My tortoise ate an Azalea plant leaf

ngv123897

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Hi... I was asking my mom about the plants she was growing and she claimed that she was growing petunias so I gave some to my hatchling... and then later she randomly said "Actually I think they're Azaleas!".. I couldn't identify if they were Petunias or Azaleas because the flowers haven't bloomed yet so it's just the leaves.. My tortoise ate one leaf... what should I do? I read online that it's quite toxic and could lead to muscle problems..
 

ngv123897

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I was also wondering... If I bought a plant from a floral shop that probably has pesticides on it.. will there be pesticides in the new flowers? I was planning on buying a hibiscus plant for my tortoise but I wasn't sure if they spray pesticides or not so just to be safe..
 

Ben02

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I was also wondering... If I bought a plant from a floral shop that probably has pesticides on it.. will there be pesticides in the new flowers? I was planning on buying a hibiscus plant for my tortoise but I wasn't sure if they spray pesticides or not so just to be safe..
Soak!!! Soak!!! Soak!!!!
Extra soakings to flush it out. Keep a close eye on him the next few days.

I wouldn’t buy plants from a florist, they spray all kinds of chemicals on their products. Planting your own is the safest way.
 

ngv123897

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Soak!!! Soak!!! Soak!!!!
Extra soakings to flush it out. Keep a close eye on him the next few days.

I wouldn’t buy plants from a florist, they spray all kinds of chemicals on their products. Planting your own is the safest way.

Ive soaked her today and she did the largest dump hopefully that's good.. I'll be soaking her 1-2 times everyday now .

Im not sure if I can plant anything.. It should be very nice and sunny in Hong Kong at this time but it's just been raining and cold. I was planning on going to the flower market to get some plants for my betta.. I saw a prickly pear cactus there and I really wanted to buy it but I didnt know if they sprayed pesticides on cacti?? If they don't spray pesticides then I'll buy it.. I can't really trust the shopkeepers because they'll tell any lie to make a sale
 

Ray--Opo

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Ive soaked her today and she did the largest dump hopefully that's good.. I'll be soaking her 1-2 times everyday now .

Im not sure if I can plant anything.. It should be very nice and sunny in Hong Kong at this time but it's just been raining and cold. I was planning on going to the flower market to get some plants for my betta.. I saw a prickly pear cactus there and I really wanted to buy it but I didnt know if they sprayed pesticides on cacti?? If they don't spray pesticides then I'll buy it.. I can't really trust the shopkeepers because they'll tell any lie to make a sale
If you buy it and not sure. Just don't feed for 6 months to a year.
 

Tom

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I don't know what they do in Hong Kong, but here plants are grown with systemic pesticides that are in their soil. The plants take up the toxins through their roots and it store it in their tissues. They remain toxic for p to a year.

Why can't you grow your own plants from seed in pots?
 

Pure Tortoise Power

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I also love in Hong Kong. And about a month ago I bought some wheat grass seeds, dandelion seeds, pansy seeds and sunflower seeds for my sulcata. I planted them in pots which are put in the enclosure. Sadly the pansy and sunflower can't seem to grow well. I listened to the veterans on the forum and only feed my sully what I plant, so I am 100% sure they don't contain pesticides or some fertilisers with unknown components.
I am also planning on getting hibiscus seeds but I can't find any even at the Mong Kok flower market.
PS if you don't mind, I'd like to visit your tort and we can maybe do some tort-discussions?
 
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ngv123897

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I don't know what they do in Hong Kong, but here plants are grown with systemic pesticides that are in their soil. The plants take up the toxins through their roots and it store it in their tissues. They remain toxic for p to a year.

Why can't you grow your own plants from seed in pots?

I think here in Hong Kong they spray pesticides instead of putting them into the soil. I am growing some weeds but I don't think they'll survive.. a little leaf sprouted out. Sadly I left the pot outside (under cover) but the sudden powerful rain at midnight got to it. It's hard to grow anything lately because there has been almost no sun and all rain. We only get actual nice sunny days for about a week every month until it starts to pour.
 
