What's in that leaf, grocery and garden, published nutrient list.

Kapidolo Farms

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Bell pepper Capsicum annuum

Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_pepper

USDA
Green
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/...p=raw+bell+pepper&ds=&qt=&qp=&qa=&qn=&q=&ing=

Red and Green dehydrated
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/...w+red+bell+pepper&ds=&qt=&qp=&qa=&qn=&q=&ing=

TTT
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=632&c=8#.WrPUIi7wZaQ
"This plant comes from the same family as tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco and the nightshades, and although the pepper itself is not actually toxic to tortoises (and a small amount will not harm them), the leaves, stem and roots are toxic and should not be fed. "


So I feed bell peppers when I can get alot for cheap, and them it gets blended in with other things. Poor C: P ration of 1: 4 so calcium might be an addition on a bell pepper meal for sure. Why feed it at all? The seeds are good for gut/food bolus motility, the bright red color is attractive to tortoises, and keeping variety going on is important. I'd rate it at maybe a few % of diet for one meal every other week or so. All the benefits can be acquired through other diet items less the variety aspect.
 

Via Infinito

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My reptilian vet recommended these 2
Sauropus androgynus (also katuk) and my Sulcata is absolutely obsessed with it!
Moringa oleifera (also drumstick tree)
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenocissus_quinquefolia

TTT https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=342&c=4#.Wt-lbG4vxaQ

USDA https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_paqu2.pdf

There is no Feedipedia entry.

This past weekend I watched a California Desert Tortoise eat creeper leaves with great gusto, over mulberry leaves at that! This plant has some weird history. Apparently it was consumed in moderation by native Americans. The TTT site suggests the issue is the berries being high in oxolates. There are wishy washy accounts of people (small children eating a great many berries) passing away from it. Just thought I'd put this here for any specific response someone might have.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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My reptilian vet recommended these 2
Sauropus androgynus (also katuk) and my Sulcata is absolutely obsessed with it!
Moringa oleifera (also drumstick tree)


Moringa Moringa oleifera

wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa

Feedipedia https://www.feedipedia.org/node/12344

no TTT entry.

The WHO suggests this plant could be a global strategy to ending hunger for many people. http://www.fao.org/traditional-crops/moringa/en/

It's a high quality plant as tortoise food. There are many threads in TFO regarding Moringa.


katuk, star gooseberry, or sweet leaf Sauropus androgynus

wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauropus_androgynus has some nutirent data on the left side column.

TTT no entry

Feedipedia no entry
 
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Kapidolo Farms

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Kapidolo Farms

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Salspi

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Kapidolo Farms

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TTT is saying do not feed due to calcium phosphorus ratio. Did I see that correctly? It’s eaten by humans for a long, long time in Italy. Not sure what to believe here.
If the C: P is like 1.1:1.2 no big deal, not good, but not horrible. If it's 1:15, then I would not use it, but TTT does not cite sources. I did not find the C: P ratio.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Many of my garden hibiscus have become robust enough to endure a half dozen trimmed bits everyday. I place them around in enclosures and they are completely consumed by when I get home from work, along with the regular salad feed. The small mulberry trees I have are not in leaf yet, but I look forward to using them as well. This got me thinking about what other trees could work as daily small pruning, evergreen over deciduous for year round use, at least for the mild climate of southern California. I did some searches on google with wording like this, 'trees with edible leaves', 'tree leaves for fodder' and got hits like this...

https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/19620602070 which lists Albizia lebbeck, Delonix regia, Gliricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala.

Other searches bring up the well know Mulberry and Moringa, but also Terminalia catappa, Toona sinesnsis, and Crataegus monogyna. Most of these have been mentioned here on TFO at one time or another.

So lets Wiki, and Feedipedia these trees...

Albizia lebbeck: silk tree
Feedipedia https://www.feedipedia.org/node/334
Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albizia_lebbeck

Delonix regia: flame tree
feedipedia https://www.feedipedia.org/node/308
Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delonix_regia

Gliricidia sepium: quickstick
Feedipedia https://www.feedipedia.org/node/552
Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliricidia_sepium

Leucaena leucocephala: White leadtree
Feedipedia https://www.feedipedia.org/node/282
Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucaena_leucocephala

Terminalia catappa: Indian Almond
Feedipedia only mentioned as an aside for rat feed trial sorting out the lectin toxicity. Figured essentially non-toxic.
Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminalia_catappa

Toona sinesnsis: Chinese mahagony
Feedipedia no result
Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toona_sinensis

Crataegus monogyna: Hawthorne
Feedipedia no result
Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crataegus_monogyna

All of these are listed as fodder for people, goats, cattle, chickens, some have had toxicity tests done with rats, all have some caution for not eating too much of it (what does not?). The first four are legumes and have a higher protein content than many other plants - it's important to understand that protein content as fed fresh aerial parts (often reported with water removed from the calculation) seem too high, but again I'll ask that you recall many plants that are feed like plantain, have a high protein content too. All of these, where the values are reported have a 2:1 to as high as 20:1 C: P ratio. In all, as part of a mix of diet items, if offered alongside other foods, these would all make a reasonable addition to backyard harvested food to feed tortoises.
 

