how much do tortoises eat?

[bradley fielden]

i got my tortoise yesterday its my first one.. i thought i should ask as many questions as possible...

i want to learn about them as i have had an interest in them for a while but was never allowed one... now at 17 i was allowed to get one haha ... i love it to bits,

my main question is: how much do they eat. just want to make sure she is eating right as i dont know what a normal amount is.

 

[Yvonne G]

Quantity depends upon age and size of the Hermann's tortoise. Did you get a baby or an adult?

 

[GBtortoises]

As Yvonne said age and size have a lot to do with their food consumption, as do activity levels and temperatures. There is general (very general) rule of thumb that people are usually told to go by when asking about tortoise food amounts. Even that rule of thumb varies depending upon who is telling it! Some say as much as the tortoise can eat in 10, 15 or 30 minutes (that's the variable part). When my Hermann's and other Testudo species are outdoors, they graze on and off all day long in their enclosures. Every other day I spread out huge amounts of various weeds and leave them until the next feeding when I put fresh in. So if they desire they can acutally eat non-stop all day long. They never do. Mainly because a steady supply of food is always available to them, much like it would be in the wild during normal seasonal activity periods. When mine are awake indoors before hibernation I feed them every other day. I put the food in early in the morning and leave it until I get home in the evening. If there is a lot left in certain enclosures I cut back on the next feeding(s) as needed. I am careful not to overfeed indoors because they are much less active then and have a much smaller activity area compared to outdoors. The only variable is the amount of food at each feeding based on their size and age. Tortoises that are in an environment that allows them more activity or is warmer overall than it should be will consume more food. If your tortoise is very active and given enough room you'll be very hard pressed to overfeed it.

 

[TortieLuver]

Welcome to the forum! Congrats on getting a tort. Do you have any pics?

 

[bradley fielden]

yes, i will get some pictures of her. i love her to bits always wake up and just watch her, i knew tortoises were cool but they are relaxing and interesting to watch like fish. watch it for hours.

and yes she seems more comfortable now. she lied down alot. she still digs everywhere and wonders round the edges. the person we bought it off said they do that untill they are comfortable. she has calmed down ALOT. so its nice shes settling down...

shes a testudo hermanni species from slovenia and hatched 2007 and is about 7-8cm. i will measure