• Lettuces- Dandelion, Endive, Escarole, green or red leaf, chicory, radicchio, arugula (rocket), watercress, and Romaine. Spinach is often avoided because of the high oxalates level (0.97gr/100gr of food), but many keepers seem to successfully use it as part of a rotation to take advantage of its many good qualities. Iceberg can be a good ‘filler’ in some cases but may be too high in moisture for some. Avoid purslane and parsley.
• Bagged salad mixes can be a helpful tool for many of us. They generally combine several good ingredients and are ready to eat as-is. if you use these, try to rotate which ones you buy, and avoid those that depend too heavily on Iceberg or Romaine lettuces. The general rule of thumb is that the more different leaf shapes and colors you see, the better!
• Brassicas– ‘Greens’ (turnip, mustard, collards, etc.) and kale. Cabbage is another good ‘filler’. Cauliflower and broccoli can be used occasionally. Bok choy, Swiss chard, and other relatives of the cabbage can be used once in a while, if at all.
• Hays and grasses– Timothy hay, wheatgrass, yard grasses, orchard grass, Bermuda grass. Alfalfa hay is high in proteins, but can be used as a small part of the diet.
• Common yard plants– Dandelion, plantain, thistle, clover, chickweed, lawn grasses, hens and chicks, mulberry, henbit, and a wide range of edible flowers (see the safe foods links here)
• Vegetables– Cactus pads or fruits, edible succulents, and mushrooms. These items should only be a small part of the overall diet- shredded or lightly steamed carrots, shredded or lightly cooked sweet potatoes, bell peppers, pumpkin, squash. Vegetables to use even less often would include 
• Proteins– Wild many wild herbivores eat meat when it is available- some even going so far as to hunt, kill, and consume small animals- it is not a good idea to offer meat to captive herbivores. Occasional treats of invertebrates (snails, worms, crickets, Phoenix worms, slugs, etc.) can offer some variety and beneficial nutrients, but even that is generally not needed if a healthy, balanced, varied diet is followed. Outdoor tortoises will often find and eat their own prey.
• Fruits– ‘Fruits’ actually includes any vegetable with seeds in it, including things like cucumbers and bell peppers. What they call fruits in the grocery store, however, are the wetter, sweeter things. Too much of this moisture and sugar will make most tortoises ill. The ‘dryer’, less sweet traditional fruits, like figs, cherries, etc. are OK occasionally. 
• Prepared foods– Discussed in more depth here. Crushed rabbit or guinea pig chow can also be used as a supplement to increase fiber, especially if the diet is heavy in lettuces.

• Species of tortoise- Some are more tolerant of high-moisture lettuces than others, and so on.
• Local availability- Many of us are limited in what we can find, especially in the winter time. A thrifty and smart keeper, however, can feed their tortoises almost forever and for almost nothing by knowing how to find foods in lots and overgrown areas that have not been sprayed with anything.
• Indoors or outdoors?- An outdoor tortoise can thrive on foods planted in the pen, while we need to provide the entire diet of an indoor tortoise.
• Time and money- We may not always want to admit it, but our pet care often is limited by available resources. We may wish to provide just the top foods from the best market, but our cash and time availability often cannot support it.

• Learn to forage in local lots, neighbor’s yards, etc., as long as they have not been sprayed.
• Ask for blemished or day-old produce at the grocery store, farmer’s market, or restaurant with a good salad bar. Locally owned/operated places are your best bet.
• Pay (or offer work share or barter) a neighbor with a green thumb and a good garden to grow stuff for you.
• Growing plants in containers or other indoor gardening options.
• Preserving plants from season to season by freezing or drying them.
• Join a community garden or a Community Supported Agriculture group.
• Buddy up with other keepers with similar needs to bring group buying power to the above ideas.

• The Shell Bowl is about the size of the tortoise’s shell, offered every day, and is filled with greens, grasses, hays, leaves, flowers, etc.
• The Head Bowl is about the size of the head, offered less often, and is fulled with the items from the ‘Vegetables’ section above.
• Pinch of ‘Tortoise Library Nutrient Mix‘ (below). 

• About 1/2 fresh Mazuri Tortoise Diet or another good ‘tortoise chow’. (See “Prepared Foods or Natural Diet” for more on this topic.) NOTE: This should only be about 2-4% of the total weight of the tortoise!
• About 1/2 mixed green salad with a little vegetables, varying the ingredients over time.
• No special preparation needed.

The Tortoise Library nutrient mix
There are several good supplements available, such as the excellent TNT (Total Nutrition for Tortoises), but you can make up an easy-to-use mix of fiber, calcium, and vitamins if you would rather not buy it.

1. Chop or grind up dried, cubed, or pelleted hay (Timothy hay, etc.), until it is like parsley. The easiest way to break down the cubes is to tap them with a hammer and they will break apart into thin layers, then just crumple a layer up, tossing out any hard bits left over.
2. Add about a heaping teaspoon of calcium powder per cup of hay.
3. Add about 1/8th teaspoon, or one crushed human vitamin tablet, to the mix.
4. Toss or stir and store in an air-tight container.
5. If possible, add vitamin D as well when the tortoises are kept indoors. Liquid vitamin D is somewhat better than dry forms.