Field guide for tortoise keepers
TortoScope
Snap a plant. Find out if your tortoise can eat it.
A wildflower in the garden, a weed on a walk, a houseplant you're about to put in the enclosure. Take a photo and TortoScope tells you what it is, whether your tortoise can eat it, and why.
Free on iPhone, iPad and Android · 3 free identifications a day
New Maps of where every plant grows wildTortoScope in numbers
- over1,200 plants in the safety catalogue
- over10,300 plants identified for keepers
- 2,152 different species photographed
- 95% of identifications came with a safety rating
Most often spotted: Dandelion, Sorrel, Groundsel, Plantain and Sow Thistle.
Figures updated .
How it works
From photo to answer in seconds
Photograph a leaf, a flower, a fruit or the whole plant. TortoScope identifies it with Pl@ntNet, then looks every likely match up in its own safety catalogue.
- Open IdentifyTake a photo with the camera, or pick one you took earlier from your library.
- Choose the plantHere, a yellow-flowered succulent spotted on the dunes.
- It's identifiedThe photo goes to Pl@ntNet, and each likely species is checked against the catalogue.
- See the verdictHottentot Fig, 96% likely: In Moderation. Every match shows its own rating and reference photos to compare.
- Read the plant's pageThe rating, the reasons for it, your own photos and where the plant grows wild.
Four ratings
A clear answer, with the reasons behind it
Every plant in the catalogue has one of four ratings, written from the cautious habits experienced keepers follow for a varied diet.
Every entry tells you
- The rating, and how often (if ever) to offer it
- Which parts are safe and which aren't
- The compounds to watch, such as oxalates, saponins and cyanogenic glycosides
- Reference photos, so you can check the identification yourself
- Similar-looking plants you shouldn't confuse it with
- Its family, other common names, and where it grows wild
Honest about doubt
It tells you when it isn't sure
Plant ID from a photo isn't perfect, so TortoScope shows how confident each match is and never guesses quietly.
A confident match
The species is clear, so you get its rating straight away, with reference photos to compare against your own.
A close relative
When a plant isn't in the catalogue but its relatives are, you see their rating, marked as likely. If even the species is uncertain, it shows the most likely genera and families.
Not in the catalogue
If there's nothing to go on, it says so rather than guess. The scan stays in your history, and if the plant gets a rating later, the app lets you know.
New in version 1.9
Where it grows
Every plant's page now has a map of the regions it's native to and where it's been introduced, from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Filter the plant list to the ones that grow wild where you live. Handy when you're out foraging.
- Your region is guessed from your time zone, so no location access is needed.
- If it's not quite right, choose your own in Settings, from the list or with your location. Your location is only used to find the region; it isn't stored or sent anywhere.
Ranges from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 4.0).
The catalogue
Over 1,200 plants, free to browse
Look anything up before it goes in the enclosure. Search by common or scientific name, or filter by rating.
- Wildflowers, weeds and herbs common in UK and US gardens
- Vegetables and salad greens you might already have at home
- Houseplants, the safe ones and the toxic ones to avoid, such as Pothos, Philodendron and Dieffenbachia
- Tropical plants for fruit-eating species like Redfoots and Yellowfoots
- Grasses for grazers such as Sulcatas and Leopards
- Cacti and succulents, including Opuntia
The catalogue keeps growing, and updates arrive in the app without a new version.
Also in the app
Keeps track, so you don't have to
A record of everything you've checked, and a shortlist of what's worth picking.
Your scan history
Every plant you identify is saved with its photo and result. Search by name or filter by rating, and tap a scan to see it again.
New ratings for old scans
Scanned something the catalogue didn't have yet? When it, or a close relative, gets a rating, you get a notification and the scan is marked New rating.
Save plants for foraging
Bookmark the plants you'd like to look out for, then show just your saved ones in the list.
Filter by rating
Show only the Safe plants, or check what to keep away. Combine it with Saved and Grows Wild.
Find it from Spotlight
Plants and your past scans show up in iPhone search, so you can jump straight to one.
iPhone, iPad and Android
On the App Store for iPhone and iPad, and on Google Play for Android.
Why it matters
Getting the diet right
Captive tortoises rely on their keepers for nutritional balance. Wrong food choices contribute to metabolic bone disease (MBD), shell pyramiding, gout and digestive problems. Even safe plants can cause trouble at the wrong frequency: too much oxalate blocks calcium absorption, too much protein stresses the kidneys, and the wrong calcium-to-phosphorus ratio undermines shell growth.
TortoScope helps you feed a varied, safe diet without the guesswork. It's built for keepers of
- Russian
- Hermann's
- Sulcata
- Leopard
- Marginated
- Greek
- Indian Star
- Hingeback
- Redfoot
- Yellowfoot
and is useful for other plant-eating reptiles too, such as green iguanas.
Pricing
Free to use every day
The whole catalogue is free to browse, with 3 free identifications a day. Subscribe if you identify more than that.
Free
£0 · $0
- 3 plant identifications every day
- The full catalogue, ratings and range maps
- Scan history, saved plants and filters
Unlimited Plant IDs
£4.99 · $4.99 a month
- Identify as many plants as you like, every day
- Or £29.99 · $29.99 a year
- Cancel any time from your App Store or Google Play account
App Store prices. Google Play prices may differ slightly by country.
About the safety information. The advice in TortoScope reflects established tortoise-keeper knowledge and the conservative principles experienced keepers apply to a varied diet. It's guidance: if you're unsure about a plant, your tortoise is unwell, or you keep an unfamiliar species, ask a reptile vet before feeding. The app supports good husbandry; it doesn't replace UVB lighting, calcium supplements, regular weight checks or any other part of proper care.
Get TortoScope
- Platforms
- iPhone and iPad (iOS 26 or later), and Android
- Price
- Free, with an optional subscription for unlimited IDs
- Version
- 1.9, October 2026
- Catalogue
- Over 1,200 plants, updated without app updates
- Identification
- Powered by Pl@ntNet
- Plant ranges
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (WCVP)
- Category
- Reference
- Age rating
- 4+
- Language
- English