The Tortoise Chef

KarenSoCal

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He might not eat it straight off, if you’ve been feeding him delicious grocery store food.
Hmmm, yes I am guilty [emoji15]. I am going to try to mend my ways.
I was wondering...have you tried drying some cilantro, then grinding it up and sprinkling it on her food? Maybe she would start to get a taste for it? Just a thought.
 

mikeylazer

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Hmmm, yes I am guilty [emoji15]. I am going to try to mend my ways.
I was wondering...have you tried drying some cilantro, then grinding it up and sprinkling it on her food? Maybe she would start to get a taste for it? Just a thought.

Interesting on the cilantro^ do you know if leopards can eat it as well (if they even will ;) ) haha
 

daniellenc

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My red foot eats cilantro mixed in his greens and doesn't seem to dislike it.....it gets eaten, lol
 

RosemaryDW

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I was wondering...have you tried drying some cilantro, then grinding it up and sprinkling it on her food? Maybe she would start to get a taste for it? Just a thought.

She is outside and never has to eat anything dry. If she doesn’t like what I feed her she has plenty out there to choose from and clearly she does! It’s just something I like to play with. One of these days she’ll feel like it and I’ll feel like I won a contest. :)
 

KarenSoCal

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Interesting on the cilantro^ do you know if leopards can eat it as well (if they even will ;) ) haha
I know nothing about leopards, but with that said...
My understanding is that they eat the same as sulcatas, but less grass. And cilantro is ok for sulcatas, as well as desert torts, and Russians. Usual caveat...as part of a varied diet!
 

mikeylazer

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Hmmm, yes I am guilty [emoji15]. I am going to try to mend my ways.
I was wondering...have you tried drying some cilantro, then grinding it up and sprinkling it on her food? Maybe she would start to get a taste for it? Just a thought.

Interesting on the cilantro^ do you know if leopards can eat it as well (if they even will ;) ) haha
 

RosemaryDW

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I foolishly bought some kind of nightshade at the farmers market; didn’t notice the tell tale flower shape until I got home.

Since it was a new to me plant, I got moringa and chayote vine to be on the safe side. I’m growing nasturtiums on a trial basis so she’ll get a few leaves and flowers of that.

We (my husband) did some work cleaning up our tiny front yard; we saved all the weeds and put them in the fridge.

It’s pretty gloomy out so I don’t know how much she’ll eat of any of this.
 

Bambam1989

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I foolishly bought some kind of nightshade at the farmers market; didn’t notice the tell tale flower shape until I got home.

Since it was a new to me plant, I got moringa and chayote vine to be on the safe side. I’m growing nasturtiums on a trial basis so she’ll get a few leaves and flowers of that.

We (my husband) did some work cleaning up our tiny front yard; we saved all the weeds and put them in the fridge.

It’s pretty gloomy out so I don’t know how much she’ll eat of any of this.
I'm also trying some nasturtiums... They all seem to be stalling our at 6 inches[emoji20]
 

RosemaryDW

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67F52F5F-1A41-470D-B595-8B2E51A7B38D.jpeg

My sister-in-law asked if we’d like any lettuce from her garden. I said okay, we’d take some of the mustard (upper right). Got more than we were expecting, for sure. :eek:

If you look closely, you’ll see the arrow shaped leaves of overgrown spinach on the right. Given all the different foods she eats I don’t fuss over oxalates. As always, only feed what you personally feel comfortable with.

I’m not sure when was the last time she had “regular” lettuce; this is going to be a trip to Candyland for her. The humans will be having a lot of salad as well.
 

daniellenc

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Feeling some guilt after his weed and grocery store green mix so plantain, clover, dandelion, rose, red bell pepper, and calcium dusted strawberries it is. He’s ignored his roses all spring but not the leaves. Hoping he forgives my rush this morning but he legit got rose of Sharon leaves, rose leaves, radicchio, arugula, and spring mix hehe. He’s crushing the pepper and strawberry as I type B50382A8-6B1C-4972-BAA8-DEE4467C5D92.jpeg
 

RosemaryDW

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Sent my husband to the farmers’ market today and told him to “buy a pound of things” at the stall he knows best. I figured with a pound he’d bring home at least a half pound of good foods. ;)

As he was looking around an employee asked if he needed help finding something. When he said he was shopping for his tortoise she ran to the back and pulled out some leaves that didn’t look good enough to sell. He received a bag of ong choy (water spinach), mustard, and red cabbage. Plus a couple of carrots, which she said were “very good” for tortoises. They don’t sell tomatoes but she recommended those as well. I know the staff there own at least one turtle and some desert tortoises. I’ll try to chat with them about sugars in future.

