Edible Plants for a Leopard Tortoise

Grazing in the grass and ample water supply are the best needs for your tortoise.

The leopard tortoise is a grazing species which favors semi-arid grassland habitats. The adult tortoise measures 10 to 18 inches long and weighs between 40 and 50 pounds. Life expectancy is about 50 to 100 years old, and many leopard tortoises are successfully kept in captivity. Their diet consists of a mixture of grasses, weeds and plants. You can also feed them an array of vegetables.

Grasses and Weeds

Since their natural habitat is the grasslands, the preferred diet of the leopard tortoise is grasses, weeds and flowers. Provide a yard for your leopard tortoise with a plentiful variety of grasses such as alfalfa, crab grass, couch grass, dew grass, barnyard grass and winter grass. Some welcomed weeds are clover, paper thorn, plantain, dandelion, opuntia, thistle and chickweed. Grasses and plants can also be grown in trays and pots to provide for indoor feeding.

Allowed Plants

The leopard tortoise loves a warm, sunny area with plenty of plant varieties to nibble on. Their required high-fiber diet, along with grasses and weeds, should include a diversity of other plants such as hibiscus, mulberry, wandering jew, aloe vera and Chinese lantern. Some other acceptable plants are kalanchoe, papaya and pawpaw, violets, petunias, daisy, heath, ifafa lily and white and blue mazus.

Store-Bought Vegetables

Store-bought vegetables should be chemical free. Either purchase organic produce or wash the vegetables with mildly soapy water and rinse before chopping and feeding them to your leopard tortoise raw, not cooked. Some store-bought dark green leafy vegetables they enjoy are endive, watercress, collard greens, kale, dandelion, chicory, escarole, radicchio and turnip greens. The leopard tortoise also enjoys the fruit and pod of the prickly pear. You can also offer your tortoise some sliced cucumbers and tomato, thinly sliced carrots, pieces of red and green peppers, sliced pumpkin or butternut squash, shreds of cabbage and slices of zucchini. Offer these foods early in the morning and remove any uneaten vegetables by lunchtime. Never feed your tortoise rhubarb, fruits, any kinds of beans, pet food and pasta.

Other Nutritional Requirements

It's also advisable to provide a leopard tortoise with a daily supplement of calcium/D3 vitamin in powder form, and a good vitamin and mineral supplement should be added to the diet once a week. Cuttlebones provide a good source of calcium while also helping to keep the beak and nails trim. You can find cuttlebones in most pet stores. Hydration is also important for your leopard tortoise. Always supply plenty of fresh water.

References

• African Tortoise: Leopard Tortoise Care
• Care Centre: Leopard Tortoise Care
• Reptile Channel: Leopard Tortoise Care
• Tortoise Trust: Importance of Water