Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just wondering if anyone out there knows if its okay to feed russians swiss chard..I tried looking it up on russiantortoise.org but I couldn't find anything about it...thanks

I've been wondering that same thing. I see it all the time and it looks like they would like it. Maybe someone here will know.

I'm too tired to look it up, but I recall chard as being on the no feed list. Generally try to provide high Ca., low Phos., low protien and high fiber. Many weeds meet that criteria. There is more to it than that, but those criteria are a good general guideline. No chard for my herd...too bad, because it is so easy to grow. Good luck, Vic

I have no idea. I have never tried to feed it to mine, but who knows. russiantortoise.org is a pretty comprehensive site so if they could have it, I am suprised that it would not be on there.

no don't feed it to them, I hear it binds calcium. So thats not good since they need calcium

I did some checking and suggest readers look at the World Chelonian Trust site. The nutrient table indicates chard is not very high in Cah, almost equal, not the 2:1 ratio most of us strive for. Futher, chard is high in Oxalic acid, which binds Ca and is not something you want to feed often/large quantity. Nutrition is not always black and white...and opinions/trends change over time. However, most agree to feed a diverse diet with high fiber, Hi Calcium and low Phosphorous, and moderate to low protien...see the various published charts and let that be a general guide. Sometimes you can "average" items, i.e. feed low protien Opuntia cactus with relatively high protien alfalfa, and have a reasonable 5-7% protien. Just say No to chard...