Varied Diet

[hunterk997]

What other grocery store foods can a tortoise eat, besides the ones listed on the tortoise table? I ask because my local store only sells kale, raddichio, lettuce, and romaine, which is what I have been feeding.


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[JoesMum]

This is a bit of a weird question.

Make a list of all the greens that you can buy in the grocery store and then look them up on the Tortoise Table. Some of them might need translating into British English befire you find them (says she assuming that you aren't British, sorry if you are) We know Arugula as Rocket for example.

The answer is most of the greens that you can buy for human consumption can be fed to tortoises, some of them can be fed more regularly than others.

 

[Tom]

How about skipping the grocery store altogether, and instead feeding a good assortment of broadleaf weeds, leaves, flowers and spineless cactus pads? It is sometimes a bit more work to find these things, but they are free AND much better for your tortoise. If you have them growing in a pesticide free area near your home, it will even save you a trip to the store.

 

[hunterk997]

This is a bit of a weird question.

Make a list of all the greens that you can buy in the grocery store and then look them up on the Tortoise Table. Some of them might need translating into British English befire you find them (says she assuming that you aren't British, sorry if you are) We know Arugula as Rocket for example.

The answer is most of the greens that you can buy for human consumption can be fed to tortoises, some of them can be fed more regularly than others.

I guess that makes sense... My mother went to go pick up some "rocket" and said they had none and she had never heard of it. I was asking because my store doesn't offer a lot of the foods mentioned on thetortoisetable.


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How about skipping the grocery store altogether, and instead feeding a good assortment of broadleaf weeds, leaves, flowers and spineless cactus pads? It is sometimes a bit more work to find these things, but they are free AND much better for your tortoise. If you have them growing in a pesticide free area near your home, it will even save you a trip to the store.

I have different types of plantain growing in my yard, dandelion, and crimson clover. We also have five lilacs, which are okay to feed, but my tort doesn't like the leaves of them. There are some other things, but to me, they look like they could be several plants according to the tortoise table. And the ones they look similar to are bad to feed. So I'm not too comfortable identifying them.


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And we have a few cacti, but not cactus pads. Can all cacti be fed as long as the spines are taken out?


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[Cowboy_Ken]

In regards to your weed identification issues, take some to a local nursery or two for ID. This is a great local help resource in that most folks are trying to get rid of them, and the nursery should be familiar with them. Once you are comfortable on the ID then you can, with education, know what to feed.

 

[JoesMum]

Tortoise Table search tip for non-Brits... look up your greens on Google and get the Latin name. Search for the Latin name, the first part is usually enough, on Tortoise Table and you will find the plant!