I have noticed my Russian trying to eat the fake plants in his terrarium, so I had a thought of planting some clover and other small green leaves in his tank for him to eat. Would he eat it? and better yet, is it safe for him?
Would my Russian eat clover?
- Thread starter RobinGillam
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Mine do, sometimes
Mine grazes on it every now and then when he's out in the yard. Tortoisetable.com says to feed it in moderation though, I believe.
RobinGillam said:
Is it ok if mine try's to eat dead plants? Because he always does and it's kinda wierd.
Think of dead plants as hay. My torts eat fresh foods when they are in their indoor enclosures. When they are outdoors, they eat the plants that are growing in their enclosures as well as whatever weeds I find and toss in there. The weeds tend to dry out and get crispy. I always put them in the same spot and my torts visit that spot every day, munching on "hay."
Does a bear sh*t in the woods??! 
Heck yes they will eat clover. Yes its good for them as part of a varied diet. Most of them love it.
Heck yes they will eat clover. Yes its good for them as part of a varied diet. Most of them love it.
Robin:
Although the redfoot I had in Florida loved clover, the two Russians I have now never touch the stuff - even the female, who is a lot less picky than the male. I've heard other Russian owners say that theirs don't eat much clover, either. I don't know if this true for other Testudo species or not. Maybe clover is just not abundant in the semi-arid steppes where Russians are from? Anyway, clover is not bad for them, they just don't seem to care for it. You can offer it, but don't be surprised if they don't eat much.
TortoiseBoy:
Yes, it's fine for tortoises to eat dry vegetation. Mine don't usually eat fresh tree leaves when they're outside, but they will after they've dried out. They may also eat the plants I've placed in their pens after they've wilted or dried a bit. They prefer fresh greens, of course, but it's fine if they want to eat some dried plants, too.
Although the redfoot I had in Florida loved clover, the two Russians I have now never touch the stuff - even the female, who is a lot less picky than the male. I've heard other Russian owners say that theirs don't eat much clover, either. I don't know if this true for other Testudo species or not. Maybe clover is just not abundant in the semi-arid steppes where Russians are from? Anyway, clover is not bad for them, they just don't seem to care for it. You can offer it, but don't be surprised if they don't eat much.
TortoiseBoy:
Yes, it's fine for tortoises to eat dry vegetation. Mine don't usually eat fresh tree leaves when they're outside, but they will after they've dried out. They may also eat the plants I've placed in their pens after they've wilted or dried a bit. They prefer fresh greens, of course, but it's fine if they want to eat some dried plants, too.
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My experience with Russians and clover is just the opposite of Geo-any Russians that I have ever had have always devoured clover! Along with dandelion, vetch, trefoil, broad & narrow leaf plantain, lambsquarter and most other weeds. As do all of the other Testudo species. What I rarely see my Russians browse on is any type of local grasses. Most Testudo, with the exception of Marginateds, will consume little if any grasses. Many will quite often eat dried leaves and weeds.
GBtortoises said:
Amazing. Well, I haven't offered my guys vetch, trefoil, or lambsquarter, but they do like dandelion and broad-leaf plantain. They also eat various types of grass from time to time.
Thankyou all! He hasn't touched the clover, but I put some Yellow Woodsorrel in there and it was gone in minutes! I hope he learns to start eating more then greens though, he wouldn't eat the grape tomato or banana in his dish :/
Truthfully, in my experience it totally depends on the tort. They have favorites just like we do. My male loves clover, the girls not as much.. I plant clover in my hatchlings enclosure, along with dandylion some lettuce greens and sweet alyssum and finish it off with a spiderplant and sedums. I think it teaches them to graze for themselves and let's me offer a wide range of things to them easily.
I notice mine will favor dried leaves late in the season. Perhaps when they are getting ready for hibernating and they need the roughage to scrape clean their gut?? Just my own theory of course but it makes sense to me.
I notice mine will favor dried leaves late in the season. Perhaps when they are getting ready for hibernating and they need the roughage to scrape clean their gut?? Just my own theory of course but it makes sense to me.
RobinGillam said:
Wood sorrel is an oxalis, and as such has too much oxalic acid to be a good food source.
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