Your tortoise’s diet should consist primarily of forage. This includes grasses, weeds, dandelion greens and flowers, clover, alfalfa hay and spine-free opuntia cactus pads as well as dark leafy vegetables like spinach.
Your tortoise may also enjoy eating fruits; however, only give this food to species that enjoy eating fruit in small quantities as fruits are high in sugar content. Avoid giving anything containing oxalic acid as this could harm them.
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Leafy Greens
Tortoises need their diets to consist primarily of leafy green vegetables, with no foods with high sugar contents such as fruit. While fruit may make up up 10% or so of their daily food requirements.
Your tortoise’s diet should consist primarily of plants found in an arid environment such as dandelion leaves, kale, parsley, spinach, watercress collard greens and collard greens. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli cauliflower cabbage contain high concentrations of oxalic acid that could block calcium absorption.
Hermann’s and other Mediterranean species of tortoises are grazing tortoises, so avoid feeding too many fruits containing high levels of sugar which could eventually pose health issues over time. You can provide small treats like strawberries and other berries on occasion as occasional treats; or consider including soft vegetables like peppers and butternut squash once or twice every week in their diets.
Succulents
Tortoises feed on various succulents in their natural environment, providing additional nutrition that they may not find elsewhere. But too much consumption could result in digestive issues.
The best succulents to feed to tortoises include yucca, agave and hibiscus flowers. Plantain may also be provided as part of their diet; as are certain varieties of cabbage or kale. Other greens to include are Swiss chard, yarrow sow thistle and dandelion leaves.
Avoid feeding your tortoise bulbs that contain crocuses, daffodils and foxgloves as these bulbs can be fatally toxic for them, leading to seizures or even death if eaten in sufficient quantity. Also ensure any flower buds from prickly pear cactus pads are removed as these could contain oxalic acid that makes calcium unavailable in their bodies, leading to serious health issues in tortoises.
Meat or Fish
Provide tortoises with succulents like the “Prickly Pear” cactus as this can provide essential nutrition and hydration. They will also enjoy eating peppers, cauliflower and broccoli as part of their regular diet; butternut squash should only be given occasionally; these should not form part of their primary meal! It is also important not to give any plants that could potentially poisonous for their wellbeing such as Rhododendrons, Tulips or Foxglove.
Tortoises in their natural environment eat snails, worms and insects but these should only make up about 5% of their diet. Hydration is crucial to keeping tortoises healthy; fresh water should always be available and refreshed daily to avoid dehydration causing physical complications for them. Make sure not to offer them food that contains high sugar or carbohydrate levels which could harm their wellbeing.
Shop Bought Food
Keepers often turn to store-bought food to provide their tortoises with all of the nutrition that they require as it can be difficult to create an ideal mix at home. Unfortunately, this can lead to problems as certain things such as iceberg lettuce and daffodils (common UK flowers) may actually be harmful and even toxic for tortoises.
Citrus fruits should also be avoided to prevent stomach upsets in tortoises, and any plants such as buttercups and foxgloves that have been known to be toxic should also be kept at a distance.
Sulcata tortoises in their natural environment feed on grasses, succulents and stems so this should form the basis of their diet in pet enclosures. Greens should form around 90% of their diet with Timothy grass or Orchard grass being top priorities as hay sources. Fruit may also be added occasionally but should never exceed 10% as too much may pose health concerns for their wellbeing.
