Considering our tortoises are kept in captivity they are susceptible to being overfed and fast growth. We are also in the habit of wanting to ‘treat’ them believing they will enjoy it.
We must remember that since they are in captivity, we are responsible for their health and wellbeing. This means that we must learn all we can about their diet. What is safe and unsafe and what should be fed in moderation to prevent overly fast growth and pyramiding.
Firstly: treating our tortoises isn’t a reptile concept. They have no idea that you are treating them to anything. In the wild. A tortoise will surface seeking a nice sunny spot and bask in the morning sunshine. Once warmed up they will wonder around and forage for food, nosing around and nibbling and picking around the bracken and shrubbery. They then head off to hide away from the hottest part of the day. As late afternoon approaches. They surface to graze and forage again before bedding down for the night.
Tortoises are chancer feeders. They will scavenge and will eat foods that they probably wouldn’t normally eat especially if they are hungry and food has been spars. They have even been seen to eat a rabbit carcass. However, this is a rare occasion and not repeated on a daily basis. We often hear from keepers who have kept a tortoise for over 40 plus years that they have been feeding fruit and vegetables with seemly no harm done. Many of these older tortoises were the first imports and their vital growth had already been established before they were caught for captivity so they can manage to cope better eating these foods.
UK breed tortoises have never had this chance and we are therefore responsible for their dietary needs and we owe it to them to get this right. Fruit and vegetables are NOT a staple diet, for our captive tortoises. This includes tomatoes and strawberry. They are too high in sugar and greens are a brassica which is too high for them to digest. Such foods can cause heavy worm burden and pyramiding and could lead to health complications in the future. It can take years before a tortoise displays metabolic problems to surface. Hibernation can help slow the growth down providing we choose to hibernate our tortoises. (hibernation will be covered in another thread)
Safe foods: Common weeds and flowers can all be found freely. Weed walking is a common practice for tortoises’ keepers. It can also be a good way to get to know other tortoises’ keepers. There is a brilliant book by an author and tortoise breeder Linda King.
The Tortoise Table is another trusted website where you can look up the weeds to check to see if they are safe to feed. https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/
Please DO NOT be tempted to feed: tomatoes; strawberries, pellets, dog food or bread Try to offer a good mix of weeds daily. If you focus too much on one type your tortoises could become fussy and picky and refuse other weed types.
Always wash wild weeds well. Keep in cool dry place preferably the fridge, they will stay fresh for over a week. If in the event weeds are in short supply, possibly due to hard frost or burnt up due to excessive sunburn. You can use a shop brought product called crispy floret salad. This has proven to be a safe food product, but no other salad products should be fed.
Calcium and vitamins come from the weed diet but due to the UK weather conditions and low UV we have to add supplements to the diet. These supplements come in the form of limestone chalk flour or calci dust and nutrobol. Nutrbol should be used twice a week. Most people use it at weekends.
Limestone flour is used 5 days a week Monday to Friday. You can buy limestone chalk block and leave it in the enclosure tortoises like to chomp on it.
Cuttlefish is another essential vitamin and can be grated over weeds or simply broken open and left for them to chomp on at will
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