# Gourds



## MichelleCarrigan78 (Oct 28, 2010)

I got a few of the decorative gourds at our local pumpkin farm this year. Just curious if gourds are safe to feed to tortoises/turtles. Would this be treated the same as pumpkin or not?


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## Olympia (Oct 28, 2010)

That is an interesting question, because the gourds belong to the same family of the pumpkin (Cucurbitaceae) as is the cucumber. But Cucumber, except of not being so nutrition for tortoise, doesn't harm them so much (as far as I know), but pumpkin doesn't do so good, especially for worms issues. I am interested to know what expert in the field would say. In any case, make sure that they grew them without any pesticides. 

Michal


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## Yvonne G (Oct 28, 2010)

http://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=2865


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## MichelleCarrigan78 (Oct 28, 2010)

If I were to give him some regular pumpkin should it be cooked first so it doesnt have worms?


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## HarleyK (Oct 28, 2010)

Geez how do you even feed a gourd to a tortoise... they are so hard they can't even be carved!!!


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## Yvonne G (Oct 28, 2010)

Tortoises don't get worms from pumpkins. If you're feeding a grass-eating tortoise a lot of fruit (not something he normally should eat) the extra fruit causes his existing parasites to bloom, or grow more rapidly. He doesn't get them from the fruit, he already had them in a manageable amount.

I feed the large tortoises (upwards of 50lbs) uncooked pumpkin, but the smaller ones have to have the pumpkin nuked in the microwave for a few minutes to soften it or they can't bite it.


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## MichelleCarrigan78 (Oct 29, 2010)

Thank you, I'll skip the gourds, and if we carve a pumpkin i'll save him a bit or 2. He doesnt eat fruit hardly ever so I'm good in that catagory


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