Feed and a staple

[clintdowns]

What does everyone feed their Russians? Also what is your staple?

 

[Jodie]

My Russians eat weeds and grass in their outside enclosure. They have a wide variety of thistles, dandelions, prickly lettuce, flowers, clover and several types of grass. Also testudo mix that I planted from tortoise supply. And radishes, carrots, radichio, zucchini, pumpkin and grape leaves. No staple. They eat what they want.

 

[Yvonne G]

No staple here. My Russian tortoises live outside and graze to their hearts' content. They have grass, clover, dichondra, thistle, prickly lettuce, plantain, etc. I occasionally toss them a small branch off the mulberry tree, but they don't seem interested in it. However, when I toss them a branch off the grape vine they devour it.

 

[JoesMum]

Russians staple is a variety of leafy greens. Which variety depends on where you live

They cannot digest sugars properly, so fruit, including bell pepper and tomato, and carrot should only be fed very occasionally as a treat to avoid making your tort sick.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

They get a lot of whatever is in season as I find it. Its going to be a feast of rose of Sharon tomorrow. I strive for as much variety as possible. They like to rotate what they eat, too.

 

[clintdowns]

Can/will they tear up the Mazuri Tortoise diet.

 

[Herbert Forever]

Mine loves half organic spring mix and half dandelions and weeds from outside, for him this is his daily meal.
Other days he gets ice plants, nasturtiums, wild carrot, and a different mix of leaves mixed in with his daily meal. On very special occasions he might get a bit of tomato, but that's only a few times a year since feeding fruit to them constantly can lead to digestive upset.

 

[Mother of Egor]

My Russians eat weeds and grass in their outside enclosure. They have a wide variety of thistles, dandelions, prickly lettuce, flowers, clover and several types of grass. Also testudo mix that I planted from tortoise supply. And radishes, carrots, radichio, zucchini, pumpkin and grape leaves. No staple. They eat what they want.

Are carrots and zucchini really okay? I always have a fresh supply of this at home for my own grazing and have wanted to see if my tort would eat it.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Zucchini flowers are great food. The vegetable itself, no. You can offer the leaves and vines as well as flowers, especially at the end of the season.

Carrots are fine once a month. Too much sugar for more frequent feedings.

 

[Jodie]

Are carrots and zucchini really okay? I always have a fresh supply of this at home for my own grazing and have wanted to see if my tort would eat it.

The tops of the carrots and the leaves on the vine. Carrots themselves I never feed, but zucchini once in awhile as a treat.

 

[dmmj]

grape leaves are my staple for my Russian

 

[Tom]

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food

 

[Len B]

Can/will they tear up the Mazuri Tortoise diet.

My group stays outside and eat the original mazuri moistened a little, if there is some left and it dries out as the day go on, they sometimes will come back and eat it dry which I believe helps with beak maintenance. I don't feed grasses intentionally, they may eat some that is growing in their enclosure but not enough to notice where they have eaten it. They get seasonal stuff that I grow here, some of what is listed in every ones post above, a couple things that are different are boston ivy, virginia creeper, and buttercup.