tortoiseplanet
Active Member
Hello,
I’m currently building my own website that will house general information and care for EVERY single specie of tortoise. This is my basic outline:
**THIS IS FOR A RUSSIAN TORTOISE:
General Information
Size: 8 to 10 inches
Life Span: 40+ years
Male Sexual Maturity: 5+ inches
Females Lay Eggs: 6+ inches
Diet
The following greens are easily found in my local stores:
GREENS
Romaine lettuce (fed on occasion)
Red and green leaf lettuce (fed on occasion)
Endive
Escarole
Radicchio
Chicory
Turnip greens
Mustard greens
Kale
Collards
Spring Mix (mixed salad greens)
Cabbage (fed on occasion)
With the above veggies one can develop a good diet. Variety is the key!
Don't feed the same foods everyday.
Mix varieties and choose a different green as the basis every few days.
OTHER GOOD CHOICES
Some other favorites for Russian Tortoises that are available:
Hibiscus (flowers and leaves)
Cactus Pads
Hosta
Sedum
Mulberry leaves
Hen and Chicks
Ice Plants
Prickly pear flowers, fruit and pads (burn the spines off)
Dandelion
Plantain (not the banana type fruit....the weed plantago major)
Mallow (flowers and leaves)
Henbit
Rose (flowers and leaves....make sure no systemic pesticides were used)
Chrysanthemum flowers
Cornflowers Plagiobothrys ssp
Forsythia (flowers and leaves)
Dayflower Commelina diffusa (flowers and leaves)
Californian Poppy escholzia
Chia Salvia hispanica
Make sure all are pesticide and herbicide free.
AVOID
The following food items should be avoided for a variety of reasons:
All fruit (although fruit is often recommended, its sugar content can lead to parasite blooms....just not worth it) the exceptions are apples due to the high quantity of pectin, and water melon to ensure hydration on hot and dry days.
Iceberg lettuce
Bok Choy
All grains (including bread, pasta etc)
Dog and cat food
Meat
All human food except what's been listed as "good"
**that is the complete care and information for the Russian Tortoise. As time goes I will create more pages and add more information of different topics but that’s enough for now to accomplish for every specie. If you have ANY information it would help as I can’t find most info on any websites. If you know any info listed above for ANY other Tortoise Specie please also let me know.
Thank you!
I’m currently building my own website that will house general information and care for EVERY single specie of tortoise. This is my basic outline:
**THIS IS FOR A RUSSIAN TORTOISE:
General Information
Size: 8 to 10 inches
Life Span: 40+ years
Male Sexual Maturity: 5+ inches
Females Lay Eggs: 6+ inches
Diet
The following greens are easily found in my local stores:
GREENS
Romaine lettuce (fed on occasion)
Red and green leaf lettuce (fed on occasion)
Endive
Escarole
Radicchio
Chicory
Turnip greens
Mustard greens
Kale
Collards
Spring Mix (mixed salad greens)
Cabbage (fed on occasion)
With the above veggies one can develop a good diet. Variety is the key!
Don't feed the same foods everyday.
Mix varieties and choose a different green as the basis every few days.
OTHER GOOD CHOICES
Some other favorites for Russian Tortoises that are available:
Hibiscus (flowers and leaves)
Cactus Pads
Hosta
Sedum
Mulberry leaves
Hen and Chicks
Ice Plants
Prickly pear flowers, fruit and pads (burn the spines off)
Dandelion
Plantain (not the banana type fruit....the weed plantago major)
Mallow (flowers and leaves)
Henbit
Rose (flowers and leaves....make sure no systemic pesticides were used)
Chrysanthemum flowers
Cornflowers Plagiobothrys ssp
Forsythia (flowers and leaves)
Dayflower Commelina diffusa (flowers and leaves)
Californian Poppy escholzia
Chia Salvia hispanica
Make sure all are pesticide and herbicide free.
AVOID
The following food items should be avoided for a variety of reasons:
All fruit (although fruit is often recommended, its sugar content can lead to parasite blooms....just not worth it) the exceptions are apples due to the high quantity of pectin, and water melon to ensure hydration on hot and dry days.
Iceberg lettuce
Bok Choy
All grains (including bread, pasta etc)
Dog and cat food
Meat
All human food except what's been listed as "good"
**that is the complete care and information for the Russian Tortoise. As time goes I will create more pages and add more information of different topics but that’s enough for now to accomplish for every specie. If you have ANY information it would help as I can’t find most info on any websites. If you know any info listed above for ANY other Tortoise Specie please also let me know.
Thank you!