Contrary to what is often thought, your gopher tortoise's diet cannot consist solely of lettuce leaves. At our site we know that these reptiles require a balanced and varied diet to grow he althy and strong.
However, you cannot add just any ingredient to your turtle's food, as some are harmful to them. That is why we present you this article on prohibited foods for gopher tortoises.
Not everything is lettuce
The adequate feeding of the turtle will depend a lot on which species it belongs to. Even among the land ones, there are different varieties with different nutritional requirements. Still, there are some general recommendations about a proper diet for Earthlings.
Offer mixed dishes, with different types of vegetables, small portions of fruit and some extra accessories is ideal, not only to cover all the nutritional needs, but also so that the turtle does not get used to a single flavor and then refuses to try different things, a fact that ends up being counterproductive for its he althy development.
Here is a list of certain foods that are off-limits for gopher tortoises, or should be offered only in small amounts and infrequently:
1. Legumes and grains
All legumes and grains are prohibited for turtles, such as beans, beans, corn, rice, beans, lentils, peas, among others. They should not be offered to the turtle in any form, neither the natural grain nor in the form of crackers or other foods that contain them.
two. Vegetables, vegetables and greens
These food groups should make up 90% of the turtle's diet. However, not all vegetables or all vegetables are suitable for them. In this sense, we recommend you avoid:
- Beetroot
- Carrot
- Zucchini
- Pepper
- Peppers
- Chili pepper
- Asparagus
- Spinach
Consumption of most of these foods can lead to obesity, nutritional deficiencies and even liver disease Lettuce, although not harmful, it is preferable to offer it only sporadically, preferring instead wild herbs and different types of flowers.
3. Fruits
Although fruit should be part of the regular diet of gopher tortoises, it is recommended to add only 10% of it in each portion of food. Likewise, there are some that are prohibited, such as:
- Banana
- Date
- Grape
- Peach
- Kiwi
- Grenade
- Apricot
4. Mushrooms
A dish prepared with mushrooms is usually very tempting for humans, but it will be terrible for your gopher tortoise. You should not offer mushrooms or any other mushrooms. Not only are they difficult to digest, but you could also come across some that are poisonous.
5. Sugars
Under no circumstances should you give the turtle foods that contain large amounts of sugar. This includes not only minimizing fruit portions, a topic we touched on above, but also banishing any type of human treat from these reptiles' diets
Why? The bacteria in the stomach of turtles are only capable of digesting small amounts of sugar, so excessive intake would destroy all of them, causing a intoxication that could kill the animal.
6. Food for dogs or cats
Many people recommend offering dog food to supplement the turtles' nutrition. However, this is a mistake, because the vitamins and minerals in this type of food have been formulated only for dogs and not for turtles, so it comes with supplements that can be harmfulfor these reptiles and in the long run can lead to the appearance of nutritional deficiencies or excesses.
7. Animal products
Mediterranean tortoises should not consume any type of animal product, while tropical tortoises do need it in their diet, but in the form of snails, earthworms and insects. In addition, the portion should be very small, only 5% of the total diet
8. Main feeding problems
Food specially formulated for turtles is not recommended as the main food in the diet of turtles, as it does not contain all the necessary nutrients. The ideal is to administer a homemade and natural diet, and offer the turtle food only sporadically.
Overfeeding is often the main problem pet turtles experience. Giving more food than required results in obese animals, with serious he alth problems and deformations in the shell. Consult your veterinarian about the frequency and amount of food your turtle needs, according to its age and the species to which it belongs.
