# Spotted Spurge?



## Mojaverocco (Jun 22, 2013)

My moms friend comes over and pulls spotted sourge (or as she calls milkweed) Its not milk weed. She pulls it and puts it in my tortoise enclosure and feeds it to my baby desert tortoise. It scares me because he is only eating what I have on the magnet from the tortoise group. He eats only dandelion, kale, and grass. Is it safe? She left and I took it all out, and threw it away but is it safe? Im scared because he eascaped from his enclosure for 2 days and it is all around where he was hanging out. Is it safe for him to eat or should I not feed him it? 

P.S. He is safe and healthy from eascaping, i kept an eye on him and he seems fine and is eating and drinking fine! c:


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## wellington (Jun 22, 2013)

Milkweed is not safe. However I couldn't find anything on the spotted sourge. Most will say they won't eat what is bad for them. We shouldn't purposely feed what we know is bad though.


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## Mojaverocco (Jun 22, 2013)

Well my moms friend says she always feed her desert tortoise this stuff and they "doubled in size" But it isnt milkweed I live in las vegas and looked at weed pictures here and found out it was spotted spurge. I also researched and found nothing on it so I came on here to see. 


wellington said:


> Milkweed is not safe. However I couldn't find anything on the spotted sourge. Most will say they won't eat what is bad for them. We shouldn't purposely feed what we know is bad though.


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## EchoTheLeoTort (Jun 22, 2013)

If its uncertain I wouldn't feed it to him. You sound like you aren't going to so thats a good thing  But like Wellington said, they don't really eat things they know they can't have. Just to be safe I wouldn't feed it, stick to what you know is safe and good and that he seems to enjoy eating


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## jaizei (Jun 22, 2013)

While I've seen it listed as toxic for some animals (mammals); a previous thread on it makes it seem as though it is not, at least where some tortoises are concerned. 

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-52578.html


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## Mojaverocco (Jun 22, 2013)

Yeah I dont want to feed it top him


EchoTheLeoTort said:


> If its uncertain I wouldn't feed it to him. You sound like you aren't going to so thats a good thing  But like Wellington said, they don't really eat things they know they can't have. Just to be safe I wouldn't feed it, stick to what you know is safe and good and that he seems to enjoy eating


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## GeoTerraTestudo (Jun 22, 2013)

Spotted spurge (_Euphorbia maculata_) is okay. My guys like to eat it sometimes when they're out and about. It has latex sap, which contains oxalic acid, so too much too frequently is not good. But they don't eat a lot of it. A little of it now and then is fine.


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## Yvonne G (Jun 22, 2013)

Spurge is one of the staples for wild desert tortoises, however, they find it on their own, along with all kinds of other plants and weeds. It is high in oxalates, and should not be pulled up and fed to a tortoise. If he eats it on his own, once or twice a week its ok, but not as a staple.


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## thatrebecca (Jun 23, 2013)

My CDTs are big fans of spotted spurge, for what it's worth. When they're allowed to roam in the yard, with a ton of grasses, weeds and flowers to choose from, it's the first thing they go for. I've seen no ill effect from them eating it as part of a rounded diet.


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## ascott (Jun 23, 2013)

Same here....the men folk here seem to begin to munch it down at the end of the summer heat....can not tell if there is something in it that offers them pleasure in eating or if they do it at the end of summer because it is what is left after the long summer or if they know something about it I just will never know...lol


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