Please help- feeding tortoise in the UK?

[Cezmerelda]

Hi everyone! I'm new here. I just got my lovely little Hermanns tortoise, Sylvia three days ago. She is doing really well. However I wanted to ask about feeding her? All the advice online says not to rely on lettuces and to find dark leafy greens and weeds. What I was wondering is where I find these in the U.K.? If I go outside and look for weeds, how do I know they're safe? I've been searching in the supermarkets but all I seem to be able to find is lettuces, which apparently aren't a great diet? Or fruit and vegetables which aren't great either? I've ordered a grow your own tortoise food kit so hopefully that will help but in the meantime, what does everyone do for food in the UK? She's currently got some Cos lettuce and watercress (dusted with calcium) but I'm really worried about her getting a varied diet with the right foods- all I seem to be able to find in the shops is lettuce? Are the pellets you can get any good? I'd really appreciate any advice! Thanks so much in advance.

 

[Yvonne G]

Well, I don't know about in the UK, but here in the States we can always find dark leafy greens in the produce section of the grocery. Things like endive, escarole, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, arugula, collards, red and green leaf lettuce, romaine, etc. Then outside, this is a great time of year to find prickly lettuce, sow thistle, miners lettuce, dandelion, purslane, clover, plantain, chickweed, lambs quarter, mallow, amaranth, etc. There are many, many edible flowers, like roses, rose of sharon, hibiscus, grape leaves, berry leaves, opuntia cactus, viola and pansies, the list is endless. You just need to educate yourself on what to look for. Google is your friend.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Sylvia.
This is a good guide to what's safe to eat that's growing around you : http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/tortoise_home_1.asp
and I like http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/nutrientanalysis.htm , too.
The ones in bold are the best.

 

[dmmj]

rocket salad is pretty popular in the UK

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi

Please understand that I really want to help ! So this is what I'm thinking . Here in the USA we have people that don't eat meat or dairy . So they eat plant matter . You don't have these people in the U.K. ? And if so do they eat just lettuce ? It's just a idea to find those shops .

 

[Cezmerelda]

Hi
View attachment 201194
Please understand that I really want to help ! So this is what I'm thinking . Here in the USA we have people that don't eat meat or dairy . So they eat plant matter . You don't have these people in the U.K. ? And if so do they eat just lettuce ? It's just a idea to find those shops .

Thanks for your help! Yes we have vegetarians and no they don't just eat lettuce- they eat a whole variety of fruit and vegetables, but most of these aren't great for tortoises from what I've heard!

 

[Cezmerelda]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Sylvia.
This is a good guide to what's safe to eat that's growing around you : http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/tortoise_home_1.asp
and I like http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/nutrientanalysis.htm , too.
The ones in bold are the best.

Thanks for your help! I'm just so worried about her not getting a varied diet!

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome. It is a problem for us in the UK finding weeds over the winter months.
Bags of Florette Classic crispy salad were recommended to me when I joined as that has a good mix of leaves, I also use bags of Sainsbury mixed leaf salad, Tesco mixed leaf, Aldi Mild leaf and their Crispy salad (but I pick out all the iceberg from that as that isn't good for them ) I use many of the leaves Yvonne recommended too to add variety, as well as Pak choi, watercress, rocket - all in moderation. I occasionally buy the trays of 'living salads' which are a mix of red and green leaf (they often use mustard in the growing of them so check that's OK for your tort to have). I just transfer it all with the soil to a plant saucer as the plastic trays can have sharp edges.
Fruit and things like tomatoes are ok as occasional treats but if you check the caresheet for Hermanns that will tell you much more about diet, temps, humidity and substrate etc.
Thankfully the dandies etc are on their way back now but avoid picking them from near roads as these will be covered with car fumes and pollution etc. and also don't use from anywhere where pesticides, weed killers etc may have been used. Even when I find them in a safe place, I always wash them thoroughly in case of dog/cat wee.
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to what plants are tort safe for food or enclosures
Another good tip I was given regards amount of food was to think of the shell as an upturned bowl and give that amount of food but if they finish that offer more. Let the tort be your guide.

