Feeding sprouts?

[Maggy]

I have a hermanns tortoise and am trying to learn how to grow him food. I figured the easiest way is sprouts. Trust me I have tried many things and I really just don't have a green thumb and kill almost everything. I am wondering if sprouts of any kind would be ok to feed him? Such as alfalfa, broccoli or radish sprouts are some that I've seen. Any suggestions on if this is ok to feed him?

 

[Tom]

All of those are good as part of a varied diet.

Read the food section in here for ways to create a better diet:

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

 

[Lyn W]

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to tort safe foods and variety.
Weeds can be easier to grow - I collect seed heads from dandelions and plantains (not the banana plants) etc.
You can also buy seed packs especially for tort food on places like Amazon or reptile websites.

 

[RosemaryDW]

I think it’s fine in small amounts but when there is so little leaf available it’s not the best you can offer and maybe not the most palatable to tortoises. My Russian has never shown interest in any sprout and I’ve offered a few.

That said, there is reason not to try a few if you really want to test yourself. I’d skip alfalfa as they are practically all thread with no leaves; no tortoise wants to chew on thread! Sunflower maybe. Chia is another one to consider, no Chia Pet required.

Radishes grow SO quickly you might at least try to keep them alive a bit longer; they are going to sprout within a day or two and take off from there. You might find yourself with plants even if you don’t want them.

Good luck!