Greek & Egyptian tortoise

[Alex Prolucs]

Hello! I was wondering, what’s the most proper diet for an Egyptian tortoise? And the same question for a Greek Tortoise.

Also, do I give them the same diet every day? And can both of their diets be the same? Do diets differ every season?

And I’d really appreciate it if it’s something I can find in Middle Eastern markets!

 

[Millerlite]

@HermanniChris can probably. link you or give you the best advice. I do like to keep my greeks on a natural diet of weeds like dandelions and grasses. I keep my guys outdoors and I see them grazing everyday. I also use mazuri and cactus pads, grape leaves to make sure they are eating enough but feed every other day, mazuri usually 2x a week. Egyptians I never owned so can't really say. I'm sure its still fairly close to that med. tortoise diet though.

Kyle

 

[RosemaryDW]

Chris’ Egyptian overall care sheet is great: https://www.hermannihaven.com/egyptian-tortoise-care-sheet. His site has great info for Greeks as well. Read them both, if you haven’t already!

That said, the food instructions are intended for U.S. owners. For Egypt markets, wow, don’t get that question a lot.

Molokhiya leaves, or the leaves of any mallow are fine to feed regularly.

The fruit of okra is fine on occasion

Endive is fine to feed regularly. There are likely other types of bitter lettuces there. Maybe radicchio?

Grape leaves are fine to feed regularly, although I don’t know if one can buy those at a market.

Methi/fenugreek in moderation

Shahi in moderation

I have seen what are labeled dandelions (chicory) for sale at our Persian market but it serves largely Iranian buyers; I don’t know if they sell them where you are. Fine to feed regularly.

Rocket in moderation

Purslane/verdolaga in moderation

The leaves of turnips and radishes in moderation

Coriander in moderation

If you can get the stems and leaves of any squash, melon, or cucumber, these are good foods but probably you’d not find it at market, more from your own garden or a friend’s.

Occasionally a bite of winter or summer squash, a bite of cucumber.

I feed an inch or two of leek tops and chives on occasion.

I take it you don’t have a yard/garden?

 

[JoesMum]

All the Testudo are eaters of weedy and leafy greens. Avoid fruit, carrot, tomato and bell pepper as they cannot digest sugars properly and this causes digestive and kidney problems.

They need variety over time (you don't have to get it in one meal or even in one day). Seasonal variation is normal for them in the wild and we keepers can rarely source the same stuff year round either, becoming more dependent on shop bought greens in the winter months.

Tom's list is very good

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

You can also write a list of all the plants, weeds and greens that grow around you and those that you can buy from a store and look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability to feed and an explanation as to why something can or can't be fed.
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

If you can't identify something, post a photo on the plant ID forum and someone will help

 

[ShirleyTX]

Egyptians can have succulents, especially the sedums and sempervivums. Most of the sedums are safe to feed every day. My little one will eat succulents before leafy greens. To vary her diet, I give her all succulents one day and all greens the next, because otherwise she will eat the succulents and leave the greens behind. The soil where I live is bad (south central Texas) so I grow everything in pots, even the opuntia cactus. Succulents do great in pots, and you can start a whole new succulent plant from the leaf of an older plant.

 

[JoesMum]

Egyptians can have succulents, especially the sedums and sempervivums. Most of the sedums are safe to feed every day. My little one will eat succulents before leafy greens. To vary her diet, I give her all succulents one day and all greens the next, because otherwise she will eat the succulents and leave the greens behind. The soil where I live is bad (south central Texas) so I grow everything in pots, even the opuntia cactus. Succulents do great in pots, and you can start a whole new succulent plant from the leaf of an older plant.

So can Greeks. I still haven’t forgiven Joe for eating my Sedum spectibile completely to the ground

 

[ShirleyTX]

At one time I thought it would be cool to have succulents growing in her enclosure, but I think your story about Joe says it all LOL.

 

[Alex Prolucs]

Thanks everyone! Much appreciation! Sorry for late reply, Winter tasks, school and etc. prevent me from checking my account. Lol.

 

[Alex Prolucs]

@HermanniChris can probably. link you or give you the best advice. I do like to keep my greeks on a natural diet of weeds like dandelions and grasses. I keep my guys outdoors and I see them grazing everyday. I also use mazuri and cactus pads, grape leaves to make sure they are eating enough but feed every other day, mazuri usually 2x a week. Egyptians I never owned so can't really say. I'm sure its still fairly close to that med. tortoise diet though.

