Diet for Testudo Hermanni

[Tortoises Rock!]

My Hermann's tortoise eats red and brown-colored foods (tomatoes, radicchio, eggplant, etc.), but will not touch leafy greens. I am struggling to find more brown-colored substitutes for what is the recommended green/leafy diet. I've read through the forums, but no one seems to have this problem.

He does seem to like cooked (peeled) chestnuts and dates. I know the dates are high in fiber and sugar which is not good, but what about the chestnuts (high in starch)? Any other suggestions for brown foods for my testudo h.?

 

[GBtortoises]

Just about all of what you listed that you're feeding your tortoise is not recommended (or good) for it. A tortoise is a lot like a child, if you offer them bright colored junk food full of sweets and healthy green foods they're going to choose the junk food first every time. Tortoises find their food by scent and sight. Sweet smells and bright colors are attractive. If you remove the junk food and offer a varied diet of good quality greens and weeds, your tortoise will eventually begin to eat what they should be. Good quality vegetables can make up a small part of their diet (no more than 25%). But even those should not be their base or sole diet. Tomatoes are not a good choice nor are chestnuts or dates.
Some suggestions for food sources are, but not limited to: dandelion (flowers and leaves), broad & narrow leaf plantain, wild chicory, lambs quarter, sow thistle, alfalfa, crown vetch, clovers and many other weeds. During the winter months when wild weeds are not available grocery store greens can be fed to include: dandelion, chicory, endive, escarole, kale, arugula, carrot tops, beat tops, mustard & collard greens and romaine (sparingly). Stay away from spring mix and other lettuces except on occasion when mixed with better quality greens. Grocery store lettuces are very high in water content and low in most vitamins and minerals offering very little nutritional value.
Vegetables can consist of, but not be limited to: pumpkin, squashes, green & yellow beans, peas and occasionally some carrot, Bell pepper and sweet potato.

 

[Guillaume86]

During the winter months when wild weeds are not available grocery store greens can be fed to include: dandelion, chicory, endive, escarole, kale, arugula, carrot tops, beat tops, mustard & collard greens and romaine (sparingly). Stay away from spring mix and other lettuces except on occasion when mixed with better quality greens. Grocery store lettuces are very high in water content and low in most vitamins and minerals offering very little nutritional value.
Vegetables can consist of, but not be limited to: pumpkin, squashes, green & yellow beans, peas and occasionally some carrot, Bell pepper and sweet potato.

Hermann tortoises should sleep during winter...

 

[TechnoCheese]

Hermann tortoises should sleep during winter...

Brumation is unnecessary unless the tortoise is going to breed, so it is fine for it to be awake.

 

[Guillaume86]

"Brumation"? Sorry i don't understand what do you mean.
For a herman tortoise it's necessary to hibernate. It's essential if you want a healthy tortoise.a herman wich hibernate have a longer life...
the only case where it is better not to hibernate the tqortoise is when she is sick. So you could keep her inside but when she is ok it's good to let her hibernate even if it's for one or two months.
i don't understand why some breeders refuse to let herman hibernate while it is quite natural and necessary.

 

[JoesMum]

"Brumation"? Sorry i don't understand what do you mean.
For a herman tortoise it's necessary to hibernate. It's essential if you want a healthy tortoise.a herman wich hibernate have a longer life...
the only case where it is better not to hibernate the tqortoise is when she is sick. So you could keep her inside but when she is ok it's good to let her hibernate even if it's for one or two months.
i don't understand why some breeders refuse to let herman hibernate while it is quite natural and necessary.

Brumation is the correct term for hibernation.

And I agree with the others that no tortoise HAS to hibernate and, it usually isn't recommended for babies, or for tortoises that have been owned for less than a year.

It is also necessary to be absolutely certain that a tortoise is fit, healthy and a not underweight before brumation. If in doubt then keep the tort awake. Personally, I prefer not to brumate a tort weighing less than 500g

 

[Guillaume86]

Brumation is the correct term for hibernation.

And I agree with the others that no tortoise HAS to hibernate and, it usually isn't recommended for babies, or for tortoises that have been owned for less than a year.

It is also necessary to be absolutely certain that a tortoise is fit, healthy and a not underweight before brumation. If in doubt then keep the tort awake. Personally, I prefer not to brumate a tort weighing less than 500g

Thanks.i didn't know this word.
It's very strange. Here in france where you can find wild hermans every breeder say that herman ( hermanni or boettgeri) must brumate even if she is small. And it is not advisable to buy a tortoise that has never hibernated.

I dont understand. You keep your tortoises outside? when summer is over and that temperatures go down, a herman tortoise naturally stop eating and prepare to sleep.
why force her to stay awake and put her back inside?
Why 500 g and not less?weight loss is very low during brumation.

Here everyone is ok to say that a first brumation for an adult tortoise is much dangerous than for a baby.

