Houston, TX yard weeds (toxicity question)

[sulcatadude]

I have three yearling sulcatas that have roam of the yard and eat a combination of grasses, weeds, and mazuri that I soak and lay out for them every other day (the yard has not been exposed to chemicals or fertilizer). The sulcatas are growing and active, but I'm concerned that their favorite food in the yard seems to be spotted spurge (listed as toxic to humans).

My first general question is, are there any native weeds that Sucatas love to eat, but which are known to be harmful to them? Or can I trust that they will avoid harmful plants even though they did not evolve among Texas flora? I hear conflicting information about spotted spurge (from what I have read, it's known to be toxic to mammals, but some say it is an okay food of desert tortoises).

Other vegetation in the yard that they like to eat are clovers, white clovers, and occasional st. augustine grass.

 

[Yvonne G]

spotted spurge grows in the Mojave desert and is one of the desert tortoise's regular food items. Some tortoises just LOVE it and others leave it alone. Spurge is a member of the Euphorbia family and contains a milky sap that burns the skin, mouth and throat of mammals.

 

[sulcatadude]

Are there any common weeds tortoises like to eat that are toxic?

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

I cleaned out my yard (and continue to do so) of any toxic weeds seen in Plant Identification section, and the tortoisetable.com website. I don't think they would knowingly eat something that was toxic

 

[ascott]

spotted spurge grows in the Mojave desert and is one of the desert tortoise's regular food items. Some tortoises just LOVE it and others leave it alone.

Yup

 

[sulcatadude]

I don't want to sound so skeptical, but how de we know they can "sense" which plant species are good/bad for them outside of their native habitat? Perhaps tortoises of the mojave have resistance to toxins in the spurge which African species do not? Dogs love chocolate and the sweet flavor of anti-freeze, parrots love avocado which is toxic to them.

Perhaps the reason we assume tortoises "know" what's good for them is that their metabolisms are so much slower than those of many other animals we keep, so the ill-effects of certain diets take longer to manifest themselves. Living in their shells also makes it harder to gauge their body's overall health.

The fact that tortoises love to munch on spurge is something I already know, my concern is about the impact to their health.

What say ye?