Broccoli and cauliflower are not “dangerous”, but they aren’t what your pet tortoise should be eating either.
However, if you must feed at all, for variety sake, then you can offer up a small piece about once a fortnight. That amount mixed with other feeds over time should prevent your tort from ever getting bored.
Leafy greens should make up variety of your tort’s diet. That’s variety over time rather than variety within each meal. If you buy, or pick, something for your tort use it up and then get something different next time.
Tortoises have a hard time digesting sugars well, they often result in kidney and digestive problems for them, so fruits, bell pepper, tomato and carrot should be fed very sparingly and very occaisonally – if at all.
READ ALSO: Can a Hermann Tortoise eat Blueberries?
Can Hermann Tortoises Eat Broccoli and Cauliflower?
Cauliflower and broccoli aren’t good foods for your tortoise; he or she should be eating mostly broad leaved plants – dandelion is a good example.
There are unlimited good foods you can feed out there. If you are limited to grocery food for now, here are some things to try out: mustard greens, Collards, carrot tops, bok choy, and other dark, leafy greens are fine as well.
Turnip and radishes leaves are also good. Remember, just the leaves!
Note: Not all garden plants are safe. Some unsafe garden plants for tortoises include: Hebes, lavender, pansies, nastursiums, sempiviviums, most succulents althought these plants are safe they won’t necessarily feed on them although mine tend to have a nibble as they pass. Avoid any plant growing from a bulb none of them are good.
Natural weeds remain by far the best and most natural diet you can give and I’m glad to see you’re growing some.
Other food recommendations are chicories, dandelions, radiccio, frisee, escarole, and endive. If your grocery store carries the ReadyPac brand, the Santa Barbara mix is all chicories.
You can find cactus, labeled nopales, at any hispanic grocery store too.