a lot of moisture from the plants they eat. However, when water is available they do drink, both in captivity and in the wild. So in answer to your question, no, tortoises do not get all their water from food, whether it's lettuce or any other plant.

BTW - Some keepers think that providing water is even more important in captivity than in nature. This is because an enclosure may not have the right ambient humidity or the right substrate moisture. Basking heaters can dry out a tortoise, too. Therefore, captive tortoises should have shallow water available at all times, in case they are feeling dehydrated and get thirsty.


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## Leery24 (Aug 12, 2012)

wellington said:


> No. Tortoises need to be able to drink water and soak in water. You have been searching old outdated not very good info it sounds like. The old way that tortoises don't need water and feed only lettuce is one reason why there are so many older pyramided tortoises.



Okay thanks, any further advice would be appreciated. I'm just striving to care for my baby girl in the best way possible.


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Aug 12, 2012)

What other questions do you have?


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## Leery24 (Aug 12, 2012)

GeoTerraTestudo said:


> What other questions do you have?



Do you have any advice on a good healthy diet that is easy to maintain in a very urban area.


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## Yvonne G (Aug 12, 2012)

Here's a good article for you to read:

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/basicmedfood.htm


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## Leery24 (Aug 12, 2012)

emysemys said:


> Here's a good article for you to read:
> 
> http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/basicmedfood.htm



So growing weeds would be the best thing?


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Aug 12, 2012)

A good healthy diet should be very diverse - at least 6 different types of plant. I feed my tortoises at least 2 different plants each week, alternating days, and then I switch to 2 other plants the next week. Below is a list of the plants I feed my Russians.

Sunflower family
Groceries:
Cultivated lettuce
Endive
Radicchio
Chicory

Weeds:
Prickly lettuce
Dandelion

Cruciferous family
Groceries:
Arugula
Collards
Kale
Turnip greens
Mustard greens

You may also be able to find some weeds or grasses in your yard/neighborhood that your Russian will like. Just make sure they are clean and free of pesticides, herbicides, or pollution.

Spring mix is a box of greens you can buy at the supermarket. It contains a nice mix of (usually baby) lettuce, arugula, radicchio, spinach and other plants. Some keepers like to remove the spinach, since it is rich in oxalate, which is not good for tortoises (or us) in large amounts. However, I have found that my tortoises eat very little of it, and eat around it on their own. I have found that tortoises tend to have very good nutritional wisdom, or the instinctive ability to sense what is or isn't good for them to eat. Again, as long as there are no artificial chemicals involved, which they did not evolve to deal with, tortoises seem to smell what they can eat.

It's also a good idea to leave a cuttlebone in their pen, which they nibble on from time to time. This not only keeps their beak trim, but also provides valuable calcium.

You can also sprinkle a vitamin and mineral supplement on their food several times a week. You can use a commercial powder, and if your tortoise lives indoors, it's a good idea to use a calcium/vitamin D3 mixture. Other vitamin mixes can be purchased as well, but seem to be less critical as long as your tortoise has a varied diet. If you don't want to buy a calcium/vitamin D3 powder, at least grate some cuttlebone over the food so that your tortoise gets calcium that way.

As for commercial foods, Mazuri Tortoise Diet is a good one. There are others out there, too, but that is generally considered a great choice. Mazuri comes in pellets that need to be moistened in water before offering them to your tortoise. Note: some tortoises might not be too keen on pellets at first. They may warm up to them eventually, but some never do. One of my Russians likes pellets, the other doesn't. 

BTW - Yes, you can grow your own plants from seed, too. I use a combination of bird seed and Tortoise Seed Mix from Carolina Pet Supply. I have these plants growing in pots on my porch, and I just harvest a few every once in a while as tortoise food. Again, adds some nice variety.


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## Leery24 (Aug 12, 2012)

GeoTerraTestudo said:


> A good healthy diet should be very diverse - at least 6 different types of plant. I feed my tortoises at least 2 different plants each week, alternating days, and then I switch to 2 other plants the next week. Below is a list of the plants I feed my Russians.
> 
> Sunflower family
> Groceries:
> ...



Thanks, I usually feed my tortoise on leafy salads from the supermarket but will attempt to grow some dandelion leaves and things like that to try her with. She has a cuttlefish bone but isn't really interested so I just scrape some off onto her food for her. Again, thanks for the info.


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Aug 12, 2012)

Sounds good.


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