What edible plants to grow in tortoise yard?

Yvonne G

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Opuntia cactus, grass, rose of sharon, any of the squash plants, aloe, dandelion, roses, gazania, mallow, dichondra, pansies - the list is long. You can ask my friend, Google, for a list of edible plants for your tortoise and he'll tell you many more than this.
 

Maggie3fan

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Opuntia cactus, grass, rose of sharon, any of the squash plants, aloe, dandelion, roses, gazania, mallow, dichondra, pansies - the list is long. You can ask my friend, Google, for a list of edible plants for your tortoise and he'll tell you many more than this.
I had to ask your friend google because there is not a current care sheet for Gopherus agassizii on this forum...
 

Sarah2020

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This is a helpful database I grow hibiscus and courgette as they eat the flowers.
 

Bowi

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Opuntia cactus, grass, rose of sharon, any of the squash plants, aloe, dandelion, roses, gazania, mallow, dichondra, pansies - the list is long. You can ask my friend, Google, for a list of edible plants for your tortoise and he'll tell you many more than this.
Opuntia cactus, grass, rose of sharon, any of the squash plants, aloe, dandelion, roses, gazania, mallow, dichondra, pansies - the list is long. You can ask my friend, Google, for a list of edible plants for your tortoise and he'll tell you many more than this.
Opuntia cactus, grass, rose of sharon, any of the squash plants, aloe, dandelion, roses, gazania, mallow, dichondra, pansies - the list is long. You can ask my friend, Google, for a list of edible plants for your tortoise and he'll tell you many more than this.
Opuntia cactus, grass, rose of sharon, any of the squash plants, aloe, dandelion, roses, gazania, mallow, dichondra, pansies - the list is long. You can ask my friend, Google, for a list of edible plants for your tortoise and he'll tell you many more than this.

Googles very helpful, I’m just asking because there’s so much as you’ve said, I needed to narrow it down. Id like to plant things tortoise can graze on freely besides grass. Things that will continue to regrow rapidly so he has a supply ready most always of soemthing.
 
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I recently adopted an adult female G. agassizii. I ordered some native desert seeds from the Theodore Payne Foundation. They have a Desert Tortoise mix that includes: Purple Owl's Clover, California Buckwheat, Goldfields, Chia, Apricot Mallow, Desert Needlegrass, and Indian Ricegrass. I also grabbed individually Desert Dandelion, and an extra packet Apricot Mallow.

I plan to plant these inside her enclosure as well as clover, plantain, and nettle once she goes into brumation for next year.
 

Meena

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I am new here, but I wanted to share I added a small aloe plant to my enclosure. I buried it in it's pot into the substrate. She's only a baby but she's knocked it around a bit, never taken a chomp tho.

I also use clover which grows rapidly. Once a week I pick some clovers from my yard for her, it grows everywhere that's wet and shady so it's easy. They are high in protein which is great for her since she's a baby.
 

Bowi

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I recently adopted an adult female G. agassizii. I ordered some native desert seeds from the Theodore Payne Foundation. They have a Desert Tortoise mix that includes: Purple Owl's Clover, California Buckwheat, Goldfields, Chia, Apricot Mallow, Desert Needlegrass, and Indian Ricegrass. I also grabbed individually Desert Dandelion, and an extra packet Apricot Mallow.

I plan to plant these inside her enclosure as well as clover, plantain, and nettle once she goes into brumation for next year.
Thank you! I actually ordered some of that same mix thanks to recommendation from where I’m adopting :)
 

Bowi

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I am new here, but I wanted to share I added a small aloe plant to my enclosure. I buried it in it's pot into the substrate. She's only a baby but she's knocked it around a bit, never taken a chomp tho.

I also use clover which grows rapidly. Once a week I pick some clovers from my yard for her, it grows everywhere that's wet and shady so it's easy. They are high in protein which is great for her since she's a baby.
I am new here, but I wanted to share I added a small aloe plant to my enclosure. I buried it in it's pot into the substrate. She's only a baby but she's knocked it around a bit, never taken a chomp tho.

I also use clover which grows rapidly. Once a week I pick some clovers from my yard for her, it grows everywhere that's wet and shady so it's easy. They are high in protein which is great for her since she's a baby.


Thank you! I found found some clover growing randomly in places that my tortoise won’t be. So I transplanted it to the side of the yard where we will be keeping ours! Hoping it makes it 🙏🏻
 

bioteach

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The list is long! One thing that I learned, is that if a tortoise finds a particular food item it favors it will totally destroy it to the roots! At the suggestion of my vet, I purchased some landscaping blocks about 6 inches high that fit together to make a circle or whatever shape you like. I plant my girl's favorites inside of those and let the leaves hang over the edge. Even when Sunshine goes to town on a plant, the roots are usually spared and it will grow back.
 

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