Are rose petals safe to feed to redfoots? How about the leaves? I woud hate to see the V-day flowers go to waste.

Thanks,

ARKelly

Petal,leaves, and fruit (hips) are fine. Florist roses are not (pesticides). My torts have roses (wild ) in their outside enclosure.

Thanks Itort, I forgot about the use of pesticides. I am assuming washing them would not help?

What exaclty is a rose fruit (hips)? I am not sure if I ever seen one before.

ARKelly

It's a red fruit, looks like a small apple, that is the fruit of a rose. Tea roses usually don"t develop them but bush roses such as wild roses (prairie rose) and hedge roses get nice ones. This fruit is very eatable and full of nutriants.

Washing won't help because chemicals are added to their water/substrate supply and are taken into the plant, not just sprayed on the surface. Same reason why new plants from a greenhouse/nursery should be kept for awhile before planting into a tort area.

Also different roses have been raised for different uses/needs. Some for fragrance, some color, some size of bloom, amount of thorns, ect.., This makes not every rose equal to the tortoise minds as a food supply. It's often why a keeper finds their tort not interested in a certain rose.

When all the petals fall off the rose the small round apple like sturcture that is left is called a rose fruit, rose apple or rose hips. You often see these (rose hips) as an ingrediant used in tea.

Jacqui, I never thought about the different roses and the reaseons or uses they are raise for. Makes perfect sense that a tort may like one and not another. Thanks for those words of wisdom.

Here are a couple cast iron roses. These are the ones I grow for my torts. Rosa arkansana (prairie rose) and Rosa carolina.

This post was last modified: 02-21-2008 11:51 AM by Itort.

Thanks for the help guys. I have since thrown away the "bought" roses. We have several wild roses growing around here so when I feel brave to touch them, I will replant them in the tort pen.

Thanks again,

ARKelly