How much food and what type of food should I feed my Russian Tortoise?

[speedyTortoise]

I have a 3 year old Russian Tortoise who's shell is a little more than 1 inch high, around 4.5 inches in length, and around 3 inches in width. I feed him once a day in the morning, around 8:00, and I feed him living butter lettuce, pepper, carrots, and the occasional apple slice or strawberry. We tried incorporating some other leaves that we grew in our yard, but he refused to eat them. Does anyone know exactly how much we should be feeding him, how many times a day (or is the current schedule good?), and what kind of food we should be giving him? Any changes to make to his diet?

Note: I think that we should add some more leaves to his diet, but we don't know what kind.

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome from another Russian owner in California!

Your tortoise is a grazer and should have access to food all day. Give him a heap in the morning; if he leaves some at the end of the day you can reduce the amount the next day. If he's finished everything at one p.m., he hasn't had enough so increase the amount.

It sounds like you are using some old advice on food types; Russians should not have fruit at all, their stomachs can't digest the sugars in it. Nor should they have more than the occasional bit of bell pepper or carrot, which are also fairly high in sugar. So you've got some big changes ahead.

Tortoises are often grumpy about switching to new foods, especially when they have been on the equivalent of a Snickers bar diet. 😬 Drop back to lettuce for now, maybe with a little carrot grated on so as not to throw him completely off. You can add in very small amounts of one new food at a time, cut very small. A good way to sneak them in is to grate a bit of cucumber over everything as they are quite fond of it.

This may take some time—it took me five months to get my Russian entirely switched over to a varied diet—but tortoises aren't mammals and don't need food in the same way we do. He can go a long time without eating but I promise you he won't starve himself.

Depending on where you are in California you may have access to markets or grocery stories that let you add plenty of variety without too much work on your part, especially if you've already got a place to grow weeds. If you are near a Mexican grocery store, and most of us are, they will sell cactus, labeled nopales, which is an excellent food and popular with perhaps fifty percent of tortoises. If you are near a Korean, other Asian, or Persian grocery you will have more choices and if you have a farmers market nearby, even more. A fancy (Whole Foods) or natural/healthy food market will also have choices. Let us know and we will help out.

In the immediate future I expect one of your local grocery stores sells Ready Pac bagged lettuces. If you can find the Santa Barbara variety it has a mix of the lettuces we most recommend and you can start working it into your butter lettuce. It should help you branch out without causing too much stink eye. Again, a little grated cucumber is helpful.

If your tortoise has a safe outdoor enclosure then getting some warm exercise will help his appetite.

None of this will happen straightaway. Don't get overwhelmed with all the food types we're going to mention and stay strong when you get the stink eye! It's harder on you than on him.

You can do this!

 

[Tom]

I have a 3 year old Russian Tortoise who's shell is a little more than 1 inch high, around 4.5 inches in length, and around 3 inches in width. I feed him once a day in the morning, around 8:00, and I feed him living butter lettuce, pepper, carrots, and the occasional apple slice or strawberry. We tried incorporating some other leaves that we grew in our yard, but he refused to eat them. Does anyone know exactly how much we should be feeding him, how many times a day (or is the current schedule good?), and what kind of food we should be giving him? Any changes to make to his diet?

Note: I think that we should add some more leaves to his diet, but we don't know what kind.

Start here. Read all of this and then look for the temperate species care sheet near the bottom. The feeding info is in the care sheet.

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[speedyTortoise]

Thank you Rosemary and Tom for the information! We are moving to North Carolina in a couple of weeks actually, to the Cary region. There is a Whole Foods nearby us, Rosemary, could you please tell me what foods to buy him? I will make sure to feed it to my tort but also sprinkle in a little pepper as that is his favorite food. Sadly, we don't have an outside enclosure for him but he gets some exercise in everyday by pacing. Although, lately he has been pretty lazy...

 

[RosemaryDW]

Hmm. Well Whole Foods is going to sell Escarole, frisée, curly endive, maybe Belgian endive, and radicchio. Those are all chicories, which is what all lettuces are, it's just that these have the least sugar. They will likely also sell something labeled dandelion which is also a chicory, possibly even more bitter than the others! It won't look like a dandelion to you but surprise! dandelions are also chicories. My Albertsons and all the ethnic groceries here sell dandelions as well, for a little less money so check your regular store first.

