My Russian torts top 10 favourite foods so far, what's yours?

lymcBoris

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Hi all. We've had our gorgeous 20 month old Boris for a month and a half now and I'm really getting in to identification of weeds for him here in Scotland. I love trying him with new weeds that I find as the season progresses into summer. It's so satisfying when he really likes one. So here are Boris's top 10 favourites so far that I thought I'd share. Hopefully you can share your torts favourites. All have been checked on the Tortoise table website as safe.

10. Catsear
9. Ribwort Plantain
8. Pink Purslane flowers
7. Nipplewort
6. Dandelion
5. Opposite leaved Golden Saxifrage
4. Welsh Poppy
3. Aloe Vera
2. Common Dog Violet (beautiful little flower - I feel bad picking it)

And drumroll for the top fave food of Boris is.......

1. The mighty Bugle! - he devours the entire stem in minutes!

Obviously all of the above are fed as part of a very varied and mixed diet and some only in moderation, i.e Aloe Vera and his beloved Bugle, but boy does he love that Bugle. I'm sure there will be many more favourites to come as more summer flowers bloom, but just had to share as it's so enjoyable. And my friends are getting a bit tired of my rambling and veering off on walks while they are in mid conversation with me, as I spot a new flower for my sweet little tort's breakfast [emoji38] [emoji217]
Thanks, Lynne
 

dmmj

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You obviously have never tried hibiscus flower, grape leaves, dandelion flower. Hibiscus is tortoise crack
 

lymcBoris

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You obviously have never tried hibiscus flower, grape leaves, dandelion flower. Hibiscus is tortoise crack
He loves Dandelion flowers, but no not tried hibiscus or grape leaves yet. I'm growing a load of seeds that I ordered from shelled warriors, so looking forward to those. I wouldn't even know where to find grape leaves? I'll need to get some safe hibiscus!
 

RosemaryDW

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All of them, lol. After four years outside, our Russian will eat near anything, it feels like.

Outdoors in our yard her year round favorites are yarrow, desert primrose, and a wild snapdragon that is more like a shrub. If we could keep buttercups alive, they’d top the list. She has plenty of flowers to choose from, other than the flowers on the primrose she only seems to intensely care for rose petals and the flowers from our tacoma stans.

From foods brought in I’d say her favorites are bittermelon leaves and zucchini (marrow), the fruit, not the leaves, which she oddly does not care for.

I’d have an easier time figuring out what she does not like!
 

Greta16

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All of them, lol. After four years outside, our Russian will eat near anything, it feels like.

Outdoors in our yard her year round favorites are yarrow, desert primrose, and a wild snapdragon that is more like a shrub. If we could keep buttercups alive, they’d top the list. She has plenty of flowers to choose from, other than the flowers on the primrose she only seems to intensely care for rose petals and the flowers from our tacoma stans.

From foods brought in I’d say her favorites are bittermelon leaves and zucchini (marrow), the fruit, not the leaves, which she oddly does not care for.

I’d have an easier time figuring out what she does not like!
What does your desert primrose look like. I have 2 different types in my garden, 1 I've read is a no feed.
 

RosemaryDW

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What does your desert primrose look like. I have 2 different types in my garden, 1 I've read is a no feed.

Desert primrose doesn’t look much like cultivated or the wild primroses on your side of the country and it’s actually a completely different plant. And listed as a safe to feed. It’s common here in Southern California landscaping because it’s drought tolerant. This is the variety most people grow, close up.

B10FEE02-3508-4FEC-85B9-B0F7ED57DE49.jpeg

Desert primrose is a western desert tortoise food. It’s like crack to my Russian. Her first year she just like the flowers, the second she liked the entire plant, and the third she started eating it even during those months when it wasn’t flowering or even actively growing.
 

Greta16

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Desert primrose doesn’t look much like cultivated or the wild primroses on your side of the country and it’s actually a completely different plant. And listed as a safe to feed. It’s common here in Southern California landscaping because it’s drought tolerant. This is the variety most people grow, close up.

View attachment 272323

Desert primrose is a western desert tortoise food. It’s like crack to my Russian. Her first year she just like the flowers, the second she liked the entire plant, and the third she started eating it even during those months when it wasn’t flowering or even actively growing.
Mine is def different. [emoji853]
 

dmmj

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Her first year she just like the flowers, the second she liked the entire plant, and the third she started eating it even during those months when it wasn’t flowering or even actively growing.
Definite signs of being addicted.
 

el_mechacontext

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Dandelion, hands down. My Russian really likes the color of carrots and will bite absolutely anything with that orange hue, but we don't feed those to him too often. I never thought to feed him hibiscus, grape leaves or violets! We have a bunch of those around us.
 

dmmj

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Dandelion, hands down. My Russian really likes the color of carrots and will bite absolutely anything with that orange hue, but we don't feed those to him too often. I never thought to feed him hibiscus, grape leaves or violets! We have a bunch of those around us.
If those plants are not on your property, please make sure they're pesticide-free
 

el_mechacontext

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If those plants are not on your property, please make sure they're pesticide-free

Hmm, I haven't really checked on that, so that might be a good idea. Might you know of any good store-bought alternatives I could use until I confirm that?
 

RosemaryDW

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It's not the easiest thing to do but if you can work up the courage to ask your neighbors, do it. My neighbors down the street have a wild grape that grows massively. They don't do anything to it and they are delighted to have me take some leaves.

It's probably the same for many hibiscus owners; they are so hardy (at least where I live) there isn't much need to use pesticides.

Since you're in a big city, you may have some other options near you in ethnic grocery stores. Do you have any hispanic, Asian or Persian markets nearby? Other cultures eat things we consider weeds.
 

dmmj

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