Mushrooms provide humans with valuable dietary fiber sources; however, tortoises should never consume mushrooms due to their potential dangers for their health. Assume no responsibility if any turtles ingest any mushrooms at any point in time.
As they contain high amounts of protein, all legumes and grains (excluding alfalfa ) should be avoided as much as possible, including beans, peas, corn and rice varieties.
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Vegetables
Tortoises, being predominantly herbivorous animals, require a variety of herbs and weeds in their diet. Offer grass hays (timothy or orchard), wildflowers, clover seeds, thistles seeds and hibiscus leaves as foods; additionally offer spineless cacti pads from prickly pear cacti as well as dark leafy green vegetables such as kale, collards, turnip greens mustard greens and Swiss chard.
If these options are unavailable in your area, try supplementing with commercial tortoise food or calcium powder such as Repti-cal. However, these should not replace natural diet sources; also avoid feeding your tortoise any human foods containing added sugar, preservatives or colours; mushrooms can be particularly problematic due to being difficult for tortoises to digest and often high in oxalic acid which blocks calcium absorption.
Fruits
Tortoises require different food sources depending on their species and natural environments; for example, sulcata tortoises consume grasses and weeds when in the wild.
These reptiles enjoy eating fruits and berries, though these should only be offered sparingly due to being high in sugar content. Fruit may cause digestive issues in certain species as well.
Red and yellow-footed tortoises as well as other species of tortoise may occasionally consume fruits; however, fruits should only make up a small part of their diets. Leafy vegetables should provide most of your tortoise’s daily nourishment; try offering spring mixes, dark lettuce (romaine and endive), escarole, kale, turnip greens collard greens dandelions or hibiscus leaves as part of its menu plan. Be sure to sprinkle calcium powder twice weekly onto its food so as to prevent an increase in oxalic acid buildup!
Salads
Tortoises must consume an abundance of greens in their diets, such as collard greens, turnip greens, kale, mustard greens, chard and romaine lettuce (not iceberg). Other delicious salad options for tortoises can include alfalfa sprouts, sowthistles plantain weeds clover leaves and dandelion leaves.
The sulcata species of snake is known to be a grazer and thrives by eating grasses and weeds such as sowthistles, dandelions and hibiscus leaves. You can also provide peppers and butternut squash.
Desert tortoises should also receive treats of prickly pear cacti, but only offer this as a rare treat as its high sugar content can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Other fruits that should only be used sparingly include strawberries and blueberries.
Seeds
Outdoor tortoises should enjoy feeding on dark leafy vegetables such as dandelions, clover and chickweed as well as broadleaf weeds like plantain and sow thistle; green herbs like coriander mint parsley may also make great additions. Sulcata tortoises should receive small quantities of berries or tomatoes occasionally while iceberg lettuce should only be fed occasionally due to being high in water content and lacking vital nutrients. It is important that they receive adequate Vitamin D so try purchasing powdered form multivitamin multivitamin to dust over their food items daily.
Desert species such as the Sulcata tortoise tend to be grazers, so at least 80% of their diet should consist of leafy greens, alfalfa, and grasses. Fruit should not make up more than 10% of daily caloric intake.
Commercial Foods
Tortoises in the wild consume an array of leafy plants to provide their bodies with essential vitamins and nutrients for healthy development. While some tortoises will eat small amounts of animal proteins (rabbit meat, chicken or beef) while in the wild, this should never be fed to captive tortoises as this may lead to health issues.
Avoid feeding your tortoise foods that contain high levels of oxalic acid as these may bind with calcium in its diet and hinder proper bone formation. Furthermore, avoid giving any foods high in goitrogens that could interfere with thyroid functioning.
Instead, provide herbs and leafy greens like dandelion, endive, turnip greens, cilantro and watercress as sources of vitamins and minerals to ensure your tortoise receives all they require for healthy living. Prickly Pear Cacti and other desert plants can even offer extra roughage!
