Horsefield Tortoise Food and Diet
You might be a new owner to this great pet or a prospectous one and be wondering “what does a Horsefield Tortoise eat?”
This is a crucial component to having your pet be the happiest and healthiest possible. Following proper guidelines is so important because there is much room for errors that can be very impactful.
They are herbivores and browsers in the wild. Browsers are animals that eat mainly leafy greens and berries. Horsefields also eat mushrooms, insects and carrion in the wild. It is impossible for us to replicate exactly what they eat in the wild because it is based of their Mediterranean homeland and its seasons. Our goal is to get as close to that as we can. This takes effort and is not as easy as other pets but having an awesome pet Horsefield is worth it and a lot of fun!
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| Product | Description |
|---|---|
Tortoise Table Starter Kit ULTIMATE | #1 Best bet to get you started the fastest and correctly. Includes everything you need to start. Takes all the guess work out of it! For someone getting their first Horsefield, this saves the hassle of piecing everything together yourself and wondering if it's right! Save by bundling and getting all the correct supplies in one place. |
Tortoise Starter Kit ADVANCED | Excellent. Includes UV-A / UV-B lighting, engraved pets name, furnishings, food, manual and vitamins. |
Grassland Natural Tortoise Food | #1 Best bet for food because it is specifically designed for the Horsefield tortoise and its Testudo Genus. It's formulated just for them with the correct vitamins, minerals and fiber. All natural with no artificial colors or preservatives and mainly consists of their favorite, Dandelion and Yucca. |
uvb, uva, visual light and heat Bulb | Perfect all in one bulb that delivers all the lighting your Horsefield will need when kept inside. |
Pro Rep Tortoise Life Substrate 25 litres | Reliable pro-grade substrate perfect for his housing environment. Buying packaged substrate over wild dirt etc. prevents many possible contamination problems. This is best mixed with other substate sources like Timothy hay, wood chips and sand. Keep dry to prevent shell rot. |
Horsefield Care Made Easy  | Advanced guide. This is the only guide that is made just for the Horsefield Tortoise. Includes everything on buying, housing, food, breeding, hibernation and health issues. All of the information you need to know specifically about your one type of pet, the Horsefield tortoise, is in this care guide. |
Most of the food we will be feeding him are based around green leaves and edible flowers. In addition, they need a diet high in calcium and fiber and low in protein. Calcium and fiber is important in their diet. Having a variety of food (as much as possible) is important to being healthy. Do not get in the routine of feeding them the same thing everyday.
What Do Horsefield Tortoises Eat?
Greens include:
Romaine lettuce
Red leaf lettuce
Endive
Escarole
Grass (Bermuda, Rye, Alfalfa, Blue grass, Fescue)
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Radicchio
Green leaf lettuce
Chicory
Mix it up with these as well:
Zucchini
Pumpkin
Hibiscus
Hosta
Sedum
Mulberry leaves
Hen and Chicks
Dandelion (one of their favorite!)
Mallow
Henbit
Rose
Chrysanthemum flowers
Carrots
Bell peppers
Water
They get a good amount of their water from food but you still need to provide water regularly.
You can have a shallow bowl of water in their area for them to drink when ever they need to.
The other option, if it resonates with you, is to put your tortoise in slightly warm water that is chin deep every 2-3 days. When you do this they usually go to the bathroom in the water. This way, especially in indoor housing, there is less clean-up.
Outdoors
They can eat the grass, weeds, dandelions etc. in the outdoor setting with minimal supplements.
Mix the variety of food this the list above and that would provide an excellent diet.
What to Avoid
Over-feeding. Only if you are keeping your pet indoors because they get less exercise and hibernate less. They can overeat and not live as long.
Pesticides. Buy organic if possible.
Pelleted feed
Any type of meat
I hope this information was useful, I provide more indepth info on food including supplements and anti-nutrients as well as all other crucial areas like housing, hibernation and breeding in the mini-course, sign up below!