Hermann tortoise edible garden

[Sallythehermanntortoise]

Hello community!!

I'm looking at doing a garden project full of edible plants and flowers for a Hermann tortoise

I want to get it right and full of varieties.

She loves her strawberries so I will be adding them but I don't know about edible flowers please help

 

[TisMary]

Hello community!!

I'm looking at doing a garden project full of edible plants and flowers for a Hermann tortoise

I want to get it right and full of varieties.

She loves her strawberries so I will be adding them but I don't know about edible flowers please help

Hello @Sallythehermanntortoise! I started with the Tortoise Table Plant Database (TTTPD), looking for "safe to feed" plants. You'll notice from the link provided, that strawberries are not good for most tortoises, including Hermann's. They can't digest the sugar. This is also true for most "root vegetables" such as Carrots. These plants store loads of sugar in their underground portion - again sugar not digestible for most torts.

Not sure what you have "growing wild" in your area. It can take some time and effort on your part, but finding out what you have in your yard and comparing it (at least initially) against TTTPD will give you a good start on what could be an abundance of free food! My little WHT likes dandelions, plantain, bittercress, purple deadnettle, teasle, clover, garlic mustard, lamb's ear and a bunch more I've learned over time - all provided by Mother Nature herself. Indoors, I grow several different echevarias and succulents which can supplement the wild plants in the colder months or in case of rain, etc.

As far as flowers go, hibiscus is Smidgen's all-time fav. Not crazy about African Violet flowers, but loves the flowers from bittercress and wild violets. He also likes the tiny pink flowers from my Spiderwort (Inch) Plant. Hope this helps get you started. Good luck - check back with us as you learn more.

 

[Sallythehermanntortoise]

Hello @Sallythehermanntortoise! I started with the Tortoise Table Plant Database (TTTPD), looking for "safe to feed" plants. You'll notice from the link provided, that strawberries are not good for most tortoises, including Hermann's. They can't digest the sugar. This is also true for most "root vegetables" such as Carrots. These plants store loads of sugar in their underground portion - again sugar not digestible for most torts.

Not sure what you have "growing wild" in your area. It can take some time and effort on your part, but finding out what you have in your yard and comparing it (at least initially) against TTTPD will give you a good start on what could be an abundance of free food! My little WHT likes dandelions, plantain, bittercress, purple deadnettle, teasle, clover, garlic mustard, lamb's ear and a bunch more I've learned over time - all provided by Mother Nature herself. Indoors, I grow several different echevarias and succulents which can supplement the wild plants in the colder months or in case of rain, etc.

As far as flowers go, hibiscus is Smidgen's all-time fav. Not crazy about African Violet flowers, but loves the flowers from bittercress and wild violets. He also likes the tiny pink flowers from my Spiderwort (Inch) Plant. Hope this helps get you started. Good luck - check back with us as you learn more.

Thank you so much 😊

 

[Tom]

Hello community!!

I'm looking at doing a garden project full of edible plants and flowers for a Hermann tortoise

I want to get it right and full of varieties.

She loves her strawberries so I will be adding them but I don't know about edible flowers please help

Great advice from Mary.

No fruit. And be careful with any store bought decorative type plants as they are grown with systemic pesticides that last for a year in their tissues. Grow your own from seed, or from cuttings off of long established plant in your area. The best foods for your tortoise are weeds. You'll have to learn which ones grow locally for you.

Here are more plant and food suggestions:
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

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food

 

[Laurajean]

Great advice from Mary.

No fruit. And be careful with any store bought decorative type plants as they are grown with systemic pesticides that last for a year in their tissues. Grow your own from seed, or from cuttings off of long established plant in your area. The best foods for your tortoise are weeds. You'll have to learn which ones grow locally for you.

Here are more plant and food suggestions:
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

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food

Thank you very much. Your list is most helpful.