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ngv123897

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I also love in Hong Kong. And about a month ago I bought some wheat grass seeds, dandelion seeds, pansy seeds and sunflower seeds for my sulcata. I planted them in pots which are put in the enclosure. Sadly the pansy and sunflower can't seem to grow well. I listened to the veterans on the forum and only feed my sully what I plant, so I am 100% sure they don't contain pesticides or some fertilisers with unknown components.
I am also planning on getting hibiscus seeds but I can't find any even at the Mong Kok flower market.
PS if you don't mind, I'd like to visit your tort and we can maybe do some tort-discussions?

How do you manage to grow anything with all this rain? I've also tried looking for hibiscus seeds at the MK flower market but still nothing.. If you ever find some please let me know the store name :D. And sorry I don't think my mom would appreciate it if I met someone online to visit my tort :( I'm also rarely free for long periods of time so I'm really sorry but I'm willing to discuss here! Also, where do you get dandelion seeds? Aren't they kind of considered an unwanted plant to most people.. so they wouldn't be sold?
 
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Pure Tortoise Power

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How do you manage to grow anything with all this rain? I've also tried looking for hibiscus seeds at the MK flower market but still nothing.. If you ever find some please let me know the store name :D. And sorry I don't think my mom would appreciate it if I met someone online to visit my tort :( I'm also rarely free for long periods of time so I'm really sorry but I'm willing to discuss here! Also, where do you get dandelion seeds? Aren't they kind of considered an unwanted plant to most people.. so they won't be sold?
Oh since my sulcata is just a 4 to 5 month old hatchling, I'm still able to let it live in an indie enclosure of dimensions 32x19 inches. So basically all my plants are also indoors, and the rain isn't really a huge problem for me.
I found the dandelion seeds at Mong Kok flower market, along with all the other plants. The dandelions are a rare find there, too bad I forgot the store name, I only remember that it mainly sells seeds and juices of veggies and fruits. Apologies.
XD I was actually going to ask if you knew any place to get hibiscus. I guess we'll have to buy from Taobao if they have any?
It's OK lol. Don't meet people from online. They always told on TV XD. But yeah, we can still discuss on the forum.
BTW I don't recommend sunflowers. They aren't very healthy for torts and is really hard to grow. I would also like to know what else you feed your tort as I would like to get some of those too.
 

ngv123897

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Oh since my sulcata is just a 4 to 5 month old hatchling, I'm still able to let it live in an indie enclosure of dimensions 32x19 inches. So basically all my plants are also indoors, and the rain isn't really a huge problem for me.
I found the dandelion seeds at Mong Kok flower market, along with all the other plants. The dandelions are a rare find there, too bad I forgot the store name, I only remember that it mainly sells seeds and juices of veggies and fruits. Apologies.
XD I was actually going to ask if you knew any place to get hibiscus. I guess we'll have to buy from Taobao if they have any?
It's OK lol. Don't meet people from online. They always told on TV XD. But yeah, we can still discuss on the forum.
BTW I don't recommend sunflowers. They aren't very healthy for torts and is really hard to grow. I would also like to know what else you feed your tort as I would like to get some of those too.

oooh I think I've been to that store before, that's where I got this random tortoise seed mix. Whenever I feed my tortoise vegetables I add mazuri tortoise diet because I just don't like my tort eating plain vegetables. Sometimes I feed fuschia and, I'm starting to grow some weeds (probs will fail though since they got drowned).
 

Pure Tortoise Power

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oooh I think I've been to that store before, that's where I got this random tortoise seed mix. Whenever I feed my tortoise vegetables I add mazuri tortoise diet because I just don't like my tort eating plain vegetables. Sometimes I feed fuschia and, I'm starting to grow some weeds (probs will fail though since they got drowned).
What kind of weeds are you growing? What other veggies are you feeding it?
 

ngv123897

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What kind of weeds are you growing? What other veggies are you feeding it?

I've forgotten what was in the seed mix, I just remember that they're safe. I'll tell you once they start sprouting out. The selection of veggies in my local market aren't very tortoise friendly so mostly lettuce, bok choy, choy sum and indian lettuce (probably some others but I just forgot).
 

Lyn W

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Maybe try growing seeds in pots/trays indoors on window sills, or maybe buy a mini greenhouse ?
Also see www.thetortoisetable.org.uk which has a great database of pictures and information on all sorts of plants and will help you identify plants and tell you which are safe or not.
 