 

[Cezmerelda]

Hi and welcome. It is a problem for us in the UK finding weeds over the winter months.
Bags of Florette Classic crispy salad were recommended to me when I joined as that has a good mix of leaves, I also use bags of Sainsbury mixed leaf salad, Tesco mixed leaf, Aldi Mild leaf and their Crispy salad (but I pick out all the iceberg from that as that isn't good for them ) I use many of the leaves Yvonne recommended too to add variety, as well as Pak choi, watercress, rocket - all in moderation. I occasionally buy the trays of 'living salads' which are a mix of red and green leaf (they often use mustard in the growing of them so check that's OK for your tort to have). I just transfer it all with the soil to a plant saucer as the plastic trays can have sharp edges.
Fruit and things like tomatoes are ok as occasional treats but if you check the caresheet for Hermanns that will tell you much more about diet, temps, humidity and substrate etc.
Thankfully the dandies etc are on their way back now but avoid picking them from near roads as these will be covered with car fumes and pollution etc. and also don't use from anywhere where pesticides, weed killers etc may have been used. Even when I find them in a safe place, I always wash them thoroughly in case of dog/cat wee.
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to what plants are tort safe for food or enclosures
Another good tip I was given regards amount of food was to think of the shell as an upturned bowl and give that amount of food but if they finish that offer more. Let the tort be your guide.

Thank you so much for such a helpful reply! I have found a mixed leaf salad with the same components as the Florette one you mentioned! I'm just so anxious to keep her well nourished! Can I ask you another question please? When it comes to finding weeds outside, where should I look and what do I look for? Dandelions I will obviously recognise but are most things growing pretty safe?
Thanks so much in advance!

 

[Lyn W]

Thank you so much for such a helpful reply! I have found a mixed leaf salad with the same components as the Florette one you mentioned! I'm just so anxious to keep her well nourished! Can I ask you another question please? When it comes to finding weeds outside, where should I look and what do I look for? Dandelions I will obviously recognise but are most things growing pretty safe?
Thanks so much in advance!

No not all weeds are safe. I use the tortoise table website and little books on wild plants to help me ID plants as there are lots of pics but tend to stick to the ones I am most confident at identifying.....dandies, clover, sow thistle. You can buy seed mixes for tort food to grow your own in your garden or in trays. I collect weeds when I go for walks in the country or off the beaten track, or pinch them from gardens where I know no chemicals have been used - parks etc tend to spray occasionally so I avoid those. If I don't find many I add some of the bagged salads to bulk it out. My leopard tort is 11 inches long now so eats quite a lot normally. I also have a vine which I use the leaves off in the summer months and things like strawberry leaves are OK. It takes a while to become familiar with the different weeds and plants but if any doubt about a plant I don't use.

Also, any potted plants you may buy for food from shops should be repotted in fertiliser free soil and time allowed for any chemical sprays or plant food to grow out completely as these will have been absorbed by the plant. I think I was told to wait several months before feeding.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Thanks for your help! Yes we have vegetarians and no they don't just eat lettuce- they eat a whole variety of fruit and vegetables, but most of these aren't great for tortoises from what I've heard!

Sorry I couldn't spell vegetarian .thank you for your understanding .

 

[Cezmerelda]

Sorry I couldn't spell vegetarian .thank you for your understanding .
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Thank you!

 

[Stuart S.]

Hi and welcome, you've come to a great place!

 

[Bibi]

Hi and welcome. It is a problem for us in the UK finding weeds over the winter months.
Bags of Florette Classic crispy salad were recommended to me when I joined as that has a good mix of leaves, I also use bags of Sainsbury mixed leaf salad, Tesco mixed leaf, Aldi Mild leaf and their Crispy salad (but I pick out all the iceberg from that as that isn't good for them ) I use many of the leaves Yvonne recommended too to add variety, as well as Pak choi, watercress, rocket - all in moderation. I occasionally buy the trays of 'living salads' which are a mix of red and green leaf (they often use mustard in the growing of them so check that's OK for your tort to have). I just transfer it all with the soil to a plant saucer as the plastic trays can have sharp edges.
Fruit and things like tomatoes are ok as occasional treats but if you check the caresheet for Hermanns that will tell you much more about diet, temps, humidity and substrate etc.
Thankfully the dandies etc are on their way back now but avoid picking them from near roads as these will be covered with car fumes and pollution etc. and also don't use from anywhere where pesticides, weed killers etc may have been used. Even when I find them in a safe place, I always wash them thoroughly in case of dog/cat wee.
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to what plants are tort safe for food or enclosures
Another good tip I was given regards amount of food was to think of the shell as an upturned bowl and give that amount of food but if they finish that offer more. Let the tort be your guide.

Thank you for this, very helpful.