Plants!

[KoopatheTortoise]

Hi everyone! I have a hermann tortoise that is almost 1. I was wondering what greens do you suggest that I buy at a grocery store in the winter (I live in Michigan)? Also, what plants should I grow/buy that Hermann tortoises enjoy? She is a picky eater. She won't eat anything without flowers! Is this normal?

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't feed hermanni and really don't know much about them. Have you read our care sheet that's pinned at the top of the Hermann's section? Take a look at the packaged salads in the produce section of the grocery store. You should be able to find some that have a nice variety of different greens. My favorite is called Santa Barbara Mix. I buy it at Smart and Final. You can also pick up some dandelion greens, turnip greens, endive, escarole, radicchio, mustard greens. If the ground isn't covered by snow, you can harvest edible weeds that aren't sprayed with chemicals. Take a look at the list of plants here:

http://issuu.com/starsw/docs/edible_plant_and_weeds_list....3..?e=1365849/2600437

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Mine eats the same things my russian tortoises do, but she seems even more fond of fresh picked local weeds & flowers, and of grazing than they do.

 

[GotTort]

How much flowers vs weeds should they be eating? (In other words how much flowers are too much?).

 

[tglazie]

I have one Hermanns, but I have a bunch of Marginated torts, and their care is very similar. When it comes to flowers, I vary it according to season. Hibiscus is always in vogue, but this time of year, the althea plants are going crazy with flowers, so I'm offering althea blossoms daily. During the spring months, dandelion and thistle flowers are common, so I offer those. This seasonal variation is natural, and I find it keeps the tortoises from getting bored, which is innevitable when the diet isn't varied.

As for percentages, there's no hard and fast rule about that. During spring, I would say flowers can make up to fifty percent of my tortoises diets, but in the summer and autumn, this drops to almost zero.

T.G.