They might have turnip leaves or perhaps turnips or radishes with the leaves still attached. They can eat either kind but tend to like turnip leaves better. These plants are both in the brassica family, along with a billion other vegetables, like arugula, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts. Any of these are fine at maybe twenty percent of the total diet. I don't hand over a Brussels sprout without quartering it but you can just throw out a chunk of pretty much anything else and let them bite off the right amount.

They probably sell aloe Vera which your tortoise can technically eat but is unlikely to do so.

They might sell something called mache, in with the boxed (they don't do bagged) lettuces. I don't think they will but you never know. It could also be labeled as lamb's lettuce or corn salad.

Whole Foods is honestly about my least favorite place to shop but I am in a place with access to everything. If you only have maybe one Stater Brothers its different but here there isn't anything I can get at Whole Foods I can't get at most well stocked grocery stores. They *might* have watercress but it's not at that different from arugula, which you can get anywhere these days.

As you are getting ready to move and stress him I would probably not do more than add some butter chicories and throw down some arugula. Offer a stem of broccoli or piece of cauliflower if your family is already having some, don't buy it just for him. Give him one green bean or snap pea, again if you are having some already. One very small piece of raw yam or sweet potato. A slice of zucchini or cucumber. He'll probably be very happy to try one small mushroom or one small piece of okra. Russians are tough, you aren't going to magically hurt or harm much in two weeks. Don't feed garlic or onion bulbs and you should be fine!

You can buy four or five okra at the grocery store if it makes you feel less silly but don't feed all of them at once. He absolutely does not need all these foods TODAY or THIS WEEK or THIS MONTH! He is likely to outlive you, there is no rush. Put your energy into how his new housing will be set up, that's more important.

 

[speedyTortoise]

Hmm. Well Whole Foods is going to sell Escarole, frisée, curly endive, maybe Belgian endive, and radicchio. Those are all chicories, which is what all lettuces are, it's just that these have the least sugar. They will likely also sell something labeled dandelion which is also a chicory, possibly even more bitter than the others! It won't look like a dandelion to you but surprise! dandelions are also chicories. My Albertsons and all the ethnic groceries here sell dandelions as well, for a little less money so check your regular store first.

They might have turnip leaves or perhaps turnips or radishes with the leaves still attached. They can eat either kind but tend to like turnip leaves better. These plants are both in the brassica family, along with a billion other vegetables, like arugula, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts. Any of these are fine at maybe twenty percent of the total diet. I don't hand over a Brussels sprout without quartering it but you can just throw out a chunk of pretty much anything else and let them bite off the right amount.

They probably sell aloe Vera which your tortoise can technically eat but is unlikely to do so.

They might sell something called mache, in with the boxed (they don't do bagged) lettuces. I don't think they will but you never know. It could also be labeled as lamb's lettuce or corn salad.

Whole Foods is honestly about my least favorite place to shop but I am in a place with access to everything. If you only have maybe one Stater Brothers its different but here there isn't anything I can get at Whole Foods I can't get at most well stocked grocery stores. They *might* have watercress but it's not at that different from arugula, which you can get anywhere these days.

As you are getting ready to move and stress him I would probably not do more than add some butter chicories and throw down some arugula. Offer a stem of broccoli or piece of cauliflower if your family is already having some, don't buy it just for him. Give him one green bean or snap pea, again if you are having some already. One very small piece of raw yam or sweet potato. A slice of zucchini or cucumber. He'll probably be very happy to try one small mushroom or one small piece of okra. Russians are tough, you aren't going to magically hurt or harm much in two weeks. Don't feed garlic or onion bulbs and you should be fine!

You can buy four or five okra at the grocery store if it makes you feel less silly but don't feed all of them at once. He absolutely does not need all these foods TODAY or THIS WEEK or THIS MONTH! He is likely to outlive you, there is no rush. Put your energy into how his new housing will be set up, that's more important.

Alright, will do! Speaking of housing, I know this is not the thread to put it in(sorry!), but we are leaving his old tank behind. We, like many other beginners, made the mistake of buying a 40 gallon tank. He is now getting pretty big, 4.5 inches in length and 3 inches in width, and I am looking at some better tanks. Do you have any ideas on what kind of enclosure we should give him, preferably an indoor enclosure. I read Toms basic care sheet, and I am wondering if we should buy him just the biggest vivarium we can find or make an enclosure or tortoise table for him from scratch.

