African Spurred Tortoise, AKA Sulcata Tortoise.
They eat grasses and leafy greens, no meat, very little fruit.
>African Sulcata Tortoises have voracious appetites. Providing a proper diet is critical for Sulcata Tortoise health. They require a diet high in fiber and calcium and low in fat and protein. In the wild, Sulcatas graze, similarly to cows or sheep, and the desert vegetation is often coarse and of poor nutritional quality. Offering a diet of higher nutritional quality can lead to malformations of the shell, too rapid of growth rate, diarrhea, and other problems. Grass hay or hay flakes most closely resemble their natural vegetation.
>Grass hay and hay flakes may be bought commercially or grass pasture seed may be purchased and grown. Clover is another source of forage. Dark green leafy vegetables should be offered, but should make up less than 25% of the diet. Appropriate items include turnip greens, endive, escarole, dandelions, and small amounts of romaine lettuce (not iceberg lettuce). Spinach, beet greens, carrot tops, kale, broccoli, and especially rhubarb, contain high amounts of oxalates which bind calcium, so these should be offered in limited quantities, if at all. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, and mustard greens contain substances called "goitrogens" which can affect thyroid function, although this effect is seldom seen unless large amounts of these foods are fed. Small amounts of strawberries, bananas, melon, berries, and apples may be given. A calcium supplement needs to be given regularly. A vitamin/mineral supplement is also recommended. Tortoises are herbivores, so meat-based food items should not be fed.
