Yaay! Rocky is eating other things

tortoise42

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For a while my Russian tortoise rocky(Rachmaninoff) would only eat green leaf lettuce, but yesterday I tried feeding him some dandelion greens, and leaves He at the leaves but not the greens. I was (and still sorta am) confused On what he can and cannot eat, I have had a pet store tell me its OK to feed fruit once and a while and I have also had a Tortoise/Reptile person come to my school and he said the timothy's hay is good, and someone on this forum said only lettuce is OK. I could just use some clarification on whats OK and not OK for him to eat
 

Lyn W

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The digestive systems of many species of tortoises can't handle the sugars in fruit so they should not be fed.
Pet shops rarely give up to date information on tortoise care, they are only interested in profit so they should be the last people you take advice from.
Have you read the caresheet for Russians? That will tell you about diet temps, humidity and substrate etc. use this link.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Also look at www.thetortoisetable.org.uk which is a good guide to tort safe foods and will help you ID weeds.
Some of us in colder climates have to rely on shop bought salad/veg through the winter, but some lettuce is better than others for nutrition, Florette classic crispy salad bags have a good mix of leaves.
In the summer months weeds are available and free!!
When introducing new foods, mix a little of their usual in with the new and gradually fade out the old, less nutritious food.
 

Ben02

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The digestive systems of many species of tortoises can't handle the sugars in fruit so they should not be fed.
Pet shops rarely give up to date information on tortoise care, they are only interested in profit so they should be the last people you take advice from.
Have you read the caresheet for Russians? That will tell you about diet temps, humidity and substrate etc. use this link.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Also look at www.thetortoisetable.org.uk which is a good guide to tort safe foods and will help you ID weeds.
Some of us in colder climates have to rely on shop bought salad/veg through the winter, but some lettuce is better than others for nutrition, Florette classic crispy salad bags have a good mix of leaves.
In the summer months weeds are available and free!!
When introducing new foods, mix a little of their usual in with the new and gradually fade out the old, less nutritious food.
It’s funny that I don’t know what I’d do in the winter without florettes lettuce. (In moderation of course) :D
 

Lyn W

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It’s funny that I don’t know what I’d do in the winter without florettes lettuce. (In moderation of course) :D
Tesco do a mixed salad bag which has a good mix of leaves too. It's their Nightingale Farm Crispy salad. 59p a bag - more than half the price of Florette Classic Crispy and you can add your own lambs lettuce etc to it.
 

Ben02

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Tesco do a mixed salad bag which has a good mix of leaves too. It's their Nightingale Farm Crispy salad. 59p a bag - more than half the price of Florette Classic Crispy and you can add your own lambs lettuce etc to it.
WHAT!!!!! I’ve only just heard of this because!!!

I’m definitely going to look out for that next time I go, thank you Lyn:)
 

Lyn W

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WHAT!!!!! I’ve only just heard of this because!!!

I’m definitely going to look out for that next time I go, thank you Lyn:)
IDShot_540x540.jpg

Ingredients
Endive, Lollo Rosso, Radicchio.
 

Tom

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For a while my Russian tortoise rocky(Rachmaninoff) would only eat green leaf lettuce, but yesterday I tried feeding him some dandelion greens, and leaves He at the leaves but not the greens. I was (and still sorta am) confused On what he can and cannot eat, I have had a pet store tell me its OK to feed fruit once and a while and I have also had a Tortoise/Reptile person come to my school and he said the timothy's hay is good, and someone on this forum said only lettuce is OK. I could just use some clarification on whats OK and not OK for him to eat
There is a lot of misinformation out in the world...

Let me hit each thing one at a time:

  • No fruit. Lyn explained why. Pet stores have become one of the worst places about giving out bad tortoise info.
  • Russians are not grass eaters. Timothy is a grass hay. Why would you feed grass hay to a broadleaf weed eater? Further, Timothy is too coarse and stemmy. I don't even like to use it for grass eaters, like large sulcatas, because of this. Bermuda grass hay or orchard grass hay work better in my experience. Blended up grass hay can be used to add fiber to the diet of a broadleaf weed eater that is being fed primarily store bought greens, but better to just feed them the right diet in the first place. Broadleaf weeds.
  • Only lettuce? No. That's not right. Lettuce is too low in calcium and too low in fiber. Its not toxic, but its also not "good" for tortoises either.
Here is a small starter list of good stuff to feed to any tortoise:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food
 

RosemaryDW

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What Tom said about no sugar and no hay/grass.

There are many good foods *not* on the above lists because there so many plants in the world. If you give us some idea of what is around you, we can give other food suggestions.

For example, are you in a rural area where you might have access to unsprayed weeds? Do you have any of your own space for growing?

What kind of grocery stores are near you? Any Asian markets, any latino markets? A Whole Foods or natural food store. They usually have options.

In some cases, you won’t have too many options, at least in the winter, and will need to use some grocery store foods. Better lettuce choices are from the chicory family which includes dandelions (some stores sell them), chicory, escarole, endive and radicchio. You can buy just one head of these at a time and feed it until it’s gone. There is a bagged mix of all chicories sold in some U.S. stores; it’s the Santa Barbara mix, the brand is ReadyPac.

You can also mix in turnip and radish leaves; carrot tops; cilantro; collards, bok choy, kale, Swiss chard, tatsoi, lambs lettuce (also sold as mache or corn salad). Less of these than the chicories, perhaps thirty percent of the diet.

Occasionally-rarely-a chunk of winter or summer squash, the top of a carrot, a chunk of sweet potato. I like to feed about one inch square or a little bigger, that’s it.

If you are limited to store bought foods you’ll need to find a way to incorporate additional fiber, perhaps by using a supplement such as Mazuri.
 
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