# Fresh Banana Stalks for Sulcata?



## Maro2Bear (Nov 8, 2015)

Greetings,

I'm in the middle of cleaning up our outdoor garden beds, plants and container grown plants and just trimmed back a large banana stalk. I know our sully and others will readily eat banana leaves, but I'm wondering if nice fresh chunky banana stalks would be good? Seems like they would be, nice and moist, plenty of roughage, and fiber. Thoughts? @Lancecham @Tom

Heres a picture to give all a clear idea of what I'm referring to. Ps: no pesticides or fertilizers used on the banana.


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## Lancecham (Nov 8, 2015)

I do feed banana leaves regularly to my sulcatas, but I have never tried the banana stalks. I would be interested in seeing what others have to say...


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## Tom (Nov 8, 2015)

I've never fed either the leaves or stalks to my guys. Sorry. I'm no help on this one.


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## Maro2Bear (Nov 9, 2015)

Thanks Lance, Tom. Seems like the stalks would be alright. I guess i can try a few small pieces.


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## Prairie Mom (Nov 9, 2015)

Looks like something my own tortoise would enjoy.


Do you feed the stalks, @Turtulas-Len ?


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## Maro2Bear (Nov 9, 2015)

Well, ive gone ahead and provided our Sully with a handful of the pictured banana stalk junks - and he munched them right down. They are very saturated/juicy, so the key here might be moderation of course.


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## Maro2Bear (Nov 14, 2015)

Quick update, so far so good. Ive been providing our Sully a few chunks of the banana stalk daily now and really no change in anything. So, seems like stalks are another good food source, and adds variety of course.


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## Pearly (Nov 14, 2015)

In my logic: if leaves are ok so are the stalks. The only difference they'll be more fibrous.


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## Turtulas-Len (Nov 14, 2015)

Banana trees used to be a large part of Walkers winter diet when he came inside to the garage. Now that he stays outside all year he doesn't eat it as much, he now has a better winter variety available to choose from. Sylvia eats more of the trees than the others, This could be because he needs the moisture (don't drink from a bowl) and can reach the pieces I cut for him very easy.


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## Maro2Bear (Nov 14, 2015)

I'm hijacking my own thread, but just came back from a walk in an over grown park where we found the motherload of fresh dandelion, dandelion blooms, clover, and grasses. Filled one large plastic grocery sack with this bounty. Our Sully already enjoying. Mind you, it's the middle of November here in MD, and we could easily have a few inches of snow this time of year!


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## MPRC (Nov 14, 2015)

My redfoot decimated a big potted (expensive here in the NW @#$#%) banana tree that carelessly got knocked over. He ate it right to the dirt, leaves, stems and stalk, in a day. Go figure the little stinker prefers to pick his own greens vs. having them handed to him on a platter.

Also - for the next week he pooped like a St. Bernard. I think the fiber was good for him.


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## W Shaw (Nov 18, 2015)

I'm not experienced with tortoises yet, but I would hesitate. We always peeled the bananas we gave to our chimps, even though they would love to wadge them, because pesticides tend to concentrate in the banana skins, so I'd assume they might also concentrate in the stalks.


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## Maro2Bear (Nov 18, 2015)

Thanks Shaw, but these are banana stalks from my own trees. No pesticides or fertilizers have been used. So, I'm thinking they are fine. Ive been providing some every few days now with no outward I'll effects, I'm thinking the stalks are fine.


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## W Shaw (Nov 18, 2015)

Maro2Bear said:


> Thanks Shaw, but these are banana stalks from my own trees. No pesticides or fertilizers have been used. So, I'm thinking they are fine. Ive been providing some every few days now with no outward I'll effects, I'm thinking the stalks are fine.



Cool! It must be amazing to live where bananas grow! If you see any of those big banana spiders, you should post pictures! Sometimes they get accidentally shipped here with bananas and people find them. I'm always hoping, but so far have never been so lucky! (I'll stop randomly hijacking your post now!)


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## Maro2Bear (Nov 18, 2015)

W Shaw said:


> Cool! It must be amazing to live where bananas grow! If you see any of those big banana spiders, you should post pictures! Sometimes they get accidentally shipped here with bananas and people find them. I'm always hoping, but so far have never been so lucky! (I'll stop randomly hijacking your post now!)


No problem. We live in Maryland, not quite amazing banana territory  these are in large containers that i drag in and out every winter, spring.


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## AnimalLady (Nov 24, 2015)

Can I feed banana leaves to Redfoots and Russians?! I have a bunch!


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## Maro2Bear (Dec 24, 2016)

Greetings all, reinvigorating this thread on banana leaves, stalks, etc, but now wondering about banana flower pods as an occasional food source, especially for sulcatas. Just back from our international market, and the have a bin full of banana flower pods available. I'm wondering if anyone has fed to their tortoises, or sees any harm in the occasional pod?

