Can my russian eat tree leaves?

[arby2774]

Hi, a question about natural forage in New England. Are leaves from local trees, such as poplar, linden, weeping and black willow, sugar maple, dogwood or white and river birch? I know that if horses eat fresh red maple leaves they will be poisoned so I would obviously avoid those, but do you think the others would be ok?

 

[GBtortoises]

Tortoises can be fed any leaves known to not be toxic. Whether or not they will eagerly eat them is another story. I have never seen my Russians show much interest in leaves at all. On the other hand many of my Eastern Hermann's and particularly my Marginateds will devour most leaves, especially those that are a few days old.

 

[wrmitchell22]

You can offer dandelions, I grew up in New England (CT) and I know I always had those around

 

[arby2774]

You can offer dandelions, I grew up in New England (CT) and I know I always had those around

He does like dandelions, field clover and wood sorrel but doesn't touch regular grass. I thought he would like to graze so he goes in his play yard whenever anyone is outside but he only spends the time trying to escape. I will give it a try.

 

[Torty Mom]

Try mulberry leaves, those are often a favorite.

 

[ascott]

My guys like mulberry, elm and once in awhile mimosa....

 

[GBtortoises]

I've never seen a Russian tortoise show any interest in grass. Generally speaking most Testudo species don't eat grass. The exception may be adult Marginateds. I've seen my adults graze on some grass occasionally but not on a regular basis.

 

[Laura]

grape leaves, roses, rose of sharon,.....

 

[arby2774]

grape leaves, roses, rose of sharon,.....

Thanks!

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

In the wild, Russian tortoises eat annual weeds from sunflower, poppy, buttercup, cabbage, and plantain families - mostly the sunflower family (Lagarde et al. 2003, attached). They don't eat much grass in the wild, and mine eat some but not a lot. The leaves of perennial plants contain more lignin (woody material), and that makes them harder to digest than annual weeds, so tortoises are not really interested in them. I've noticed that my Russians will sometimes eat fallen, dry leaves, but not fresh fallen leaves (from aspen, for example). And I've read of tortoises eating dry tree leaves as well. Not sure why they prefer dead tree leaves over fresh ones - could be they just need the fiber sometimes. Trees like aspen also put high concentrations of potassium in their leaves to deter browsing, so that seems to work on tortoises.

Basically, these animals come from harsh environments, and they need to be somewhat picky (but not too picky) so they can eat the best plants fast. Grasses don't provide a lot of moisture, while perennial and woody plants contain too much fiber, but annual weeds are just right. So, to answer your question, Russian tortoises generally prefer to feed on weeds than on grasses, shrubs, or tree leaves.