Variety in diet and staple foods

[tinyherms]

I have a little tortoise garden on my window sill and so far tinyherms has enjoyed everything I've offered.

Tinyherm's menu consists of:
Kalachoe
African violet
Marigold
Mimulus
Boston fern
Thyme
Geranium
Spider plant
Coleus
Sedge
Lady slipper

I feed little bits and pieces in the morning and evening and mix it up with an offering of three of four each time. I think before he came to me tinyherms ate a lot of dandelion, but I'm worried about pesticides in my local garden, so haven't been feeding that.

My questions are:
1. Is this enough variety, or do I need more choices? If so, what would you recommend?
2. Does a tortoise need a dietary staple - like campanula or dandelion? What are the favourite staple foods that form the core of tortoise diets?

So many thanks from me and tinyherms. This forum has been such a great help so far and I'm sure tinyherm's long term health will be much improved by your kind advice!

Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

[Tom]

I don't know any one who feeds any of those. I think that's why no one has answered your post.

I'm assuming you made sure they were all tortoise safe, but I thought ferns were toxic.

Also, if that is a store bought decorative planter, it is likely to be full of pesticides. Just a word of caution...

The staples for my russians, which have a similar diet to your hermanni, are Testudo seed mix from tortoisesupply.com, mallow, wild mustard, filaree, prickly lettuce, sow thistle, thistle, dandelions, grape leaves, mulberry leaves, broad leaf and narrow leaf plantain, occasional cactus pads, and occasional, spring mix, endive or escarole. I also grow arugula, chard, mustard and collard greens, alfalfa, clover, roses, lavatera, and a few others, but I feed those in smaller amounts.

 

[tinyherms]

Thanks so much for your feedback.

This is my reference tool for foodstuffs: http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/tortoise_home_1.asp. It is recommended by the Tortoise Protection Group in the UK. All of those plants are classified as doubly safe to feed - i.e. both leaves and flowers. But each in moderation and part of a varied diet. I'm just wondering if it is all maybe a bit too varied, or if I might perhaps be missing a key staple food.

 

[tinyherms]

All organic stuff, so that's OK. The Testudo Mix looks great, though. I'll get some and plant some of that, too!! And I heard that pansies were great, too.

 

[Iochroma]

I am a bit troubled about feeding a diet of so many cultivated houseplants with so little of their native diet plants included. In the wild, a Hermann's diet would be roughly 20% legumes, 25% composits, 20% grasses, and the rest from other families of plants. Your diet is composed of mostly plants not of known nutrional value, and not found in their native range.
I can't say it's wrong, but it is odd. To me, it would be wiser to move toward a more conventional mix of leafy greens, grass, legumes, and kale and dandelion. Occasional supplementation with a Mazuri-type food and calcium source would be a good measure.
I would never feed ferns as any part of the regular diet. Fern glycosides are a slow poison.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

I don't think you can have too much variety. I have noticed that mine like a seasonal rotation, and seem to get tired of foods for a while. More broad leaves and flowers would be good to add.

 

[tinyherms]

Great! Thanks for the feedback. My tortoise vet was pretty happy with the mix but counselled "more weeds!" As they are higher in calcium in general. I'm getting some weed mix going too. Also been feeding dry dandelion etc which brings me to another question... what ratio of dry to fresh should i am for? Thanks again all of you. What a fount of knowledge!!

 

[tinyherms]

Tinyherms also loves cuttlefish and neutrobal

 

[FujiBaird]

Is this the kind of kalanchoe you're feeding? The Tortoise Table says that it may be toxic. :/ http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?catID=11

I know that my hermann's doesn't care for a lot of the plants that the Tortoise Table says are safe (for example, thyme, fern, zinnia). I would definitely consider adding in more calcium-rich plants, like dandelions, collard greens, etc. In my area, I can get dandelion green plants at garden centers, or occasionally the leaves at health foods stores. If you're unsure about chemicals in your local weeds, you can collect seeds from them and add them to your tortoise garden.

 

[tinyherms]

Thanks very much. I hadn't fed the kalanchoe, so good to know - good spot!! I"m going to double-check these all. I have some kale and lambs lettuce now too to tide him over until we get dandelions. Our neighbour is going to bring us some from her gardens this week. Woo hoo!

 

[FujiBaird]

nice! my tortoise really enjoys kale and lamb's lettuce, so I hope yours does too.

 

[tinyherms]

Hurrah! He adoooores kale and lambs lettuce. Went mad for it.

 

[lauren and harry]

hi harry my hermans loves corriander, parsley and rosemary,and cress I have started growing rocket and pansies for him as well he loves the lot and after much research all these are safe to feed,he also has a spider plant in his enclosure to graze on when he like but doesn't seem to be interested,I also give him dried dandelion and nettles (not the ones that sting) try some of these for a change I know how you feel giving them the same things when you cant get hold of much else for them or having to wait to grow it yourself.