# Banana peels



## nicholas_13 (Feb 3, 2014)

Can a russian tortoise eat a banana peel?


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## Team Gomberg (Feb 3, 2014)

I wouldn't try to feed it. 

They shouldn't even have the fruit, why offer them it's peel?


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## Turtulas-Len (Feb 4, 2014)

The greener the peel the better, I feed them to help in beak maintenance, my russians don't care for them no matter how ripe they are.


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## Tom (Feb 4, 2014)

No. They fumigate imported bananas and reportedly trace amounts of the toxins remain on the peels. The FDA feels this is okay since humans aren't going to eat the peels. Besides that, russians shouldn't be getting fruit or fruit peels.


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## Yvonne G (Feb 4, 2014)

This is good to know, Tom, because I generally just slice the bananas in half lengthwise, peel and all, to feed to my forest tortoises. Guess I'll start peeling them.


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## Jacqui (Feb 4, 2014)

Tom said:


> The FDA feels this is okay since humans aren't going to eat the peels.



They obvioulsy did not go to elementary school with the same boy I did. This kid would eat his peel (and ones from other kids) and liked the peel better then the banana.


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## Yvonne G (Feb 4, 2014)

I wonder if washing the banana would be enough to get rid of the residual. I always wash my store bought tortoise food.


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## Tom (Feb 4, 2014)

Yvonne G said:


> I wonder if washing the banana would be enough to get rid of the residual. I always wash my store bought tortoise food.



I don't know the answer. This came up for me 20 years ago from the vet at my animal school. Our baboon was like the boy from Jacqui's elementary school and liked to eat the whole banana peel and all. He advised us that it could be a problem so we started peeling them for her. I don't think its anything horrendous, because I know of lots of animals that eat the peels and are still alive, but I wonder if the long term build up of trace amounts of the toxins could be a problem. Not worth the risk to me.


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## Grandpa Turtle 144 (Feb 4, 2014)

I read you should feed calery or banana peels to torts because of the strings in both the torts have a problem with digestion . But boy do my mealworms love the peels . Good luck


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## Saleama (Feb 4, 2014)

Yvonne, washing the banana will not get rid of the stuff they put on it. It is not so much that they spray them, the house them in huge vaults that are three and four stories high and pump in a gas that helps to stabilize the ripening process. They do the same for avocados. I can't remember what the gas is. My father was in the produce business as was his father. I can tell you that this stuff will hasten the ripening process of just about any fruit. It is not a very dangerous gas but I would not feed the peels of any fruit you don't know to be organic to my turtles or tortoises. I would also be careful of organics as there is not a single law on the books as to what exactly can qualify as organic. For instance, in California you can leave a field fallow once every three years and label anything grow on it as organic DESPITE what you might use on it while it is growing. In short, unless the banana was grown in your back yard, don't trust it. Unless the fruit you buy is certified as local pesticide free, don't feed the skin and wash it carefully. the organic label is not enough to go by.


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## Tom (Feb 4, 2014)

Grandpa Turtle 144 said:


> I read you should feed calery or banana peels to torts because of the strings in both the torts have a problem with digestion . But boy do my mealworms love the peels . Good luck



Grandpa , I can tell you that neither of those are true. I know of lots of tortoises that have been eating celery for years with no issue, including mine. It is not more fibrous or stringy than many of the weed or grasses they eat. Also I know of a guy (he refuses to listen to me) that regularly feeds whole bananas to his large group of sulcatas. All of them appear to be fine and reproducing, but he still dries his babies out and refuses to hear anything to the contrary. So sad.


Good info Saleama. My wife tells people the same thing about the "organic" stuff.


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## Grandpa Turtle 144 (Feb 4, 2014)

Well Tom that's why I know I'm still learning and some of it is for the TFO ! But that's why we are here . Have a great night


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## nicholas_13 (Feb 5, 2014)

Thanks guys


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