Safe Plants for Tortoises 🌿🐢

Providing a variety of safe plants in your tortoise’s enclosure or diet can promote natural foraging behaviour, hydration, and enrichment. Below is a list of tortoise-safe plants, broken down into categories for easy reference.

🌿 Edible Plants (Good for Grazing/Feeding)

These are safe for regular consumption and can be planted in outdoor enclosures or offered as part of the tortoise's diet:

• Dandelion (leaves and flowers) 🌼

• Plantain (not the banana type!) 🍃

• Clover ☘️

• Chickweed

• Sow Thistle

• Dead Nettle

• Petunia

• Hibiscus (flowers and leaves) 🌺

• Rose petals (unsprayed) 🌹

• Mulberry leaves

• Nasturtium (flowers and leaves)

• Lavatera (mallow family)

• Lamb’s lettuce

🌿 Edible Succulents (Sparingly)

These can be offered occasionally, especially for Mediterranean species like Hermann’s or Horsfield’s tortoises:

• Opuntia (prickly pear cactus) – remove spines! 🌵

• Aloe vera – very sparingly

🐾 Safe for Enclosure (Not necessarily edible)

These are safe to plant in a tortoise’s outdoor or indoor enclosure. Tortoises may nibble on them, but they shouldn’t cause harm:

• Pansies 🌸

• Marigolds (Calendula, not Tagetes)

• Spider plant

• Grasses (like timothy, meadow, orchard)

• Hostas

• Hebes

• Bamboo (non-toxic species)

📊 Tips & Notes

• Always ensure plants are pesticide-free and not collected from roadsides or sprayed areas.

• Offer a varied diet—don't rely on just a few plants.

• Shop bought leaves are useful, especially in winter.  Avoid iceberg lettuce, and don't feed too many dark greens.

• When in doubt, use a tortoise plant database or consult a reptile-savvy vet.

• Some plants are safe only for certain species. This guide is aimed at Mediterranean tortoises (like Hermann’s and Horsfield’s) who need mostly more fibrous, weedy plants. Tropical tortoises (like red-footed tortoises and leopard and sulcata tortoises) will need a different diet.