Egyptian Tortoise

[GeneralGipsy]

Hello,

This one has been on a diet of lettuce, cucumbers and kale in addition to very occasional tiny bits of bell peppers or tomatoes.

With a direct access to the sun I believe calcium is covered but is there any more protein I should add?

 

[Tom]

Hello,

This one has been on a diet of lettuce, cucumbers and kale in addition to very occasional tiny bits of bell peppers or tomatoes.

With a direct access to the sun I believe calcium is covered but is there any more protein I should add?

That is not a good diet, and it does not offer sufficient calcium or fiber.

Read this for the correct diet and housing info:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[GeneralGipsy]

That is not a good diet, and it does not offer sufficient calcium or fiber.

Read this for the correct diet and housing info:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

I skimmed over the link you shared, am already using romaine as its what my country mostly have in addition to kale and sometime i get the prepackaged grass that are green and red, which all of those are mentioned in your post, so what is enough? What is missing from the diet?

 

[zovick]

Hello,

This one has been on a diet of lettuce, cucumbers and kale in addition to very occasional tiny bits of bell peppers or tomatoes.

With a direct access to the sun I believe calcium is covered but is there any more protein I should add?

Sunlight does not provide any calcium to your tortoise. The foods which the tortoise eats are its sources of calcium. Sunlight allows the tortoise to absorb calcium from the dietary sources. In other words, you need to provide calcium in the diet PLUS give the tortoise access to either natural sunlight or a good source of artificial ultraviolet light in order for it to be able to utilize the calcium in the diet.

If you can get Ultrafine Rep-Cal in your country, that is a great source of natural calcium. Just sprinkle it on the tortoise's food about 3-5 times a week. I always use the type WITH Vitamin D3.

Here is the product I mean: https://www.lllreptile.com/products/383-rep-cal-ultra-fine-calcium-with-d3

 

[Tom]

I skimmed over the link you shared, am already using romaine as its what my country mostly have in addition to kale and sometime i get the prepackaged grass that are green and red, which all of those are mentioned in your post, so what is enough? What is missing from the diet?

Don't skim it. Read it. I say not to use grocery store greens at all. Your tortoise should be eating mostly weeds, leaves, and flowers of the right types. I explain that if these high fiber high calcium foods are not avaialbe at some times of the year due to weather or climate, then use the grocery store greens, but you must add amendments to make them more suitable and meet your tortoises nutritional needs.

What you are missing is fiber, calcium and variety. Looks for grape vine leaves, mulberry leaves, lavatera flowers and leaves, hibiscus or rosella flowers and leaves, spineless opuntia pads, dandelions, sow thistle, broad and narrow leaf plantain, mallow, thistle, and so many more. You can grow your own flowers of many types to feed them. Nasturtiums, gazania, Any type of squash leaf is easy to grow and good tortoise food. Pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini, and any of the squash plants produce lots of edible leaves and blooms. Cilantro can be grow, alfalfa, the list is endless... Here is a list I typed up for sulcatas. Sulcatas are grass eaters, so scroll down past the text and have a look at the list:

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...

Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas. These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From...

tortoiseforum.org

Testudo species are not grass eaters. They primarily eat broadleaf weeds in the wild. You can mix in some freshly sprouted grass to their diets as a means of adding fiber when needed, by grass isn't one of their main food sources.

 

[RosemaryDW]

I like this resource from Hermanni Haven. They breed more testudo type tortoises—including Egyptian tortoises—than perhaps anyone else. There is a great deal of info in it, not just diet, but it’s a great read overall.

Egyptian Tortoise Care Guide | hermannihavenhome

www.hermannihaven.com

Finding good foods depends on what is available in your own area. I am not at all familiar with Jordan but I am sure there are good foods that we wouldn’t know about here in north America. Don’t get tied up to what you see on our food lists here, again they are primarily focused on what is available to owners here. Can you get fresh grape leaves where you are? Or maybe the vines and leaves of any cucumber, melon, or squash plant? Those are all good sources of fiber and calcium. Is molokhia something eaten in Jordan? That’s a good plant. You can feed okra pods on occasion and okra leaves any time. Methi and purslane might also be options. Tell us what is available in your markets that is *not* on the plant lists for north America and we can go from there.