Safe Vegetable Plants To Feed Russian Tortoises?

[Reinolz]

Hello I am building a Russian Tortoise enclosure which will have organic top soil and organic soil as substrate. The substrate that I will be using is great for growing plants. I was wondering what types of vegetables I can plant in my enclosure? Please list melons, greens, and squash plants that are safe.

 

[Ymmjr]

Refer to the tortoise table website

 

[TisMary]

Hello I am building a Russian Tortoise enclosure which will have organic top soil and organic soil as substrate. The substrate that I will be using is great for growing plants. I was wondering what types of vegetables I can plant in my enclosure? Please list melons, greens, and squash plants that are safe.

Hello @Reinolz - welcome to TFO! This is an outside enclosure, right? Curious to know why the emphasis on melons and squash. These are in the Gourd Family (Cucurbitaceae), and are mostly listed on the Tortoise Table Plant Database as "Feed Sparingly" (they have a fairly high saponin content). Gourds are technically a fruit and so TTT doesn't recommend them for any but fruit-eating torts; they can have a strong laxative effect.

Anyway, there are lots of greens to choose from - some may already be growing nearby. A good approach is to look up wildflowers (er - weeds!) in your area (try US Wildflower's Database of Wildflowers for Nevada) and then cross-reference with the Plant Database. I see right off the bat Black Medick (Medicago lupulina) from the Clover Tribe of the Pea Family (Fabaceae); and Chicory from the Sunflower Family (Asteraceae). They are native in your area (heck, probably the worldI!) My veggie-eating reptiles will eat both of these.

Also curious to know where you're getting organic topsoil and how you know for sure it's organic? Having a hard time finding it here except what I can dig out of my own yard (and processing that is a PITA!)

Good luck!

 

[wellington]

Broad leaf weeds is what you will want to find and transplant into its yard.
Read the links posted for you.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hello I am building a Russian Tortoise enclosure which will have organic top soil and organic soil as substrate. The substrate that I will be using is great for growing plants. I was wondering what types of vegetables I can plant in my enclosure? Please list melons, greens, and squash plants that are safe.

Any squash type plants are good food.

 

[Ddflinn]

Hello I am building a Russian Tortoise enclosure which will have organic top soil and organic soil as substrate. The substrate that I will be using is great for growing plants. I was wondering what types of vegetables I can plant in my enclosure? Please list melons, greens, and squash plants that are safe.

MY RUSSIANS LOVE: SUCCULENTS, WEEDS, ESCAROLE AND ENDIVE. ONE OF THEM WILL EAT HIBISCUS, SWEET ALYSSUM, SUMMER SQUASH