Ljhernandez

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Hi... I was asking my mom about the plants she was growing and she claimed that she was growing petunias so I gave some to my hatchling... and then later she randomly said "Actually I think they're Azaleas!".. I couldn't identify if they were Petunias or Azaleas because the flowers haven't bloomed yet so it's just the leaves.. My tortoise ate one leaf... what should I do? I read online that it's quite toxic and could lead to muscle problems..
My one year old sulcata baby was fed azaleas by my mom who confused them for hibiscus smh. If you're as lucky as my family is considering ourselves, here's what to expect...
We found out newly re-nicknamed Sugar Britches in her habitat after she'd eaten two of the flowers and a few of the leaves. She was vomiting and thankfully had vomited up most of the plant matter ingested, while also having diarrhea so bad that she suffered rectal prolapse. She was also having seizures, which shows itself as the tortoise retreating into their shell at regular intervals while mucousy bubbles came from her nose and mouth.
I called the emergency vet, they didn't know how to treat it and told me to call animal poison control at ASPCA. After a lengthy time on hold and realizing I didn't have time to wait for their consult for them to provide treatment details to the local vet for treatment, I went online and did the best I could with what I had.
Every hour I soaked her in the bath with the water at 90 degrees, being careful the water wasn't too deep because she was incapable of moving voluntarily and therefore could've drowned. After each soaking, about ten minutes each, I dried her off and put her back in her habitat. I had to move her myself from her heat pad to her cool spot under the hay every thirty minutes. This carried on for two whole days, all the while she couldn't even open her eyes. The bubbles continued from her nose and mouth for the whole first day.
When I read the online forums for treatment of the rectal prolapse, I began putting sugar on the affected area after each soak and within one day her butt was back to normal.
After the second day, I woke up for her soak as I had been and she opened her eyes for me in the bath for the first time since she'd started seizing! Her butt was back to normal and halfway through that third day she started drinking again by herself and by the end of the day she was once again walking around a bit in her habitat and could get herself safely to her heat/cold variants. This is when I started soaking just once per day for hydration, and on the fifth day she began eating again on her own.
We're now on day 8. She has no more bubbles from her nose, no more seizing, very mobile and once again sociable. Her butt is normal and her appetite is back to normal. This may not work for every situation but in the hopes that anyone else in need happens upon this forum looking for answers about azalea toxicity in their sulcata, I hope this helps.
 

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Ray--Opo

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My one year old sulcata baby was fed azaleas by my mom who confused them for hibiscus smh. If you're as lucky as my family is considering ourselves, here's what to expect...
We found out newly re-nicknamed Sugar Britches in her habitat after she'd eaten two of the flowers and a few of the leaves. She was vomiting and thankfully had vomited up most of the plant matter ingested, while also having diarrhea so bad that she suffered rectal prolapse. She was also having seizures, which shows itself as the tortoise retreating into their shell at regular intervals while mucousy bubbles came from her nose and mouth.
I called the emergency vet, they didn't know how to treat it and told me to call animal poison control at ASPCA. After a lengthy time on hold and realizing I didn't have time to wait for their consult for them to provide treatment details to the local vet for treatment, I went online and did the best I could with what I had.
Every hour I soaked her in the bath with the water at 90 degrees, being careful the water wasn't too deep because she was incapable of moving voluntarily and therefore could've drowned. After each soaking, about ten minutes each, I dried her off and put her back in her habitat. I had to move her myself from her heat pad to her cool spot under the hay every thirty minutes. This carried on for two whole days, all the while she couldn't even open her eyes. The bubbles continued from her nose and mouth for the whole first day.
When I read the online forums for treatment of the rectal prolapse, I began putting sugar on the affected area after each soak and within one day her butt was back to normal.
After the second day, I woke up for her soak as I had been and she opened her eyes for me in the bath for the first time since she'd started seizing! Her butt was back to normal and halfway through that third day she started drinking again by herself and by the end of the day she was once again walking around a bit in her habitat and could get herself safely to her heat/cold variants. This is when I started soaking just once per day for hydration, and on the fifth day she began eating again on her own.
We're now on day 8. She has no more bubbles from her nose, no more seizing, very mobile and once again sociable. Her butt is normal and her appetite is back to normal. This may not work for every situation but in the hopes that anyone else in need happens upon this forum looking for answers about azalea toxicity in their sulcata, I hope this helps.
Wow, that sounded like a close call.
 

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