What do you guys feed your tortoises?

[Crush da Baum]

Hey Yvonne I had a question. I changed up their food a little bit and I was wondering if this is a good diet for them. I soak their Zoomed grassland tortoise food (which they are starting to eat) in chamomile tea overnight. In the mourning, I clip their timothy hay into little pieces with kitchen scissors (to give them some more fiber). I mix the grassland tortoise food with their chopped timothy hay and then I slice romaine (I am going to the store today and I can switch it with endive or escarole, I was thinking this could be the changing variable every week) into little pieces and mix it with the hay and food until it is a nice mash. They seem to like it! I have been doing a lot of research and found some other weeds I can add to their greens when I find them. After that, I put their calcium and d3 powder and mix it. Is this good?

 

[Tom]

I give up.

 

[Crush da Baum]

I give up.

Why do you give up?

 

[Crush da Baum]

I have been trying to find weeds for them. I have spent the last two days looking for weeds and I think I found some dandelions. I got 5 planters and bought two tortoise broadleaf weed seeds packages and three packages of wild dandelions and I am trying to grow them. I also heard that wheatgrass could be good for them and I bought a ton of wheatgrass seeds.

 

[ZenHerper]

I have been trying to find weeds for them. I have spent the last two days looking for weeds and I think I found some dandelions. I got 5 planters and bought two tortoise broadleaf weed seeds packages and three packages of wild dandelions and I am trying to grow them. I also heard that wheatgrass could be good for them and I bought a ton of wheatgrass seeds.

A++ for effort!!

Russian torts don't eat grasses as a rule, and the ZooMed food should only be your temporary, make-do supplement until your broadleaf seeds take off.

The timothy hay won't do them any good, so don't fill their stomachs with it. Wheatgrass? I would only use the young sprouts, again if you need to supplement them for fiber.

I'm sure they will take to the endive and escarole very nicely.

Rely on the broadleaf mix as soon as those plants get established. These are the ones you can dry and set aside for winter as you get surplus. Dandelions as well...mostly leaves, although the flowers are a nice treat (before they turn into the puffy seeds, which you can save for next year)!

The calcium-D3 powder should only be sprinkled (just a wee pinch) a couple days a week.

It is great that they trust you enough to eat, so keep up the great work!