Tortoise Grazing

[Steven9786]

I wanted to start growing my own tortoise food for my 4 California Desert Tortoises and well i want to know what kind of plants i could grow for them to eat. Im looking for plants that can feed 4 tortoises. Any suggestions

 

[dmmj]

My best suggestion would be a grape plant. They grow quickly, and produce a lot of food.

 

[Tom]

Grape vines, mulberry trees, spineless opuntia cactus, russian tortoise seed mix, clover, alfalfa, anything from the squash family (leaves, blooms, and the occasional actual squash too), gazanias, hibiscus, rose of sharon, roses, carnations, nasturtiums, pansies... and don't even get me started on all the weeds that you can encourage for free; dandelions, sow thistle, plantain, filaree, mallow, wild mustard, wild onion... etc...

 

[ascott]

Where in California do your torts live . I mean, I live here in Apple Valley (high desert) and what grows successfully here is certainly different than let's say Alhambra...

Most of the grazing items here are apricot mallow...filaree...native bunch grass and a variety of other desert weeds....I am working really hard to get a dandelion crop going (for all the wino CDTs here...lol)trying but I don't have traditional turf lawn so of course they can't grow in the lawn.lol...

All of what has been suggested here are great food items...

 

[Jacob]

Cactus, Hibsiucus, Grass, weeds, Rose pedals, Rose of Sharon.

 

[Paradon]

There are pasture grass seeds that you can buy at the feed store... Just spread them on the ground and they'll grow like weed. they will reseed themselves every spring, but if it looks a little thin you can just throw out some more seeds on the ground.