Sulcata tortoises require a diet rich in hay and grasses, leafy greens, vegetables, fruits and flowers – many of these foods provide essential calcium levels necessary to preventing metabolic bone disease.
Instead, provide occasional treats such as strawberries and melons bites as treats for their health.
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Hay and Grass
Sulcata tortoises require a diet rich in fiber from grasses, hay and leafy greens in order to remain digestive tract healthy. In particular, grasses should make up the majority of your pet’s daily food consumption.
Sulcata tortoises should not be fed processed human foods, as these contain too much protein, sugar, salt and fat for their species. Instead, mix orchard and timothy hay with Bermuda grass for a well-balanced tortoise diet that also includes dried cacti pads (hibiscus and yellow dandelion) for an abundance of variety and fiber content.
Fruit should only account for 10% of a tortoise’s diet; its natural sugars and vitamins provide valuable nutrition that may improve their overall health.
Leafy Greens
Sulcata tortoises are predominantly herbivorous creatures and should be fed a diet consisting of high fiber, low protein vegetables. Although opportunistic feeders in nature, sulcata tortoises will sometimes eat carnivore feces or animal carcasses as part of their daily meals; these should only make up part of their total dietary needs.
Greens such as alfalfa sprouts, beans, arugula, collard greens, turnip greens, kale and mustard greens should make up the bulk of your tortoise’s diet. Other nutritious choices may include dandelion leaves, romaine lettuce (not iceberg), endive, escarole squash leaves and water cress as alternatives.
Avoid greens that contain high concentrations of oxalic acid, as this binds calcium in the body and prevents its absorption. A few tablespoons of leafy greens once or twice per week is fine as long as the majority of your diet consists of healthy foods; fruits should only be offered moderately as their high sugar levels make them out-of-place in their natural habitat.
Fruits
Tortoises’ natural diet typically consists of very little fruit and sugar; excessive consumption may lead to health issues including obesity and diabetes. Furthermore, due to being desert-dwelling animals it’s essential that their water needs are met regularly.
Your pet’s diet should consist of hay or grasses and leafy greens for optimal health, including alfalfa sprouts, cabbage (outer leaves), collard greens, kale, turnip greens, dandelion greens, romaine lettuce (not iceberg) and bok choy as part of its regular food source. Some fruits may also be fed occasionally as treats – just don’t make fruit the centerpiece of its diet! Zoo tortoises receive diets similar to their natural habitat; in this regard they receive mixed diets composed primarily of hay and leafy greens in addition to occasional tortoise diet pellets; cooked foods contain too much protein sugar and salt that they need.
Cactus Pads
Sulcata tortoises are herbivorous animals that spend hours munching on fibrous grasses and hay in the wild, while in captivity they require access to this food as well as leafy greens, vegetables and fruit as sources of nutrition. Weight monitoring should also be monitored closely as sudden weight loss could indicate illness or other issues with health.
Feeding a sulcata tortoise correctly involves avoiding foods high in oxalates, as these compounds can clog their digestive system and potentially lead to metabolic bone disease. Cabbage and broccoli are examples of foods rich in oxalates.
Prickly Pear Cactus Pads (Opuntia spp.) provide sulcata tortoises with an excellent source of calcium, making them an excellent food source and can often be found at grocery stores. Just be sure to remove any spines first! These high calcium foods also supplement their diet.
