What's Wrong with Feeding My Tortoise Fruit?

The natural diet of most land tortoises is low in sugar. So it is with our desert tortoise.  Even prickly pears, the fruit of the cactus, are low in sugar. 

Most tortoises have some intestinal parasites. The sugars in sweet fruit increase the number of intestinal parasites, tend to debilitate the tortoise, and may cause colic.

So, when you think you are giving your tortoise a treat of one of the many sweet fruits that they love like strawberries or watermelon, it is somewhat like giving your child candy. However, the tortoise will not miss it if you avoid that temptation and it will be that much healthier.

November 1, 2007