The things tortoises eat

[Yvonne G]

I know they pick up any little thing off the ground that looks interesting, but do you think they eat feathers? Yesterday there was a pile of bird feathers, along with some legs and a head, in my CDT yard. I tossed the parts over the fence, but left the feathers. It was a pretty big pile, not just a feather or two. This a.m. all the feathers are gone.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

I once saw one of the Testudo graeca soussensis down south trying to eat a dead bird. It ate a feather or two and on the next gagged and moved away.
Tidgy has twice (that I've seen) tried to eat a feather before I could get to her and both times spat it out and looked at me as if it were my fault.

 

[Pearly]

Yep! Definitely true for my RFs! Now that they live outside during a day, outside of their fully controlled environment, they do what they want. Their Tortoise Garden is way too big for me to pick up all potentially "no goods". I can see it in their daily poops, stringy fibrous pieces, the other day there was a cherry pit, and couple nights ago i fished out a little rock-pebble! About 7 mm across!!! And those of you who have seen my posts for a while do know that this is NOT out of hunger! My juveniles are very well fed and still grazing out there. That's why I went to great lengths in planting their entire garden making sure that all if their plants are safe for them in case of being ingested. That and ofcourse free organic food again, one more reminder of WHY we don't let our torts roam around our houses but rather confine in safe space however big that space possible and the bigger the space, the more work/effort into tort proofing we must be putting in... Yep! Pebbles!!! Guess I'm now joining the community of the "mischievous teen tort keepers". Up until now, they've been sweet babies. Terrible 2's???

 

[Tom]

I have a lot of feathers all over the ranch, but I've never seen any of my tortoises try to eat them and never seen any in their droppings.

 

[Yvonne G]

I have a lot of feathers all over the ranch, but I've never seen any of my tortoises try to eat them and never seen any in their droppings.

This was a big pile of white, fluffy (down) feathers. I guess the wind might have dispersed them, but it wasn't very breezy last night.

 

[wellington]

I would imagine if they will eat birds, they would eat feathers too. Don't think they'd be very tasty though. Do you have any birds in your area nesting this time of year? Maybe they were taken to make nest?