Desert tortoise diet

[DesertTortoiseLove]

Hi everyone. I was wandering if anyone can help me get a list a food I can feed them, and plants I should buy them and plant in their enclosure. Please and thank you

 

[dmmj]

mine does graze a lot on a st. Augustine grass in his enclosure. but he also likes rose petals, grape leaves, hibiscus flowers, artichoke leaves, strawberry leaves, squash leaves and flowers, radish tops, and mustard greens. along with turnip greens.

 

[DesertTortoiseLove]

mine does Grey's a lot on a st. Augustine grass in his enclosure. butt he also likes rose petals, grape leaves, hibiscus flowers, artichoke leaves, strawberry leaves, squash leaves and flowers, radish tops, and mustard greens. along with turnip greens.

Where do I get all of these leaves?

 

[dmmj]

I'm sorry, I should have said that I grow them all myself.

 

[Tom]

I typed this up for sulcatas, but the list is the same. Less emphasis on grass for a DT, and some people like to offer more succulents.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

I also grow a lot of my own, but I also scrounge from all over the place. Friends, family and neighbors often have this stuff growing and don't even know it.

 

[DesertTortoiseLove]

Okay thank you so much. Do you have any advice for trying to grow the plants inside their closure ? Or should I buy non treated plants? Because I tried growing plants before and they eat it right away or the plants would die.

 

[ascott]

Okay thank you so much. Do you have any advice for trying to grow the plants inside their closure ? Or should I buy non treated plants? Because I tried growing plants before and they eat it right away or the plants would die.

If you are purchasing plants from the big ticket stores like Home Depot and Lowes...their plants usually have some type of chemical exposure...so a good rule of thumb is to let the plant go through an entire growth cycle before using it as a food item...so a plant bought today will be good for food this time next year...now, lots of folks think, well if it is good enough for me it is good enough for the tortoise, well, the food we eat is not always good for us jus because we can buy it....

Remember, you are hosting an animal that is designed to live for a lot lot lot of years...so some future planning is reasonable...

 

[Tom]

Okay thank you so much. Do you have any advice for trying to grow the plants inside their closure ? Or should I buy non treated plants? Because I tried growing plants before and they eat it right away or the plants would die.

You can encircle any plants with block or wood of some sort. Once grape vines, lavatera, hibiscus, etc… is established the tortoises will usual leave the trunk alone and only graze on what they can reach. I do this with all sorts of plants, including several types of opuntia. This also make a nice watering basin. Trickle fill the basin and then walk away. Keep all my plants well watered in my hot dry summer.

Years ago Yvonne suggested a system of "crop rotation" where you block off parts of the enclosure and let your plants grow. Open up one section at a time and close it back off when the tortoise has grazed it enough. While it recovers, the tortoise can graze the next portion.

If you let them have access to it, they will trample or eat it.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

mine does graze a lot on a st. Augustine grass in his enclosure. but he also likes rose petals, grape leaves, hibiscus flowers, artichoke leaves, strawberry leaves, squash leaves and flowers, radish tops, and mustard greens. along with turnip greens.

Artichoke leaves, good idea, just a big thistle. Thanks for the idea.

 

[DesertTortoiseLove]

If you are purchasing plants from the big ticket stores like Home Depot and Lowes...their plants usually have some type of chemical exposure...so a good rule of thumb is to let the plant go through an entire growth cycle before using it as a food item...so a plant bought today will be good for food this time next year...now, lots of folks think, well if it is good enough for me it is good enough for the tortoise, well, the food we eat is not always good for us jus because we can buy it....

Remember, you are hosting an animal that is designed to live for a lot lot lot of years...so some future planning is reasonable...

Very good rule of thumb I will keep that in mind! That's smart and yes I am planning on keeping my babies and eventually passing them down to my children when they are old enough.

 

[DesertTortoiseLove]

You can encircle any plants with block or wood of some sort. Once grape vines, lavatera, hibiscus, etc… is established the tortoises will usual leave the trunk alone and only graze on what they can reach. I do this with all sorts of plants, including several types of opuntia. This also make a nice watering basin. Trickle fill the basin and then walk away. Keep all my plants well watered in my hot dry summer.

Years ago Yvonne suggested a system of "crop rotation" where you block off parts of the enclosure and let your plants grow. Open up one section at a time and close it back off when the tortoise has grazed it enough. While it recovers, the tortoise can graze the next portion.

If you let them have access to it, they will trample or eat it.

That's a good idea! Plus this will add some color to my enclosure haha. I am going to give this a try. For the plants you listed if I grow these is there any part of these plants that they could not or should not eat? Please and thank you for your great advice