Sulcata tortoises are primarily grass-eaters. A sulcata tortoise diet should comprise 80% grass and hay, 10% greens and 10% treats. Treats for a sulcata tortoise can include flowers, cactus and vegetables.
Vegetables contain a lot of sugar, so when they digest, your tortoise is digesting a lot of sugar. So, when feeding vegetables to a sulcata, make sure to keep them to a minimal.
When feeding a sulcata vegetables, only offer safe vegetables for sulcata tortoises.
Safe Vegetables for Sulcata Tortoises
Do not feed your sulcata tortoise more vegetables than he is getting in grass and greens. You want to make sure that the diet is truly primarily grass. You do not want treats to exceed 10% of the tortoise’s diet.
Not all vegetables are safe for sulcatas. Safe vegetables for sulcata tortoises include the following.
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Peppers – Green, Red and Yellow
- Pumpkin (technically a fruit)
- Squash
- Sweet Potato
- Zucchini
- Cucumber
If you’re looking for other safe vegetables to give a sulcata tortoise, consider different grocery store greens to add variety. Popular grocery store lettuces that you can feed your suclata tortoise includes the following.
- Arugula
- Chicory
- Endive
- Escarole
- Grape leaf
- Green oak leaf
- Radicchio
- Red leaf lettuce
- Spring Mix lettuces
- Watercress
Although there are vegetables you can feed a sulcata, avoid feeding a sulcata vegetables like beans, sprouts, broccoli, celery, corn, eggplant, onions, peas or potatoes.
