Safe to feed?

Peliroja32

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I am pretty sure i may have posted this before, and there was a link to a site that was posted as a response, but even with that i have been unable to figure this one out.

I am wondering if anyone knows, or is successfully able to find out if i can feed leaves from my Empress Tree to my Leos?20180527_112043.jpeg20180604_213904.jpeg20180714_160912.jpeg

If it helps any, these little critters have been eating the heck out of it. The tree is actually already almost three times the size it was in the pics
 

EdMurphy

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I'm far from an expert but, to me it looks like a Cape Fuchsia. Try using Tortoise Table and search for Scrophulariaceae and see if that helps.
 

Peliroja32

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I'm far from an expert but, to me it looks like a Cape Fuchsia. Try using Tortoise Table and search for Scrophulariaceae and see if that helps.
I looked that up but doesnt look even close.
The one pic is the seed packet i grew the tree from
 

wellington

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I am pretty sure i may have posted this before, and there was a link to a site that was posted as a response, but even with that i have been unable to figure this one out.

I am wondering if anyone knows, or is successfully able to find out if i can feed leaves from my Empress Tree to my Leos?View attachment 245345View attachment 245346View attachment 245347

If it helps any, these little critters have been eating the heck out of it. The tree is actually already almost three times the size it was in the pics
You changed your user name right? Or am I going off my rocker already?
 

RosemaryDW

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@Peliroja32, I can’t find anything on that plant family at all, it’s pretty small and local to Asia. Sorry. :(

Maybe @Iochroma has an idea. If not, I wouldn’t be comfortable feeding it.

Good luck!
 

RosemaryDW

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Does that mean “generally safe for tortoises” @Iochroma? I don’t know much about how that works, other than that in my limited experience we know they can eat quite a few things that aren’t necessarily good for mammals.
 

Iochroma

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In a overly broad rule of thumb, one could say if a plant is widely eaten by domestic livestock and there are no reports of problems, it going to be fine for tortoises.
My animals don't usually eat leaves with a furry covering of hairs. YMMV
 

RosemaryDW

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@Peliroja32, I believe they are saying that it is eaten by several mammals and birds with no known negatve effects and that makes them generally comfortable offering it as food. At least I think that’s what they are saying!

I think Will might also be telling us the calcium level is “safe.”

At any rate, safe to try.
 

EdMurphy

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OK Will, I'm not ashamed to admit it, you need to dumb this down for me.
I'm reading through this and in my tiny little mind I'm thinking this sounds like the best thing since the invention of sliced bread and will feed warm and shelter every man, woman, and starving animal in the kingdom.
So the % of protein catches my eye, seems high to me. Too high maybe?
I'll try to figure out what I'm looking at So off I go to try and make a comparison to something like dandelion, thats when I realized this is above my head and I don't have a clue to what I'm looking at.
Damn it Will, I'm a shipping clerk who types with two fingers! o_O
 

Peliroja32

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OK Will, I'm not ashamed to admit it, you need to dumb this down for me.
I'm reading through this and in my tiny little mind I'm thinking this sounds like the best thing since the invention of sliced bread and will feed warm and shelter every man, woman, and starving animal in the kingdom.
So the % of protein catches my eye, seems high to me. Too high maybe?
I'll try to figure out what I'm looking at So off I go to try and make a comparison to something like dandelion, thats when I realized this is above my head and I don't have a clue to what I'm looking at.
Damn it Will, I'm a shipping clerk who types with two fingers! o_O
Yep thats about what i said.

When i purchased the seeds it was because i saw something that said this tree could save the planet or something like that, then i was like even if it doesnt it looks pretty cool. Now with my torts im like, damn those are some big leaves to be just tossing away as i trim
 

Kapidolo Farms

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Ok so cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits, fish, and chickens......does that mean it would be okay for torts?

Sorry im a bit slow

Chickens are my goto, probably okay to feed to tortoises. I don't think the protein is too high. There is no knowing if the trees the analysis was done on are managed (fertilized) culture or not. Either way, as 'part of a varied diet i think it's a good thing for rotation into the weekly rotation schedule of stuff that can be fed. It would be my guess that the early part of each leaf's life would be the stage the tortoises might find palatable. That is a guess, but worth a try, you already have the tree growing.
 
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