I have feed leaves and stalks, but never the flower pods themselves. Thoughts or concerns? The pods arent listed on the tortisetable web site. I'm guessing that an occasional pod would be fine.

Heres a pix of what's available.


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## Yvonne G (Dec 24, 2016)

Maro2Bear said:


> Greetings,
> 
> I'm in the middle of cleaning up our outdoor garden beds, plants and container grown plants and just trimmed back a large banana stalk. I know our sully and others will readily eat banana leaves, but I'm wondering if nice fresh chunky banana stalks would be good? Seems like they would be, nice and moist, plenty of roughage, and fiber. Thoughts? @Lancecham @Tom
> 
> ...



There's quite a difference between Manouria and sulcata, but here's my banana tree experience:

I bought a very nice 10 gallon banana tree and planted it in my Manouria's rain forest. A plant in a 10 gallon pot is quite big with a nice root system.

Within two days that whole tree was gone, eaten clear down to the ground, then dug up and the roots were gone too. The Manouria thought it was quite a treat.


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## Yvonne G (Dec 24, 2016)

I'm just guessing, because I don't know for sure, but it seems the banana flower might be a bit like feeding the fruit?????? Afterall, the flower does turn into the fruit, right?


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## Maro2Bear (Dec 24, 2016)

Yes, same experience with the stalks thst i fed to Sully. So, flower pods?


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## Maro2Bear (Dec 24, 2016)

Yvonne G said:


> I'm just guessing, because I don't know for sure, but it seems the banana flower might be a bit like feeding the fruit?????? Afterall, the flower does turn into the fruit, right?



I'll have to grab one next week. The flower pod wouldnt have any of the sugars, etc like the fruit itself. Just like apple or any other fruiting fruit or vegg, the flower is different than the fully developed fruit/vegg.

I'll see, thanks for your sage advice, much appreciated. Happy Holidsys to you.


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## Yvonne G (Dec 24, 2016)

That makes sense. Afterall, a peach blossom is just that, a blossom, and not the sweet peach. So probably the same with the banana bud.


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## Turtulas-Len (Dec 24, 2016)

I never thought to offer the blooms to mine. I just went out to get one and here is what they look like.



I left this one out for Walker, but not sure if he is even going to venture out today due to rain and 50 degrees F.


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## Maro2Bear (Dec 24, 2016)

Thanks Len. Can see all the baby banana fingers n there. Be interesting to see Walker's interaction with the pods. I'm guessing he will eat them up.


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## Yvonne G (Dec 24, 2016)

Turtulas-Len said:


> I never thought to offer the blooms to mine. I just went out to get one and here is what they look like.
> View attachment 195602
> View attachment 195603
> View attachment 195601
> I left this one out for Walker, but not sure if he is even going to venture out today due to rain and 50 degrees F.



Aw, it looks like itty bitty baby bananas! I would imagine it would be sort of tart. Try one and tell us.


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## SarahChelonoidis (Dec 25, 2016)

I've tried banana flowers with my elongated before - no interest in them. I was surprised, because he devours both banana and pretty much all other flowers, but apparently banana flowers aren't a winning combo. It tasted pretty bitter to me.


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## Maro2Bear (Dec 25, 2016)

SarahChelonoidis said:


> I've tried banana flowers with my elongated before - no interest in them. I was surprised, because he devours both banana and pretty much all other flowers, but apparently banana flowers aren't a winning combo. It tasted pretty bitter to me.



Thanks Sarah. Happy holidays to you. I'll get one on our next grocery trip and see what our Sully does with it. @Turtulas-Len has some all ready for Walker...so, lets see his interaction.


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## Turtulas-Len (Dec 25, 2016)

Walker finally ventured out after the rain stopped yesterday. He looked at and smelled the bloom

And then turned and walked away from it.

He showed no interest in it, This doesn't surprise me, because he is spoiled and has unlimited access to the foods he has been eating for years.


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## Maro2Bear (Dec 25, 2016)

Turtulas-Len said:


> Walker finally ventured out after the rain stopped yesterday. He looked at and smelled the bloom
> View attachment 195641
> And then turned and walked away from it.
> View attachment 195642
> He showed no interest in it, This doesn't surprise me, because he is spoiled and has unlimited access to the foods he has been eating for years.



Thanks Len, doesnt surprize me that our spolied suuly's turn their noses up at newly introduced foods. Like kids with liver, or some other new taste.....first NO, then maybe a taste, then a favorite. Thanks for documenting your results.


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## Hugo's Home (May 29, 2018)

Man i was just wondering about banana/Plantain leaves! One of my buddies grows them in our high desert and was thinking that it could be a good food for hugo. I dont think he gets fruit since his freeze down every year but they come back like a forest! Glad to know that it could potentially be a food!


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## Maro2Bear (May 29, 2018)

Yep..... our Sully now devours large banana leaves as part of his diet. Our banana trees are really pushing up big large leaves so i trim off the older leaves and feed them every few days.


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