Russian tortoises require a diet consisting of high fiber content, low protein levels and sugar levels reminiscent of their wild diet. Furthermore, variety in their meals should always be provided!
Crocodilians are easy to care for and don’t require as complex of an approach when keeping one as other reptiles do. In the wild, they feed on grasses and vegetables from various habitats.
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Cactus Pads
Russian tortoises (Testudo horsfieldii) originate in arid environments and thrive when housed in well-planted outdoor enclosures. Grow dandelion, bindweed, opuntia cacti, sedum, plantains (the plantains that produce banana-like fruit), plantains (not banana-like), coreopsis petunias mulberries hibiscus or any other wildflowers for your tortoise to munch upon. Any flowers should be organically produced to avoid potentially transmitting any potential toxicities onto humans who handle them.
Tortoises need as much food as they can eat each day to build up sufficient fat reserves before hibernation, while as they reach adulthood their food portions should gradually decrease to prevent overeating and obesity. A diet rich in leafy greens, grasses and edible “weeds” provides essential nutrition to combat any potential deficiencies or dietary deficits.
Fruits
Russian tortoises are herbivores in their native habitat and should be fed a diet similar to this in captivity, consisting of dark leafy greens such as endive, romaine lettuce, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens and kale.
Small amounts of fruit should occasionally be fed as treats for reptiles; however, apples, melons and strawberries are to be avoided as these contain too much sugar for reptiles to digest properly.
Your tortoise needs access to water at all times. In nature, they drink from shallow puddles left after rainstorms, sometimes passing urine at this time as well. Therefore it is recommended that a shallow dish of water be left within its enclosure at all times.
Edible Weeds
Russian tortoises are herbivorous creatures that spend their days eating leaves, flowers and weeds as well as succulents, vegetables and some fruits. Their diet should consist of plenty of fiber while being low in protein content.
Tortoises species like these will dig tunnels for warmth and protection, using them to hide from predators during the day and shelter themselves within them during periods of extreme heat. When temperatures exceed their tolerance, they often burrow themselves underground until it cools off again.
These tortoises should ideally be fed from an outdoor pen with pesticide-free greens, weeds and flowers such as pesticide-free greens, weeds and flowers such as pesticide-free greens, weeds and flowers like dandelion, bindweed, hibiscus mallow hosta fruitless mulberry opuntia cacti. However it should be noted that certain plants contain oxalates which could block calcium absorption; additionally rhubarb contains high levels of oxalates which should also be avoided as its levels could block calcium absorption.
Leafy Greens
Russian tortoises are predominantly herbivorous animals in their wild environment and should be provided with a diet consisting of dark leafy greens such as Romaine lettuce, collard greens, turnip greens, kale mustard or dandelion greens as well as additional veggies like squash carrots or even prickly pear cacti for variety and nutrition.
Fruit should not form part of a regular diet and any pieces fed should be eaten in small pieces to protect the digestive system. An occasional strawberry or banana is completely acceptable.
Broccoli should only be fed occasionally due to its goitrogens which interfere with a tortoise’s ability to absorb calcium. Rhubarb should always be avoided as it contains oxalates which bind with calcium in their diet to form kidney stones.
Broccoli
Tortoises in the wild eat an assortment of nutritious vegetables and leafy greens, fruits and berries, insects, worms, pinkies grasshoppers and meat. All these should comprise no more than 25% of their diet.
Broccoli is packed with fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin A and K that aid in fat oxidation processes and support blood clotting processes, while its calcium content provides vital nutrition to tortoises.
Broccoli stalks and flowers contain goitrogens that interfere with tortoises’ intake of iodine, leading to deficiency which in turn may cause goiter in tortoises. Furthermore, their high level of oxalates could form crystals which group together and combine with calcium in tortoise kidney stones forming kidney stones in tortoises.
