Kale, A good food choice or not

[Tortlelover65]

Okay so I have had my Russian Tortoise for a few months now (about 6 months) and I've of course tried different foods and one that I tried and are really confused about is Kale.
Now most (if not all) of the places that I looked on for food ideas said that Kale was a good choice. So I tried it out. At first my tortoise loved it. And he would eat it without protest. But a couple months went by and he started to get sick.
Now I thought it was maybe the environment that was causing the issues (heat, humidity, substrate, ect.) so I went into the reptile shop (Scaled and Tails) to maybe try a different substrate and talk to them to see what else could be causing the illness. The owner mentioned that Kale had a very high percentage in calcium and that it shouldn't really be given to certain reptiles a lot because of that. So I started giving my Tortoise different types of greens.
A few weeks later, he was eating better, he was more active, he just all around feeling and looking better.
So now tonight I was looking online for more foods that I could feed him just so I can broaden up his diet. And I saw on every website I visited, that Kale was a good choice. And I was a bit confused by that because in my own personal experiences I have learned that it isn't.
So I really need answers. Is Kale a good food to put in their diet or not.

 

[Millerlite]

Kale is an ok choice. The key however is variety. I use kale along with collard greens, red and green chard, dandelion greens, bell peppers, grape leaves, hibiscus flowers leaf leaves, mazuri. Also my russians just graze in the enclosure I planted a few different weeds and grasses.

Kyle

 

[The Hutt]

Kale is an ok choice. The key however is variety. I use kale along with collard greens, red and green chard, dandelion greens, bell peppers, grape leaves, hibiscus flowers leaf leaves, mazuri. Also my russians just graze in the enclosure I planted a few different weeds and grasses.

Kyle

Is Romaine a good choice? How about about spring mix? Do the weeds and grass grow in coconut coir or do you add top soil to the enclosure?

 

[Tom]

Okay so I have had my Russian Tortoise for a few months now (about 6 months) and I've of course tried different foods and one that I tried and are really confused about is Kale.
Now most (if not all) of the places that I looked on for food ideas said that Kale was a good choice. So I tried it out. At first my tortoise loved it. And he would eat it without protest. But a couple months went by and he started to get sick.
Now I thought it was maybe the environment that was causing the issues (heat, humidity, substrate, ect.) so I went into the reptile shop (Scaled and Tails) to maybe try a different substrate and talk to them to see what else could be causing the illness. The owner mentioned that Kale had a very high percentage in calcium and that it shouldn't really be given to certain reptiles a lot because of that. So I started giving my Tortoise different types of greens.
A few weeks later, he was eating better, he was more active, he just all around feeling and looking better.
So now tonight I was looking online for more foods that I could feed him just so I can broaden up his diet. And I saw on every website I visited, that Kale was a good choice. And I was a bit confused by that because in my own personal experiences I have learned that it isn't.
So I really need answers. Is Kale a good food to put in their diet or not.

Kale is bad if you feed whole meals of kale several days a week. Kale is good if you mix in some of it once in a while to a varied diet.

Your tortoise should be eating mostly broadleaf weeds of the right type and not treated with any chemicals. Here is a starter list:
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

 

[Tom]

Is Romaine a good choice? How about about spring mix? Do the weeds and grass grow in coconut coir or do you add top soil to the enclosure?

No. Romaine does not meet the nutritional requirements of your tortoise. Spring mix doesn't either. Broadleaf weeds. See the list above.

 

[ClarenceTort]

Where do you find the weeds. I would be afraid to take from outside because of chem treatments on the lawn

 

[Tom]

Where do you find the weeds. I would be afraid to take from outside because of chem treatments on the lawn

Grow them yourself. Get them from friends family and neighbors who don't spray chemicals on them. Find vacant lots or roadside places where you know nothing is being sprayed because of their location and because of evidence of insects on or near the plants.