i have two horsefields both 2-3 years is it ok to feed them red cabbage ?????????

Hi there,

Red Cabbage is in the Brassica family of vegetables so there are the usual problems with Oxalates. In addition it seems to have a poor Calcium to Phosphorus ratio so you would need to overcompensate with Calcium for it to be any use. It also contains goitrogens, which are linked to cases of gout in tortoises.

Might be ok in very small quantities as part of a very varied diet as cabbage is high in fibre but probably not worth it, sorry.

GREENS      Ca:P       Protein   Fat   

Red cabbage    1.2:1       1.4%  0.3% 

thanks for getting back soon cheers

like i said we have two horesfields there about 2-3 years old we got them about 2weeks ago read alot about them an theres mixed advice out there so what foods would you recommend????? i work across for a sainsburys so its easy to pick up food for them so what foods shall i be getting ??????

Congratulations on your 2 Horsfields. Most people I know feed their Horsfields tortoises on a varied selection of garden weeds. With a bit of care in avoiding toxic plants it's possible to feed your tortoise for free for most of the year. Garden weeds are also great because they closely replicate the kind of plants tortoises would eat in the wild, low protein, high fibre.

Weed picking can be a bit tricky at this time of year so the diet does have to be filled out with supermarket plants. The mixed salad bags are a good start, avoid any containing spinach. You'll need to regularly supplement your tortoises with Calcium  powder and a multivitami supplement such as Nutrobal. You can get these from most online reptile suppliers.

For a really good idea of what to feed tortoises at the moment, please visit this site

http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

It has great information on tortoise nutrition in general as well as pictures of what to look out for.

And here's the TPG caresheet for Horsfields

http://www.tortoise-protection-group.org.uk/site/87.asp

Good luck with your new tortoises, anything else you would like to know, please ask.