Native Plants for Desert Tortoises

Tortoises are turtles that live on land and are native to the desert regions of the American Southwest. Feeding pet tortoises vegetation from its native habitat provides them with optimal nutrition and variety. Lucky for desert tortoise owners, there are plenty of native plants available that can be fed to tortoises, like grasses, flowers and succulents.

  1. Prickly Pear Cactus

    • Different species of prickly pear grow all over the American southwest at different elevations. While covered in sharp spikes, their pads and fruit are a favorite of desert tortoises. You may be able to find these pads and fruit fresh at specialty grocery stores or canned for human consumption. If taken from the wild, ensure the needles are removed before feeding to the tortoise.

    Desert Dandelion

    • The desert dandelion is an annual plant with large yellow flowers. These flowers are actually members of the sunflower family and bloom during late spring and early summer.

    Grasses

    • The majority of a desert tortoise's diet is comprised of grasses. In captivity, timothy hay is generally substituted for these grasses. However, if you live in a desert region, you can feed your tortoise Indian ricegrass and desert needlegrass.

    Beavertail Cactus

    • The beavertail cactus does not have large needles, but instead has tiny, sharp "hairs." Tortoises can eat the fruit, flowers, pads and buds of this cactus plant. Succulent plants like cactuses also provide tortoises with moisture, enabling them to survive in such a hot and dry environment.

    Flowers

    • Wildflowers are also part of a desert tortoise's diet. Brightly-colored flowering plants, like the apricot mallow or desert mallow, owl's clover and Mojave aster, are also native to the desert tortoise's habitat.