My husband added “vines” (bittermelon) for $1.

She’s never had cabbage before, at least not from me. She’s not going for it but we’ll try again later this week, when it gets warmer and she gets less picky.
 

RosemaryDW

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Wow, just discovered they sent a second bag! Celtuce; napa cabbage; a tiny bit of “karifurore” which is a cauliflower-broccoli hybrid—it’s mostly stem.

That’s a little high on the brassica scale: two kinds of cabbage, the cauliflower, and mustard. Cabbage keeps so I’ll save some of it for later.
 

RosemaryDW

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It’s a hodgepodge this week, impacted by the fact that I’m actually cooking; a rarity these days.

She’ll get the end of that red yam and the stem ends of some round summer squash. I’ve also pulled the stems off some shitake mushrooms; they’re too tough to feed to humans but just fine for a tortoise. These are good foods to toss out in summer, as they don’t wilt.

The turnips greens I’m growing are going to seed, so I pulled them all out to add to the pile.

I was ridiculously excited to find a catsear weed in the side yard and dug it out (her verdict, “Whatevs”).

We’re trying chayote vines again. She not a fan of pumpkin vines; she’ll eat them but apparently the stems are too thick for the effort unless she’s very hungry. Bittermelon has the thinnest stems and are her favorite but since I have access to different plants I switch things up now and then. These are “okay.”

Not pictured is the pad of cactus that finally grew on my pot of very slow growing plants.

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For those of you who worry that your tortoise can’t handle tough foods, take a look at Addy devouring the very thick, dry stem on squash; it took some effort to cut it with a sharp knife.

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I’m know babies need some help with tough foods but this adult sure doesn’t. The thick skins of yams take a little extra work but what else does she have to do? :)
 

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RosemaryDW

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It is sooo hot here, unhealthy hot.

I couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t curl up and die and finally decided on brussels sprouts. They’re working out so far. They’re pretty dense so I only bought a few.

It’s so hot she’s actually coming out of the burrow very late (yesterday at six pm!) so I have a chance to feed her some softer scraps they gave me at the farmers market when I get home.
 

Bambam1989

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A little list of some of the foods Clunker has been eating lately. ok its not a little list and I have pics!

hostas
hosta.jpg

dandelion
dandelion.jpg

geraniums
geranium.jpg

zinnia
zinnia.jpg

wall lettuce
wall-lettuce.jpg

yellow loosestrife
yellow-loosestrife.jpg

sunchoke
sunchoke.jpg

squash leaves and blossoms
squash-zucchini.jpg

spirea
spirea.jpg

sow thistle
sow-thistle.jpg

snapdragon
snapdragon.jpg

sedum reflexum
sedum-reflexum.jpg

sedum hylotelephium
sedum-Hylotelephium.jpg
 

Bambam1989

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but there is more.

narrowleaf plantain
plantain-narrowleaf.jpg

broadleaf plantain
plantain-broadleaf.jpg

pineapple weed
pineapple-weed.jpg

phlox
phlox.jpg

pansy
pansy.jpg

nipplewort (the leaves become pointier as they get closer to the flowers)
nipplewort.jpg

nasturtium
nasturtium.jpg

missionary bells
missionary-bells.jpg

lilac (I have two varieties)
lilac.jpg

ivy toadflax
ivy-toadflax.jpg

ground elder
groundelder.jpg

cosmos
cosmos.jpg

clover
clovers.jpg

catsear
cats-ear.jpg

barberry
barrberry.jpg

aloe vera
aloevera.jpg

ajuga
ajuga.jpg

echinacea
echinacea.jpg
 

CarolM

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South Africa - Cape Town
but there is more.

narrowleaf plantain
View attachment 244423

broadleaf plantain
View attachment 244424

pineapple weed
View attachment 244425

phlox
View attachment 244426

pansy
View attachment 244427

nipplewort (the leaves become pointier as they get closer to the flowers)
View attachment 244428

nasturtium
View attachment 244429

missionary bells
View attachment 244430

lilac (I have two varieties)
View attachment 244431

ivy toadflax
View attachment 244432

ground elder
View attachment 244433

cosmos
View attachment 244434

clover
View attachment 244435

catsear
View attachment 244436

barberry
View attachment 244437

aloe vera
View attachment 244438

ajuga
View attachment 244439

echinacea
View attachment 244440
Your list is awesome. And thank you so much for posting the pics with the names. Made it easier to identify.
 

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