What Foods Does a Baby Desert Turtle Eat?

Captive baby desert turtles, actually tortoises, are often susceptible to deformities due to a deficiency of minerals and vitamins in their food. The best way to feed baby desert tortoises and keep them healthy during their first years is to mimic the diet they naturally have in the wild. According to Tortoise Trust, "Almost no topic is as confused and difficult for a beginner to understand than feeding tortoises in captivity...The proliferation of inaccurate and often lethal advice on this subject in books, in magazine articles and on the Internet is astonishing." The desert tortoise is almost exclusively herbivorous and should not eat meat, dog or cat food, eggs or human food.

  1. Grass, Weeds and Small Plants

    • Grass, weeds and small plants are the main portion of a baby desert tortoise's diet in the wild, so their digestive track is suited to this simple diet. Tortoises can graze on grass and weeds already growing in the yard. Small plants are easiest for a baby tortoise to reach. Tortoises enjoy eating the branches off of plants that are still alive and growing, so keep live plants growing in their enclosure if possible.

    Calcium

    • Tortoises require calcium because their shell and bones are very dense. This is especially true during periods of rapid growth, which happen during a baby tortoise's first few years. Baby tortoises may need to eat a calcium-supplemented food, calcium vitamins or calcium blocks. If a desert tortoise is held in captivity in its native region, then any food grown in that area will most likely be sufficiently high in calcium.

    Hay

    • Hay is normally not a natural part of a baby desert tortoise's diet but may be used as a substitute for grass if grass is not available. Adding hay to a tortoise's diet may provide more variety as well. If a baby tortoise does eat hay, you should make sure the hay is not coarse and does not have prickly seed heads.

    Vegetables

    • Vegetables may be served to a baby tortoise as treats or as supplements to their diet of grass to provide extra vitamins. It is best if the vegetables are not the main portion of their diet and are low in phytic and oxalic acid. Vegetables that are OK for tortoises to eat are lettuce, peas, cabbage, sprouts and cauliflower.

    Fruit

    • Fruits are not a natural part of baby desert tortoises’ diet and should not be given very often. It is only suitable as an occasional treat, as excessive eating of fruit may cause blockage of the intestines or other digestive problems.