Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys,

I've only had this Greek tortoise for 2 weeks now and he hadn't been well cared for previously. He has a runny nose but the discharge is clear so I suspect high humidity at the pet store was the problem. I have him under a heat lamp day and night and he now has a good appetite for dandelion leaves and flowers at least. I have done a bit of research into the dietary needs of Greek tortoises and discovered that fruit should compose only 15% of their diet. Question is, are citrus fruits like tangerines allowed?

-Kyle
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Who is like Set...

1.1 Vietnamese Blue Beauties
2.2 Taiwan Beauties
2.3 Cave Beauties
0.1 Bull Snake
1.0.0 Argentine Blk & Wht Tegu
2.5 Box Turtles

I would be reluctant to feed citrus, although I have done so a few times in the past. With a few exceptions, fruits are probably not great, often leading to loose stools and possible "blooms" of undesireable intestinal flora/fauna due to the relatively high sugar content. Your "Greeks" will probably do well with little or no fruit if provided an otherwise varied diet. I do offer an occassional, very limited fruit treat, such as cactus pears "tunas", figs from a tree in my yard, yellow squash, pumpkin, strawberries, apple. A rare bit of citrus probably won't hurt, and perhaps the Vit.C would be OK, but it should only be very occasionally. Strive for a varied diet, based on high Ca, low Ph,high fiber, low protein. I would feed weeds, greens and perhaps Mazuri chow in limited quantity/frequency. Good luck, Vic

Citric acid, ie. citrate works the same as oxalates in that it binds calcium causing kidney stones.