What Foods Does a Baby Desert Tortoise Eat?

Desert tortoises are a species of the gopher tortoise. Like the other gopher tortoises they are herbivores. They feed upon a variety of plants, fruits, and flowers. With the exception of fruits with a high acid content like tomatoes and citrus fruits, baby desert tortoises have the same diet as the adults, but in smaller pieces and proportions.

  1. In the Wild

    • In the wild, tortoises feed mainly upon a mix of grasses, leaves and stems, live or dried. In the spring, when they come out of hibernation, they feast upon annual plants, flowers and the young growth of cacti. Later in the summer they will eat dry forage. When the plants are in season, desert tortoises will also eat berries, gopher apples and legumes.

    In Captivity

    • In captivity baby desert tortoises need a diet high in fiber, low in protein and rich in calcium. The basic diet should include nopales (Opuntia cactus), grasses, weeds, peas and beans, squash and fruits (with seeds removed) and leafy greens like dandelions, endive and grape leaves. Chop the feed into baby-sized bites and serve in a pan low and large enough for the tortoise to crawl into. Dried leaves and grasses should be served along with fresh food. The basic diet should also be supplemented with a calcium source such as eggshells or cuttlebone.

    Foods to Avoid

    • Many of the greens sold for human consumption are not suitable as mainstay foods for tortoises. While they can be fed as a special treat they often are high in sugar and low in fiber. Lettuce has very little nutritional value. Corn, cucumbers, zucchini and sprouts are also high in water content and do not have the concentration of nutrients that baby tortoises need. Cruciferous vegetables like kale, cabbage and broccoli contain goitrogens, which impair thyroid function and slow growth. Spinach and parsley contain calcium oxalates that may bind calcium, causing metabolic bone disease.