Turtle Diet
A few
months ago I found 11 baby desert tortoises that had hatched in my
backyard. I've been caring for them since, but I'm not really
sure what their optimum diet should be in captivity. They have been
eating green leafy vegetables (lettuces and kale, endive, and chard),
other veggies (I've tried just about everything I can find), and some
fruits such as apples, bananas and melons. They don't seem to be
eating much lately, leaving nearly all the foods untouched. Is there
something else I should be feeding them?
Congratulations on your successful brood. Now, we must make sure they grow to be as big as mother. They should be kept at temperatures above 70 degrees for the next two years. When it is warm, you can keep them in outdoor enclosures, otherwise indoors. They have a special need for sunlight. Try to put them outside with direct sunlight exposure as much as possible. Inside, you should provide them with a Vitelite, made by Durotest, to give them the necessary wavelengths they require to metabolize their food. If they choose the shade, that's fine, provide sun availability anyway. Be sure the outside pen is secure from dogs and predators. Their cages should be very dry and barren. They often climb and fall over onto their backs if too many objects are in the pen. Technically, you should register the adults and the babies with the California Department of Fish and Game. They can never be sold, nor released into the wild.
Now to the nutrition question. Feed a variety of vegetables, focusing on the dark greens. Avoid all forms of lettuce, for they don't have the vitamins required. Broccoli, kale, collards, mustard, dandelion, carrots, squash, and spinach are wonderful. They like fruits, but generally fruit is mostly water, and not as nutritious as the vegetables. Do not feed fruit more than once per weeks to avoid their bloating with water. Do not feed meat, dog food or water turtle food. If you feed the variety of fresh vegetables, you do not need to supplement with vitamins or minerals. A sub-optimum diet may need powdered calcium added in very minute amounts on a weekly basis. They usually get all the water they need from the food they eat, but a small jar lid of water is nice to insure they have enough water. They often use the water dish as a toilet.
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