What foods can a desert tortise eat and which should be avoided?

Answer 1

Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agazzi) are one of the most protected animals in the US- it is illegal to buy, sell, capture, release, or harass them. You CAN adopt them at sites like http://www.tortoise.org, which also has a great care sheet on them.

Here is their food list: "Healthy tortoises have enormous appetites! Growing grass, weeds, dandelions, alfalfa, nopales (Opuntia cactus), and rose and hibiscus flowers are excellent food sources.

"Supplement this diet with vegetables such as endive, escarole, broccoli, squashes such as zucchini, chopped carrots, mixed vegetables, small amounts of kale, romaine and other dark-green leafy vegetables.

"Sprinkling the food with ground-up rabbit or guinea pig pellets is a good way to add extra fiber to the diet. Tortoises have a high calcium requirement: occasionally sprinkle the food with calcium carbonate or offer a calcium-rich source such as boiled chicken eggshells or cuttlefish bone for them to eat. Occasionally sprinkle the food with a suitable vitamin preparation. Provide a shallow dish of water for drinking and soaking."

Answer 2

Hello..if you caught this turtle LET IT GO, if you bought it, the place you bought it will be able to tell you all the care it needs ...I don't help people take from the wild, takes more then food or they DIE !!! You want a reptile , good, healthy reptile or turtle, etc buy Captive Breds..unless you don't mind that wild caught can carry diseased like salmonells, e coli..which can infect you, your family & other pets ...Take Care :)

Answer 3

Madkins nailed it. Just avoid spinach and other oxalates. They bond to Vitamin D3 molecules and inhibit their ability to metabolize calcium.