Simple foods

[lesliechu17]

It's a really quick one, and I'm sure it's a silly question, but can somebody name some foods I can simply get for my 6 month old marginated tortoise?

I'm feeding him water cress pretty much all the time, but started to add a bit of apple and rocket! What other foods can I give him cause I think he's getting bored!

 

[Madkins007]

Almost any green or lettuce you eat is OK as part of a varied, balanced diet for most herbivorous tortoises. I am not up on the diets for marginateds, but they generally use the 'weed diet', which means lots of grasses, hays, edible leaves, edible flowers, etc.

Spinach and lambsquarters should be done in moderation, although many completely avoid it and that is OK as well.

Try kale, cabbage, the dark green lettuces, any of the 'greens', etc. Try to avoid offering the same thing every week. I like offering 2-3 things one week, a different 2-3 things the next and so on- although the lettuce and green mixes you often find make it easy to offer a lot of different things at once.

Most of the herbivorous tortoises really don't need much fruit, and especially not the sweeter, wetter fruits. A little of the various veggies with seeds are OK once in a while- bell pepper, squash, etc.

 

[laramie]

I give Wilbur lots of green leafy veggies, I let him graze in my yard and I am growing some edible flowers for him as well. I have tried to give him some watermelon and strawberry, but he did not take to it.

 

[jackrat]

Have you tried opuntia cactus pads?

 

[Doritoinmontucky]

The flower Nastursumes (not sure how to spell it), and i have even heard of mapel leaves as long they havent been sprayed, as being eaten eagerly. both cheap or free depending... The do enjoy a change in the food they eat. hope this helps.

Derrik