diet

[moe]

hi can i get a list of waht people feed thier tortoises?
and also could u state the species;
i know weeds are the main necessary diet,. but what if anything do people feed.
i offer a wide diet. and am terying out a few things.. which seem to be going down well

 

[Yvonne G]

Moe: That really depends upon what type of tortoise you are talking about. Different species of tortoise have a different diet. For instance, my Manouria tortoises graze on a pasture that contains broad leaf weeds and clovers and dichondra. I supplement that diet with different veggies, fruits, hard boiled eggs and leaves off the banana tree and colocasia plants. So, you see, this would deffinitely NOT be a good diet for a Greek tortoise.

Yvonne

 

[moe]

i did say state species <g>

 

[Itort]

I also have Manouria and feed them like Yvonne with slight differences dictated by climate (she is in S. Cal and I in E. Iowa) and also RFs. The diet of these torts, being forest type, is mainly lawn weeds such as dandilions, plantain, clover, and wood violets. This is supplimented by grape leaves, mulberry leaves, and prickly pear cactus. All the above are good for Med type torts. In addition, they get fruits (about 2/7 of diet) and protein (about 1/7 diet) such as cat food or summer insects or worms. These items are part of natural diet of forest torts, not grassland/arid torts. I also have a pair of Indian stars which diet is mainly weeds, leaves (grape and mulberry), and native prairie grasses (I'm in Iowa). In the winter the weeds are replaced by greens such as collard, mustard, and turnip.

 

[Josh]

mt DTs eat primarily dandelion, grape leaves, mulberry, and hibiscus. i also offer them geranium and other plants but they are sometimes a little picky.

 

[Crazy1]

Ok, you asked for it. I feed my Greeks and DT on a vary wide variety of plants which include- and yes I grow these.
Opuntia (prickly pear cactus)
Grape leaves
Dandelion greens and flowers
Mallow
Rose leaves and flowers
Geraniums leaves and flowers
Pansies
Squash blossoms zucchini (includes Pumpkin-has worming effect) I don’t always grow pumpkin but my neighbors do and they are organic gardeners
Hibiscus Tropicals (flowers & leaves)
Blue Hibiscus flowers and leaves
Nasturtium-leaves & flowers
Mulberry Tree leaves
Baby’s Tears
Mexican Evening Primrose
Daylily
California Poppy
Aloe and Jade Plant
Aquatic plants (cats tongue duckweed)
Mescluni (Mixed edible greens)
Basil
Common Yarrow
Sea Dahlia
Siskiyou Blue Fescue
Shepherd’s purse (capsella bursa pastoris)
Plantains
Spider Plant
Sword Fern/Boston Fern (I regularly kill Boston fern so I gave up on it)
Wandering Jew
Zinnia
Ice Plant
Hens and chicks
Cape Myrtle
Bougainvillea
Sunflowers
Occasionally from the store:
Carrots, parsley, mushrooms, tops to beets, spring mix, Frazee.
Wild mustard
The DT get grasses such as blue fescue, Bermuda, tall fescue, crab grass.
I think that about covers it.