Kyle

I can find grape leaves here, but not cactus peds or mazuri diet, sadly. And yeah. I think the Egyptian diet is fairly close to Greek's diet. Thanks, Kyle!

 

[Alex Prolucs]

Chris’ Egyptian overall care sheet is great: https://www.hermannihaven.com/egyptian-tortoise-care-sheet. His site has great info for Greeks as well. Read them both, if you haven’t already!

That said, the food instructions are intended for U.S. owners. For Egypt markets, wow, don’t get that question a lot.

Molokhiya leaves, or the leaves of any mallow are fine to feed regularly.

The fruit of okra is fine on occasion

Endive is fine to feed regularly. There are likely other types of bitter lettuces there. Maybe radicchio?

Grape leaves are fine to feed regularly, although I don’t know if one can buy those at a market.

Methi/fenugreek in moderation

Shahi in moderation

I have seen what are labeled dandelions (chicory) for sale at our Persian market but it serves largely Iranian buyers; I don’t know if they sell them where you are. Fine to feed regularly.

Rocket in moderation

Purslane/verdolaga in moderation

The leaves of turnips and radishes in moderation

Coriander in moderation

If you can get the stems and leaves of any squash, melon, or cucumber, these are good foods but probably you’d not find it at market, more from your own garden or a friend’s.

Occasionally a bite of winter or summer squash, a bite of cucumber.

I feed an inch or two of leek tops and chives on occasion.

I take it you don’t have a yard/garden?

Great! I can find 3/4 of those in the markets here! By the way, I don't have a yard/garden as I live in an apartment.

I don't know about Shahi (any other names?) but I can buy the rest of the list

I'll buy them all but while making their meal, do I put plants randomly? Or certain things?

Thank you so much, mate! This really helped.

 

[Alex Prolucs]

All the Testudo are eaters of weedy and leafy greens. Avoid fruit, carrot, tomato and bell pepper as they cannot digest sugars properly and this causes digestive and kidney problems.

They need variety over time (you don't have to get it in one meal or even in one day). Seasonal variation is normal for them in the wild and we keepers can rarely source the same stuff year round either, becoming more dependent on shop bought greens in the winter months.

Tom's list is very good

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

You can also write a list of all the plants, weeds and greens that grow around you and those that you can buy from a store and look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability to feed and an explanation as to why something can or can't be fed.
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

If you can't identify something, post a photo on the plant ID forum and someone will help

Awesome, thanks for this so much! I was going to include carrots/tomatoes, lol.

 

[Alex Prolucs]

Egyptians can have succulents, especially the sedums and sempervivums. Most of the sedums are safe to feed every day. My little one will eat succulents before leafy greens. To vary her diet, I give her all succulents one day and all greens the next, because otherwise she will eat the succulents and leave the greens behind. The soil where I live is bad (south central Texas) so I grow everything in pots, even the opuntia cactus. Succulents do great in pots, and you can start a whole new succulent plant from the leaf of an older plant.

I will try to find succulents in markets here. Thanks for the advice!

 

[RosemaryDW]

Shahi is a type of cress, spicy.

If you buy all of these at once, they’l go bad before they are eaten. Buy a couple of different things at a time and just keep rotating. Keep a regular base of endive, chicory, and mallow and then mix in the others.

You will need to find a consistent fiber source somehow.

 

[Alex Prolucs]

Shahi is a type of cress, spicy.

If you buy all of these at once, they’l go bad before they are eaten. Buy a couple of different things at a time and just keep rotating. Keep a regular base of endive, chicory, and mallow and then mix in the others.

You will need to find a consistent fiber source somehow.

Can I sometimes replace Endive with Lettuce? I can find it but not as common as normal lettuce, I can find radicchio easily too. Can you send me a picture of chicory just for confirmation?

 

[RosemaryDW]

Several relatives might be labeled chicory, here are a few different ones: escarole; frisee; “dandelions.”









It’s not that you can’t ever feed “regular” lettuce. They have more plant sugars in them and we try to limit sugars where we can. That’s why you see us mention bitter lettuces, like radicchio, endive, and escarole. The fewer sugars, the more bitter the lettuce.

Do the best you can. If radicchio is easily available to you, that can be one of your staples.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Fenugreek and alfalfa are acceptable as well. Eaten fresh or dried. Many tree leaves work well too, mulberry and grape leaves are well accepted by captive Greek and Egyptian tortoises in my collection. All the forms of hibiscus work, even cotton leaves.