Feeding your tortoise

Most tortoises are herbivores; this means that they eat a diet made up of leafy vegetables.

Some tortoises like one food more than others, but it is important to make sure that your tortoise eats a varied diet. It is important to not give your tortoise the foods it like as ’treats’ too often as it will become fussy and favor these foods. Eating too much spinach and parsley for instance can reduce the amount of calcium in the diet as these plants contain chemicals called oxalates.

Plants from the cabbage family also need to be limited. This is because they have a chemical that blocks the action of the thyroid hormone.

In the winter time, salad bags from the supermarket are ideal as they contain young nutritious leaves from many different types of lettuce. During the summer the diet should be supplemented with wild plants such as dandelion and chickweed. Wild seed mixes are now sold so that you can plant them at home and your tortoise can eat a fresh wild flower mix. You can also supplement your tortoise’s diet with calcium powder but manufacturer's guidelines should be followed to ensure you do not over supplement.

Tortoises that would normally live in Africa like the leopard tortoise need higher fiber content in their diet. They need to eat more grass and hay than leafy plants. Hay is also a good substitute. Other salad items such as cucumber, tomatoes and peppers should be fed in small quantities and fruit like strawberries should only be fed as a treat. This is because fruit contains lots of natural sugars. These can give your tortoise a very sore tummy and he may end up with diarrhea.

All tortoises need water to drink. It is important that it is clean and regularly changed.

Tortoises may defecate in their water so ensure you are changing it often. Without water his body will become dehydrated.

Dehydration can lead to constipation; it may sound unusual but if your tortoise becomes constipated he could die.