Inside plants

[wpk]

I was thinking of picking up a christmas cactus and perhaps an aloe plant and use them in Ivy's diet here and there. I can purchase them prepotted from my local stores, but I'm pretty sure they are potted with fertilized soil. Is this alright? Should I repot them? How long after repotting the plants would it be alright to feed them to Ivy? Thanks in advance for the info.

 

[Debratm]

I am a new tortoise mom and have a lot to learn but was told that Christmas cactus is not good for them. If you get a confirmation please let me know.

Tortoise Mom

 

[wpk]

Hrm, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere either here or on one of the other russian tort care pages that it was edible. I'll have to look again.

 

[dmmj]

Knock off as much old soil as possible then repot with non fertilized soil, yo may want and only feed new growth to your russian. I have 3 and they do like their aloe, I have a couple of christamas cacti but I have never fed any to them I don't see why it would be harmful.

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Most sites list it (christmas cactus) a low level toxic, until you know for sure I would avoid it

 

[Madortoise]

Sorry, Christmas Cactus is poisonous last I checked at least for DT.
Aloe plant is fine.

 

[wpk]

Better safe than sorry on the cactus. I'll find some aloe and repot it, or go to the garden center and see if I can find some 'organic' aloe.

 

[j156ghs]

The problem with potted indoor plants is the soil often has material such as styrofoam and perlite that may cause impaction if ingested by small creatures of any species. (Growers do this to keep the soil loose so it's easier for roots and water to penetrate.) This link below has been posted on this list before and, while it's not specific to torts, it can be a useful cross reference.

It is too bad there isn't a trusted list of indoor plants for torts (naturalists, please don't jump on me for this statement, as I'm well aware how it might get under your skin) because these plants will grow more easily and be healthier. Tending to wild plants indoors doesn't work that well and diminishes the quality of the nutrients as a result.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/

 

[ekm5015]

Christmas Cactus is edible for torts. http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?catID=92 Feed in moderation.

As for the soil it was purchased in...spray as much of the dirt off the rootball as you can with a hose and repot in organic soil. No Miracle grow unless it is the organic stuff! I would wait at least 2 months. Heavy waterings can sometimes help flush the soil of the fertilizer.

 

[tortoisenerd]

It is of my opinion when buying plants from a nursery (non-organic) that even if you washed and re-potted them, you should still wait 3-6 months to feed. The chemicals are systemic and it doesn't make much difference. SO, either wait to feed, buy organic, or grow from seeds in organic soil. It is your choice to make. Many people feed their tort non-organic. Its a choice I have made that I feel more comfortable going only organic. One thing to be cautious of though is that conventional produce made for humans to eat is much much safer than plants from a nursery not made for people to eat--they spray many more chemicals on things made to look pretty vs. things made to be eaten. I have heard yes and no for christmas cactus. I'd avoid it just because there is confusion. Aloe isn't very high on the list as far as torts liking it. I'd go more for some edible flowers like hibiscus, roses, pansies, or cactus pads, if you want to grow some stuff. Or, maybe even a grape vine for the leaves. You can also try growing trays of weeds and greens, such as the seed mix available from Carolina Pet Supply. Wheatgrass is something easy to find organic at stores like Whole Foods that some torts like.

 

[wpk]

Thanks for all the good info guys. I'll probably skip on the xmas cactus, I have a line on getting some aloe from a friend's wife that hasn't been given any kind of chemicals. We'll see if Ivy likes it. I'll have to look into growing some hibiscus, though I imagine it's a bit late in the growing season now to get a decent crop going. I've never had much luck with houseplants, I don't get a lot of direct sunlight coming in my windows. I'm still learning what my little tort's tastes are, she's only just started eating a bit now, she's grazed a bit outside and I haven't seen her eating while in her inside pen yet. I got some baby spring mix yesterday and put it in the pen this morning as I left for work. I need to get her eating inside where I can control her intake enough to give her the deworming med the vet gave me.

 

[tortoisenerd]

I bet the spring mix will go over well. Torts love that stuff. I buy that and mix 1-2 other greens in a week for my Russian. Then I do treat foods like pumpkin, butternut squash, cactus, edible flowers, Mazuri or Grassland, etc, like 5% of the diet. There are some hardy hibiscus that will grow inside in winter.

 

[dmmj]

The deworming med that the vet gave you should be flavorless, so just put some on it's favorite food, and wrap it up like it is a burrito.

 

[wpk]

I ordered a 1lb sample of the Mazuri the other day, probably should have waited until after the weekend, but ah well. We'll see how well she likes it.

What I did last week was buy two main greens from the grocery store (endive & mustard greens), and then mix in some yard weeds. For this week I have the spring mix and I did buy some dandelion greens as my yard is mostly brown from the dry weather we've been having lately. The spring mix does look pretty varied, I may stick to that as a base staple and mix other things in with it.