Gopherus Guy

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I use Grape leaves, Yellow Squash, Romaine lettuce, Green Beans, Collard Greens, plus he’ll munch on an occasional backyard weed. I also use an occasional sprinkle of Calcium, Hibiscus Flower & leaves.
I hope this diet is OK. He turns 53’ish this summer. He’s one happy guy! [emoji217]
 

Kapidolo Farms

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purslane

wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulacaceae
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca

Tortoise Table https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=321&c=6#.WyAcVO4vxaQ

No Feedipedia account

USDA https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/302037?manu=&fgcd=&ds=&q=Purslane, raw

I'd say not a worry, but not a primary food, which to me means less that a few % of weekly total food offered. If free range in an area with a wide vairety I'd hope they would not choose to eat it in abundance, but wouldn't worry so much about it either.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Romaine today, something else tomorrow. That's how this thread could work. I'll do my best to find nutrient content, please send me a PM here on TFO if there is a specific thing you want to see sooner rather than later.

https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/35073?manu=&fgcd=&ds=

I have a hard time copy and pasting charts, they get jumbled, but here it is for romaine and the source. Romaine is not "BAD" at all. Go the the link to see the chart not so jumbled.

Source: USDA Branded Food Products Database Release October 2017 Software v.3.8.6.4 2017-10-02
Report Run at: November 01 2017 19:14 EDT
Nutrient data for: 45035522, OCEAN MIST FARMS, ROMAINE, UPC: 000651041001
Food Group: Branded Food Products Database
Common Name:
Nutrient Unit Data points Std. Error
(1.5 cup = 85.0g the first value) ( per 100 g for the second value) These value are for "as served" so do not remove water as a constituent.
Proximates
Energy kcal -- -- 15 (first value is 15 grams for 1.5 cups) 18 (second value is 18 grams per hundred grams)
Protein g -- -- 1 1.18
Total lipid (fat) g -- -- 0 0
Carbohydrate, by difference g -- -- 3 3.53
Fiber, total dietary g -- -- 2 2.4
Sugars, total g -- -- 1 1.18
Minerals
Calcium, Ca mg -- -- 20 24
Iron, Fe mg -- -- 0.72 0.85
Sodium, Na mg -- -- 5 6
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid mg -- -- 21 24.7
Vitamin A, IU IU -- -- 2500 2941
Lipids
Fatty acids, total saturated g -- -- 0 0
Fatty acids, total trans g -- -- 0 0
Cholesterol mg -- -- 0 0
Amino Acids
Other
Ingredients
ROMAINE. Date available: 07/14/2017 Date last updated by company: 07/14/2017


Sp from this we can see that romaine has 1.18 grams of protein per 100 grams of leaf. As it is near 90% water that means that the protein per dry gram is about 20%. But all that water is there, so it's not too much protein as the water to 'process' it in the gut is present.


https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/...ookup=raw+romaine&ds=&qt=&qp=&qa=&qn=&q=&ing=
 

Bronbowie

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Endive is a few things https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endive In my opinion the single best grocery store green to seek, another leaf form is called Frisee. I prefer what grocery stores label as Escarole. If you open the link for the wiki page, notice they too have a nutrient chart in a right sidebar.

Endive
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2966?manu=&fgcd=&ds=
Radicchio https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3562?manu=&fgcd=&ds=
Escarole https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/251463?manu=&fgcd=&ds=
Chicory https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2922?manu=&fgcd=&ds=

Bought me some seeds to grow for fall. Will let you know if my leopard tortoise likes it.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Bought me some seeds to grow for fall. Will let you know if my leopard tortoise likes it.

There are many, dozens, of native rabbits so gardening is a challenge. The more things I grow the more rabbits come. I wish the local coyote would do more to help me out.

I have many 1/2 plastic drum surrounded with chicken wire growing things, squirrels figure I do that so they can have first dibs over the rabbits.
 

KarenSoCal

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There are many, dozens, of native rabbits so gardening is a challenge. The more things I grow the more rabbits come. I wish the local coyote would do more to help me out.

I have many 1/2 plastic drum surrounded with chicken wire growing things, squirrels figure I do that so they can have first dibs over the rabbits.
I have the same problem with rabbits. After they chew on anything I've planted, they come to a waterer that's for the birds. They step in it and soak, then stretch out and lounge in the sun for a while. I swear they smirk at me and laugh, Chug's greens stuck in their teeth, all the while putting the middle toe of the front foot in the air! [emoji2]
 

PA2019

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@Will

I want to add another dried weed to my herbal mix and am debating between stellaria media, capsella bursa-pastoris, and malva spp. They all are priced within $3 of each other, and I want to choose the one with the widest range of beneficial nutrients.

I am having trouble finding a published nutrient list for mallow leaves, and also chickweed.
 

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