Horsfield tortoises live long lives, often reaching 60 years with proper care. They require a large wooden vivarium with constant temperatures in order to thrive.
Tortoises should only be purchased from an established reptile store or recognised tortoise rehoming organization to reduce the chances of illegal import of wild animals.
Contents
Vegetables
Tortoises thrive on leafy vegetables such as dandelion greens, bramble leaves, plantain weed and clover; grass hay should also be included as a staple food source. Owners should monitor how much their pet eats within 20 minutes to determine feeding amounts; Brussels sprouts provide excellent sources of iodine while carrots provide potassium and vitamin A – however these two may contain high amounts of oxalic acid and should only be provided sparingly.
Some owners opt to supplement their tortoise’s daily food with fibrous veggies like peppers, kohlrabi and broccoli or cauliflower as these provide an additional source of fibre. Fruit and flowers should only be provided in moderation as too much can lead to nutritional deficiencies in your tortoise. Please refer to The Tortoise Table Plant Database before offering anything new to your tortoise.
Weeds
Tortoises enjoy snacking on various plant species in nature, so allowing them to do the same in their enclosure can be highly beneficial. Clovers, timothy and alfalfa grasses as well as plantain weeds such as sowthistles are suitable as are Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale).
All these foods provide your tortoise with essential vitamins and raw fibre while being low in calories and providing an excellent source of calcium.
If you decide to feed your horsfield tortoise weeds or vegetables purchased from a general pet store, ensure that they have been thoroughly washed to remove pesticides and waxes. For optimal results, use a commercial diet developed specifically for their species; this will guarantee they receive all of their vitamins, minerals and trace elements.
Flowers
Add flowers to a tortoise’s diet can add colour and variety, with gazanias (nasturtiums) being particularly beloved among these reptiles. Not only are the plants easy to cultivate in gardens, but both their leaves and flowers can be eaten; not to mention being great pollinators-attracting plants!
Tortoises require a high fibre diet. You can feed your tortoise grass hay and broad leafy weeds such as plantain weed, sowthistle and clover as part of their food source, along with salad greens such as arugula, rocket and spinach/coriander to supplement it.
Establishing the appropriate diet for horsfield tortoises is not straightforward. Achieve success requires understanding an animal’s dietary requirements, taking into account environmental influences on those requirements, and possessing basic food chemistry knowledge – otherwise things could go off course quickly! It’s easy to make errors here!
Pellets
Pet stores sell pellets specifically designed to feed tortoises. While these may supplement fresh weeds, greens, and flowers as food sources, pellets should not become their sole food source; due to being high in protein they could potentially lead to scute pyramiding (rounding of the scutes) and other health complications.
As it’s essential that tortoises get the correct ratio of calcium to phosphorus in their diets, supplementing with non-phosphorous calcium powder should help ensure adequate levels are met. Simply sprinkle some over their regular food offerings.
Deliberately tailoring the diet of your tortoise can be an intricate matter; books have even been written on it! But following this article’s simple guidelines will go far towards ensuring their well being and longevity.
Supplements
Ideal, tortoises should consume a balanced diet composed of natural foods such as vegetables and weeds with high long-fiber content like collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, parsley, dandelion greens and okra. An array of fruits is also beneficial but should only be given in limited amounts due to their high sugar content.
Pelleted diets should be avoided as they often lack calcium and vitamin D3, two essential elements. Tortoises living in their natural environments benefit from eating grasses as well as various weeds, flowers and shrubs which contain many of these essential vitamins and trace minerals that would otherwise be absent in a pelleted diet.
Horsfield tortoises often live for over 50 years with proper heating and UVB exposure in their natural environments, provided they receive proper nutrition such as vegetable-based diet and supplementation with multimineral powder (phosphorus free) and oral Vitamin D3. Regular supplementation will further ensure its health and lifespan.
