In their native environments, tortoises will browse freely among the many types of plants they encounter. In captivity, we must provide a large selection of foods just to try to mimic natural health these reptiles achieve.
Click on any plant listed below to purchase seeds.
Staple Grasses and Weeds
These are full of fiber, which is great for Tortoises.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officianale)
- Dandelion (Taraxacum
officianale ) - Hawkbits (Leontodon spp.)
- Sowthistles (Sonchus spp.)
- Hawkweeds (
Pictis spp.) Hawkbeards (Crepis spp.)- Plantains (Plantago spp.)
- Clovers (Trifolium spp.)
- Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)
- Vetches (
Vicina spp.) - Trefoils (Lotus spp.)
- Mallows (Malva spp.)
- Bindweeds (Calystegia spp.)
- Ivy-leaved Toadflax (Cymbalaria
muralis ) - Wild clematis
- Acanthus
- Nettles
Other Good Foods To Provide
Feeding the following plants is much more effective than produce.
Chickweed.
- Aloe vera
- Antirrhinum – flowers & leaves
- Aubretia – flowers & leaves
- Bramble – Leaves only.
- Cactus,
opuntia (Prickly pear/Indian fig) - Campanula
- Chickweed
- Gazania – flowers & leaves
- Geranium species (
perrenial ) – leaves & flowers - Hebe – flowers and occasional leaves
- Hibiscus – flowers and occasional leaves
- Hosta – leaves
- Malva – (
malllow ) leaves & flowers - Mulberry – leaves
- Nasturtium – flowers & leaves
- Osteospermum – flowers and occasional leaves
- Pansies – flowers & leaves
- Pelargonium – flowers & leaves
- Petunia – flowers & leaves
- Rose – petals only
- Sow thistle – flowers & leaves
- Strawb erry (wild and cultivated) – leaves & flowers
- Viola/Violet – flowers & leaves
As a guide, common plants to be avoided include:
This is not a complete list of poisonous plants, we suggest you doing research.
Oleander, BUT do NOT give it to your tortoises to eat or even as a decoration in the enclosure.
- Daffodil
- Hellebores
- Hypericum (often called Rose of Sharon, not to be confused with the Hibiscus variety)
- Euphorbias
- Digitalis (Foxglove)
- Nicotiana (tobacco plant)
- Rhododendrons
- Azaleas
- Ragwort (
senico ) - Crocus
- Dicentra (bleeding heart)
- Lupin (Lupinus)
- Vinca (
Perwinkle ) - Peony (
peonia ) - Rhubarb
- Mistletoe
- Aconite
- Lobelia
- Tomato, Lycopersicon spp., only the leaves
and plant are toxic. - Chinaberry Tree, Melia azederach
umbracalifera , leaves, and fruit must be kept off irrigated grass. - Oleander, Nerium oleander, leaves, and flowers. Tortoises usually ignore what falls.
In general plants which grow from bulbs, tubers &
However, if you see your tortoise nibbling a few leaves, don’t panic. Many plants which are often listed as toxic are, it would appear, are safe if accidentally taken in small amounts as part of a varied diet.
Click to read more on Plants That Are NOT Good For Animals for more information on poisonous plants, how to identify, what makes them harmful, and what to do if your pet accidentally ingests a plant that is not edible.