 

[RosemaryDW]

You should look or post in the enclosures thread but generally speaking if you can't manage a secure outdoor enclosure you should build your own.

There is no enclosure or vivarium you can buy that is big enough for a Russian; they walk far and wide in their native habitat to find food; more so than others in their family (the testudo tortoises). A table itself will need to be good sized, also nothing you can buy. Store bought enclosures are suitable for lizards, not tortoises.

I know you are new and this probably sounds harsh but the advice people are given on enclosure size at pet stores is terribly irresponsible. If there is anything you bought that you can still return (like a water bowl) you should do that!

On the positive side, building an enclosure should be pretty cheap! Wood and nails.

I have an outdoor enclosure so am otherwise unequipped to describe building an indoor one but there is plenty for beginners in the enclosures thread and people who are happy to help.

 

[speedyTortoise]

You should look or post in the enclosures thread but generally speaking if you can't manage a secure outdoor enclosure you should build your own.

There is no enclosure or vivarium you can buy that is big enough for a Russian; they walk far and wide in their native habitat to find food; more so than others in their family (the testudo tortoises). A table itself will need to be good sized, also nothing you can buy. Store bought enclosures are suitable for lizards, not tortoises.

I know you are new and this probably sounds harsh but the advice people are given on enclosure size at pet stores is terribly irresponsible. If there is anything you bought that you can still return (like a water bowl) you should do that!

On the positive side, building an enclosure should be pretty cheap! Wood and nails.

I have an outdoor enclosure so am otherwise unequipped to describe building an indoor one but there is plenty for beginners in the enclosures thread and people who are happy to help.

We bought his supplies like water bowls a few years ago, so we can't return it (I clean it every week or if it looks dirty). After we move though, we are getting him fresh supplies so for example we are buying him terra cotta saucers for his water bowl, although he looks happy in his current one (he cannot drown in it and he sometimes walks through it on his way to climb his hide), which has one sloped part but is otherwise not bad. Again, sorry for posting about enclosures in this thread. Thanks for the information!

 

[RosemaryDW]

No worries; I'm just not good with enclosures.

 

[speedyTortoise]

No worries; I'm just not good with enclosures.

Alright. Also happy birthday!

 

[RosemaryDW]

Alright. Also happy birthday!

Thanks!

 

[Kayleigh Smith]

I have a 3 year old Russian Tortoise who's shell is a little more than 1 inch high, around 4.5 inches in length, and around 3 inches in width. I feed him once a day in the morning, around 8:00, and I feed him living butter lettuce, pepper, carrots, and the occasional apple slice or strawberry. We tried incorporating some other leaves that we grew in our yard, but he refused to eat them. Does anyone know exactly how much we should be feeding him, how many times a day (or is the current schedule good?), and what kind of food we should be giving him? Any changes to make to his diet?

Note: I think that we should add some more leaves to his diet, but we don't know what kind.

I have a greek tortoise which i know is kind of similar. she is extremely picky. for your tortoise i would offer it food once in the morning, if it is say romaine lettuce than two leaves is okay they will know how much they need if they eat that all up you can offer some a little later in the day too but my tortoise is typically content with her one time eating (which is silly because she is a grazing kind of tortoise)..as far as the spexcific diet i cant make suggestions since i dont have a russian except lettuces and kale which are always go-tos

 

[agentmorgan]

In Cary, the Harris Teeter on Walnut and Tryon carries dandelion pretty consistently. The Hmart carries nopales (labeled as something else, I don't remember), as do several of the little Hispanic groceries.

 

[speedyTortoise]

In Cary, the Harris Teeter on Walnut and Tryon carries dandelion pretty consistently. The Hmart carries nopales (labeled as something else, I don't remember), as do several of the little Hispanic groceries.

Thank you!

 

[speedyTortoise]

Update: Thank you to all the people who replied. Kayleigh, my tortoise refuses to eat kale. But, he actually took really well to his new diet. I give him a pretty good pile of mostly leaves, which include arugula, butter lettuce, and weeds that we grew in the garden. I still sprinkle some carrots or pepper and my tort always goes for them first, and then eats his leaves. As a supplement, I sprinkle calcium powder on his food around every other day.