Feeding Flower Petals

[Mrs.D]

Since receiving my gift of two torties and telling my friends that they like dandelions and rose petals, many folks are collecting petals for me but I'm not sure if all flower petals are good. I currently have a small bag of tulip petals and was wondering if they are okay for my guys.

Are there any commonly grown garden flowers that are NOT okay for the guys?

 

[Maro2Bear]

I'd be careful accepting food items like weeds and flower pedals from " friends" although they mean well. You never know their source, and many plants, bushes, weeds get sprayed (oftentimes unknowingly) with harmful insectices and pesticides, etc. There was a posting not too long ago on this forum about a tort who got sick from eating up the tulip bulbs that went unnoticed in the garden. Be safe, pick your own, and check edible, nonedible.

 

[lismar79]

Roses and dandelions are fine but not to tulips
http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp?st=true&mode=main&catID=361

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Violets, mallows, hollyhocks, rose of Sharon are all good, but you must be sure they aren't fertilized or sprayed.

No bulbs.

 

[Mrs.D]

Thanks for the input. Is there someplace I can find a list of what flowers are okay? My husband is collecting garden ideas for our future home and I'd like him to plant things our new kids can eat.

 

[lismar79]

Thant link I posted is a really good website to I.d plants. Take a look at the plant catagories on there

 

[Mrs.D]

Oh!! Sorry I read your comment but completely over looked the link. I'll check that out and thank you!!

 

[Mrs.D]

Holy cow!! What a great sight, Lismar79!!! I have bookmarked it AND printed their free booklet of edible plants! My hubby now has something to work with!

 

[sue white]

I love the site What a help Thanks for sharing

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

There is a weed and edible plant guide here on TFO too.

 

[sue white]

thanks I will look I'm trying to find out about a plant called "Creeping Charlie" An aggressive ,low growing ,
vining plant My yard is nothing but this Some sites say not good and other people say they had no trouble with letting their tortoise eat it

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

thanks I will look I'm trying to find out about a plant called "Creeping Charlie" An aggressive ,low growing ,
vining plant My yard is nothing but this Some sites say not good and other people say they had no trouble with letting their tortoise eat it

might be okay as a smaller portion in a varied diet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glechoma_hederacea

 

[Tom]

Holy cow!! What a great sight, Lismar79!!! I have bookmarked it AND printed their free booklet of edible plants! My hubby now has something to work with!

I've also four it helpful to see what plants thrive and grow in your area already and try and match them to plants in those lists. A local nursery will be a huge help in this. You can hand them the list and ask which ones will do well in your area.

 

[sue white]

Thanks guys They're both really good ideas So far I haven't taken her out much since she's only about 3-4 months old and would rather hide And now the weather is too cool I did make her a little enclosure with as little of the plant in it as possible but still worried when able to take out again I won't get freaky about it.

 

[dmmj]

mine love rose petals and hibiscus flowers. Plant a couple of hibiscus plants in your garden & in a few years you will have more flowers them you know what to do with. As long as you trim them back each year

 

[sue white]

thank for the idea. I will definitely be planting next year. Does this go for the big flower Hibiscus that is called the "Dinner Plate" too? My mom has these I have a big yard full of perennial gardens but am now planning to turn some of them into a tortoise garden What Fun! Found on TFO about the Rose Of Sharon's being good and have tried her on them Boy does she like them

 

[dmmj]

Hibiscus flower & Rose of Sharon are considered tortoise crack

 

[sue white]

they're starting to die back for the winter here in Illinois so she will have to go cold "tortoise" soon

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I had someone at work bring me rose petals for my Redfoot clan for months.
One day she mentioned that they came from a friends flower shop. I'd never asked.
(They were spray painted, hair sprayed and very pesticide laced.)
Luckily, no tortoise was harmed...That I can tell.

 

[sue white]

That is sooo scary