I agree with you to say that a tortoise wich is not fine shouldn't hibernate but it's not a good thing.

 

[JoesMum]

The range of the Hermann's tortoise in the wild includes large areas where the climate doesn't often get cold enough for the tortoise to brumate in winter.

Brumation doesn't start until temperatures are steadily below 10C. Above that a tort may be inactive, but is not actually brumating and must eat to avoid weight loss. It is unlikely that all, or even the majority, of the wild population brumates every winter.

There is much information about tortoise keeping that has proved to be outdated as more research is done.

 

[Tortoises Rock!]

Just about all of what you listed that you're feeding your tortoise is not recommended (or good) for it. A tortoise is a lot like a child, if you offer them bright colored junk food full of sweets and healthy green foods they're going to choose the junk food first every time. Tortoises find their food by scent and sight. Sweet smells and bright colors are attractive. If you remove the junk food and offer a varied diet of good quality greens and weeds, your tortoise will eventually begin to eat what they should be. Good quality vegetables can make up a small part of their diet (no more than 25%). But even those should not be their base or sole diet. Tomatoes are not a good choice nor are chestnuts or dates.
Some suggestions for food sources are, but not limited to: dandelion (flowers and leaves), broad & narrow leaf plantain, wild chicory, lambs quarter, sow thistle, alfalfa, crown vetch, clovers and many other weeds. During the winter months when wild weeds are not available grocery store greens can be fed to include: dandelion, chicory, endive, escarole, kale, arugula, carrot tops, beat tops, mustard & collard greens and romaine (sparingly). Stay away from spring mix and other lettuces except on occasion when mixed with better quality greens. Grocery store lettuces are very high in water content and low in most vitamins and minerals offering very little nutritional value.
Vegetables can consist of, but not be limited to: pumpkin, squashes, green & yellow beans, peas and occasionally some carrot, Bell pepper and sweet potato.

Thanks, GBtortoises. My question was poorly worded. The situation that I am facing is that my tortoise will NOT eat anything green. I purchased him from another owner, so unfortunately I don't know what his eating habits were before me. I gave him leefy greens and weeds daily for 4 weeks and he wouldn't touch them. The question I have is how long should I keep this up? Is there any danger that he would rather starve than eats his greens? For those wondering, his appetite is fine; in fact he's voracious when it comes to eating brown and red-colored foods. He even prefers cheweing on my brown slippers rather than touch his greens. So what do I do? Keep up the discipline of daily leafy greens and weeds until he starves or do I try to feed him something brown or red that is not bad for him?

 

[Guillaume86]

It is unlikely that all, or even the majority, of the wild population brumates winter

I'm very surprise to ear that. You can be sure that all the wild population in france including corse and north italia brumate each year. The temperature always fall below 0 degrees anywhere in the country. The brumation can be longer in the north but there is always one.i' m petty sure it's ghe same in the rest of europa...

Tortoises rock I'm sorry for your post. Your tortoise won't let her die. Maybe you can mix colored food with green leaf and stop colored when she eats green foods. You can Try to give her "endive" lot of tortoises can't resist.

 

[JoesMum]

I'm very surprise to ear that. You can be sure that all the wild population in france including corse and north italia brumate each year. The temperature always fall below 0 degrees anywhere in the country. The brumation can be longer in the north but there is always one.i' m petty sure it's ghe same in the rest of europa...

Tortoises rock I'm sorry for your post. Your tortoise won't let her die. Maybe you can mix colored food with green leaf and stop colored when she eats green foods. You can Try to give her "endive" lot of tortoises can't resist.

There is difference between falling below zero for a short period, possibly only overnight, and prolonged spells of temperatures around 5C day and night. Yes in parts of northern Italy this happens. On Corsica, Sardinia, the Greek Islands, etc there are large areas where it doesn't.

Anyway this is taking this thread off topic so I am nkt going to debate it any more with you in this thread.


@Tortoises Rock!

When trying to introduce new foods do the following:

1. Take the foods your tortoise will eat and chop them small and wet them

2. Take a tiny amount of the new food and chop that small and mix it with the food already chopped. The water will stick it together so your tort can't pick out the bits it likes best.

3. Soak your tort first thing in the morning and place the food mix in leaving it in place for 24 hours; it doesn't matter if it goes a bit limp.

4. If your tort eats everything then, at the next meal, increase the amount of new food very slightly and decrease the amount of old food by the same amount.

5. If your tort refuses to eat the food then, at the next meal, make exactly the same mix in the same proportions.

Take it very slowly. Only offer a tiny amount of new food to start and increase the quantity very gradually. It is likely to take several weeks to persuade your tort to accept the new foods. You will have days when your tort eats nothing, but stay strong. We are hear to support you and your tort will not deliberate starve itself. A hungry tort will eat,but torts are very stubborn. They behave just like toddlers that only want to eat chips and chocolate and you have to be the strict parent that just says "I'm in charge"!