Care & Feeding of Tortoises
It is vital to choose a tortoise species well - based on housing and environmental needs, and diet requirements. Different species have markedly different adult sizes, temperature and light needs, diets, and some need to hibernate and some do not. Most species of tortoise, but not all, hibernate during the colder winter months particularly those species of tortoise in the Northern Hemisphere. Tortoises must have an empty stomach before they hibernate and therefore tend to go through a period of starvation beforehand. Tortoises come out of hibernation when the weather begins to get warmer again.
Food and Water Dishes
The food and water dishes you put in your tortoise enclosure should be shallow, heavy, and tip-proof. Tortoises tend to soak in their water dishes in addition to drinking out of them, so base the size and depth of your water dish on the size of your tortoise. Make sure it isn't too deep or it could turn into a drowning hazard – especially for hatchlings and juveniles. Instead of a deep dish or bowl, use a suitably sized plastic plant pot saucer. Placing your Tortoise's food on a rough surface like an outdoor paving tile will help keep its beak trimmed.
In the wild, most tortoises browse for food – moving around a large area, eating small amounts of food as they go. Some tortoises are herbivores, and eat only plants. Others are omnivores, meaning they will eat anything available including plants, fruit, live prey and carrion.
Tortoises need calcium to build their bones in the same way that humans do. Those that live in warmer climates bask in the sun. The rays produce vitamins in the tortoise's body, which work with the plants they eat to produce calcium. Colder climate tortoises get less sunshine, so they eat more protein and foods that contain calcium.
What should I feed my Tortoise?
Tortoises live in a variety of habitats, from deserts to wet tropical forests. Most tortoises are vegetarians and eat foliage, flowers, and fruits; some tortoise species from moist forest habitats are more opportunistic and consume animal matter.
Almost no topic is as confused and difficult for a beginner to understand than feeding tortoises in captivity. It is also true that no other subject is as riddled with misinformation and myths. The proliferation of inaccurate and often lethal advice on this subject in books, in magazine articles and on the Internet is astonishing. It is no wonder that many new keepers find themselves totally confused, and often end up making basic, but serious mistakes.
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