# Aloe plant



## laney (Jan 2, 2013)

Just bought one to put in the enclosure, should i pull or cut the sharp bits off incase it hurts him or his eyes?
Thanks


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 2, 2013)

If its a true aloe, I'd leave it be. That's what I did with the one I put in my baby sulcata enclosure. If its a new, store bought plant, you need to was it real good and repot it using good soil. This is the parent plant I got mine off of;




Second one is the, â€œpup" planted direct in the substrate.


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## laney (Jan 2, 2013)

Cowboy_Ken said:


> If its a true aloe, I'd leave it be. That's what I did with the one I put in my baby sulcata enclosure. If its a new, store bought plant, you need to was it real good and repot it using good soil. This is the parent plant I got mine off of;
> 
> Second one is the, â€œpup" planted direct in the substrate.



I bought it at a shop, I will give it a good wash and repot it, should I rinse it with just water?
I'm not very god with plants so I'm not sure if its a 'true' aloe and whether its a parent or a pup. Is this important? It is quite spikey at the edges.
It said aloe on the pot and matched a picture on the tortoise table website so I jumped at the chance to buy as I struggle to spot plants suitable. :s


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 2, 2013)

Once they get big, they send out the pups. They grow on the side, at the base of the plant. My three month old has no problem with the thorn type edges. I think you can purchase a plant/veggie soap that can help cut the nasty chemicals nurseries use to keep the plants healthy looking and pest free. I would wait two weeks or so after you repot it before putting it in with your tortoise. Put it in a nice, sunny window and use a very loose, free draining soil. Let it dry out a little between watering. Hope this helps.


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## acrantophis (Jan 2, 2013)

Remember guys, there are hundred of aloes species. The most common is aloe barbadensis, aka aloe vera. Aloe Vera (like the one in your pics) is a made up name. This variety and any hybrids (blue elf etc...) are edible and safe. As are most African aloes. There are, however, several very toxic aloes. Aloe saponaria and aloe ferox are two common and toxic species. I have a half acre of almost every aloe variant, including hybrids. I rarely feed any to my sulcata. There is very little nutrition in an aloe. I'm sure it's fun to see what they like to eat but, like myself, I rarely feed things that are empty calories. It will help with constipation, but most tortoises have no problem in that department.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jan 2, 2013)

Aloe Vera is the English name given for the Latin variety known as Aloe barbadensis. It is not a made up name, it is the common English name given. Yes, there are toxic to mammal varieties, but it is very hard indeed to find one of these in the common horticulture society. I believe that having these grow in an enclosure should pose no risk to adding empty calories to a tortoise. Unless a tortoise developed a liking to the bitter taste, the occasional nibble or full on bite would be of little consequence.


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## laney (Jan 2, 2013)

Cowboy_Ken said:


> Once they get big, they send out the pups. They grow on the side, at the base of the plant. My three month old has no problem with the thorn type edges. I think you can purchase a plant/veggie soap that can help cut the nasty chemicals nurseries use to keep the plants healthy looking and pest free. I would wait two weeks or so after you repot it before putting it in with your tortoise. Put it in a nice, sunny window and use a very loose, free draining soil. Let it dry out a little between watering. Hope this helps.





Thanks that is really helpful!! 
It looks like your pics just smaller and more stumpy. I will follow your instructions to make it safer for them and hopefully keep it alive  I'm so bad with plants I'm sure I could even kill the fake ones lol.
Thanks again x




acrantophis said:


> Remember guys, there are hundred of aloes species. The most common is aloe barbadensis, aka aloe vera. Aloe Vera (like the one in your pics) is a made up name. This variety and any hybrids (blue elf etc...) are edible and safe. As are most African aloes. There are, however, several very toxic aloes. Aloe saponaria and aloe ferox are two common and toxic species. I have a half acre of almost every aloe variant, including hybrids. I rarely feed any to my sulcata. There is very little nutrition in an aloe. I'm sure it's fun to see what they like to eat but, like myself, I rarely feed things that are empty calories. It will help with constipation, but most tortoises have no problem in that department.



Aww I don't know anything else about it apart from it said aloe Vera, so are you saying that it might be toxic?
I get so anxious about putting things in their enclosures as so many things can be toxic, I got so excited when I found something that I thought wasn't!! I just want to make their enclosures better  don't wana hurt them though, and the garden centres in Scotland suck!!


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## acrantophis (Jan 2, 2013)

Cowboy_Ken said:


> Aloe Vera is the English name given for the Latin variety known as Aloe barbadensis. It is not a made up name, it is the common English name given. Yes, there are toxic to mammal varieties, but it is very hard indeed to find one of these in the common horticulture society. I believe that having these grow in an enclosure should pose no risk to adding empty calories to a tortoise. Unless a tortoise developed a liking to the bitter taste, the occasional nibble or full on bite would be of little consequence.



I agree that there are few tortoises that would be harmed by native aloes. I'm just a worry wart with toxic plants. ;-) I live in San Diego and Home Depot carries at least 15 species of aloe. 3 are toxic to humans. I go to nurseries all the time and see aloe vera on plants that may be part aloe vera but are hybrids of multiple species. Many of these are not as innocuous as a. Barbadensis. I don't care for semi-scientific names, like aloe vera, given to a species which is more often than not a hybrid or an entirely different species. In the tropical fish business construct pseudo scientific names caused me many headaches. I may be splitting hairs with this but I'm not chastising anybody. I'm not saying, don't feed aloe. Just make sure it's the right aloe.


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## acrantophis (Jan 2, 2013)

laney said:


> Thanks that is really helpful!!
> It looks like your pics just smaller and more stumpy. I will follow your instructions to make it safer for them and hopefully keep it alive  I'm so bad with plants I'm sure I could even kill the fake ones lol.
> Thanks again x
> 
> ...





I didn't realize you we're in Scotland! I would say that aloe vera is probably what you have. Especially if it looks like cowboy Ken's plant. People eat aloe vera all the time. It is found in many supplements and homeopathic remedies. I'm sure that is what you have. In Southern California there are so many different varieties that I get worries someone will feed the wrong one to their pets. In Scotland few aloes will live as a houseplant other than aloe vera. Like Ken said they need good drainage and will often have offshoot babies that can be repotted.


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