Store-Bought Greens

[90Matt]

I live in Illinois, and it is cold here right now... Cant grow anything... I was wondering what other greens I could buy from grocery stores. I usually give my russian escarole, romaine lettuce, and red leaf, but what others could I feed her.

Also, is it safe to feed her fruits occasionally. If so, what? I have fed her strawberries a few times, but heard that they cant digest sugar. Thanks

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

 

[Tom]

No on the fruit, and less lettuce.

Look for escarole, raddiccio, carrot tops, celery tops, turnip, collard and mustard greens, cilantro, parsley, "nopales" (this is spineless opuntia cactus pads and usually sold in Mexican grocery stores like Vallarta and Tres Sierras…).

It may take some time to get him eating all these new things. Mix in small amounts with the old favorites and be prepared to take a few weeks or months to get him eating new things.

 

[Lyn W]

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide for tort safe plants for food and enclosures and to see what should only be fed in moderation etc.
I use Florette classic crispy salad as a base as it has a good mix of leaves and use things like kale, spring greens pak choi, carrot leaves, beetroot leaves raddish leaves, rocket ,watercress - some of which are in moderation only so I vary them.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

No on the fruit, and less lettuce.

Look for escarole, raddiccio, carrot tops, celery tops, turnip, collard and mustard greens, cilantro, parsley, "nopales" (this is spineless opuntia cactus pads and usually sold in Mexican grocery stores like Vallarta and Tres Sierras…).

It may take some time to get him eating all these new things. Mix in small amounts with the old favorites and be prepared to take a few weeks or months to get him eating new things.

Also Kale. The darker colored edible ones, but any Kale is good too.

 

[Tom]

Also Kale. The darker colored edible ones, but any Kale is good too.

And spring mix too.

 

[90Matt]

Thank you guys

 

[dmmj]

do you like radishes? If so you can buy the bunch of radishes and then feed the tops to your tortoises.

 

[90Matt]

I will try.

 

[W Shaw]

Zucchini can be added as a supplementary treat. I use it for enrichment -- cut hefty wedges of it, so he has to spend some time working on it. In the wild, tortoises spend a lot of time foraging, so it's a good idea to include some things that he has to work at and spend some time on. When I get to the center of a radicchio, so there's like a billiard ball size left, I give him the whole thing, stem and all. He spends a LOT of time rolling it around and chewing on the tough stem.