# Lettuce and greens expire?



## chase thorn (Jun 13, 2012)

So I offer my russian a variety of Lettuce and other greens to really mix up his diet... Yet I tend to throw away a lot of lettuce because it seems no good for a human to eat. But does it matter to a tortoise if the lettuce gets a little old? as long as there is not fungus or anything


----------



## dmmj (Jun 13, 2012)

I try and keep it fresh, but dry crunchy stuff is still good, I often hear my baby leos at night munching on some old dried up grape leaves, that they missed during the day.


----------



## chase thorn (Jun 13, 2012)

Also, would I be able to go on the land and pick wild dandelions and feed them to him?


----------



## JoesMum (Jun 13, 2012)

Joe eats stuff when it's wilted.

I always put it out fresh and wet it thoroughly before feeding which helps it to stay fresh longer. In the summer months I will feed in the evening after he's gone to bed . He's up and about early next morning and usually eats it regardless of how limp it's gone




chase thorn said:


> Also, would I be able to go on the land and pick wild dandelions and feed them to him?



As long as you are sure there been no chemicals sprayed on them. Wash thoroughly just in case there's cat wee or similar on them


----------



## dmmj (Jun 13, 2012)

chase thorn said:


> Also, would I be able to go on the land and pick wild dandelions and feed them to him?


I would only do this, if I was 100 percent sure it was chemical free.


----------



## chase thorn (Jun 13, 2012)

It's on my land so I am 100% sure


----------



## dmmj (Jun 13, 2012)

Then no worries then.


----------



## JoesMum (Jun 14, 2012)

I agree... no worries. Still give them a wash though... it will help them to stay fresh longer and the wet food forces you tort to take some water on board!


----------



## Jacqui (Jun 14, 2012)

chase thorn said:


> Also, would I be able to go on the land and pick wild dandelions and feed them to him?



Further down you said your sure they are chemical free, so by all means yes do feed those weeds. They are actually much better for your tortoise then plants we grow. Plus the bonus is (well atleast for me), is I feel good when I spend time collecting for my shelled ones and it's nice to not have to pay money for it.

As for the older "expired" food, I have folks who give me their expired food for the tortoises and I have yet to see any of them turn it down. The fruit especially if you think about it, is how they would eat it most in the wild. Nobody goes and gets those nicely ripened fruits down off the tree for them, instead what they get are the ripe ones that have fallen to the ground. Food is food to them, nature taught them to survive they need to eat anything, in any condition they come across. The picky tortoise in the wild would not survive.


----------



## tortle (Jun 15, 2012)

I also have this question. My tortoise will eat expired foods but is it healthy for them?


----------



## JoesMum (Jun 15, 2012)

There are two types of Expiry date in the UK

Best Before = You can eat it after this date and it won't harm you, but it might not taste quite as nice as it did before it expired. All fruit and veg and many other goods have this

Use By = Eat this by a certain date. Eating it afterwards puts you at risk of Salmonella or other bacteria. Typically this one is put on meat products.

In the wild plants grow, animals eat them... the plants don't expire, the animal just decides they're not worth eating. Unless things are slimy or rotten, feed them after Expiry without worrying. I might not like limp lettuce or brownish edges to my bok choy, but Joe doesn't care and the loss of nutrient value is low.


----------



## Jacqui (Jun 15, 2012)

tortle said:


> I also have this question. My tortoise will eat expired foods but is it healthy for them?



This will depend on what it is and why it is "expired". Take me for instance, I go to the store and get a banana. I pick on that is still completely firm, the peel showing just a touch o green with the yellow. This is how I like my banana. The banana next becomes solid yellow and is a bit softer, for me it has expired from it's time for me to eat it, but it's fine for my son or for a tortoise. Next stage the uneaten banana starts getting a lot of spots on the yellow peel and is very soft. It now has also expired from my son being able to eat it, but I could still either feed it to my tortoises or make banana bread. I did nothing with it and now I have this black, mushy, leaking liquid banana and it even seems to have mold growing on it.  This banana is now expired and gets tossed or composted.

In the store the date is set depending on the product as to when it may visibly look older and thus less appealing to the buyer or when the top rating quality may start to drop. It is still able to be fed, it just does not look as good or have as high a food value. The more past that expiration date, the less quality it will be until yes it may become unsafe to eat.


----------



## tortle (Jun 15, 2012)

I was mainly thinking about spring mix in this case so from what you guys said it looks good to go. Thanks


----------



## dmmj (Jun 15, 2012)

Here goes the "banana" talk again,.
Greens that are wilted are still good to use, whether or not you choose to use it is another story.


----------



## brnforce (Jun 16, 2012)

Jacqui said:


> chase thorn said:
> 
> 
> > Also, would I be able to go on the land and pick wild dandelions and feed them to him?
> ...



Mine unfortunately wouldn't survive in the wild. He is the pickiest eater ever.


----------



## Madkins007 (Jun 16, 2012)

Older greens- while there is nothing really wrong with them, you do need to remember that many key nutrients are time sensitive and fade or vanish entirely over time. When you figure that store bought stuff is already about a week old when you buy it and has generally lost 1/4th to 1/2 of the nutrition already, the older it gets the less value it has.

So- think of older stuff as 'filler' but try to provide stuff that is as fresh as possible whenever you can- like stuff you picked in the yard.


----------

