Leopard safe ferns

[fritzgerald]

I'm looking at plants for my enclosure and they have some ferns that look good.

I know Boston Ferns are safe but are Tiger Ferns or Chester Ferns safe?

THey also have some Marble Queen Pothos, NJoy Pothos, and Neon Pothos. The guys telling me they're toxic but I know I've seen a lot of people on here with Pothos in their enclosures.

 

[Markw84]

Tiger and Chester ferns are just varieties of the Boston Fern. Nephrolepis sp All are safe in a tortoise enclosure.

Pothos is listed as "poisonous" as with mammals, it can cause irritation of the mouth due to its oxalate content. Tortoises are not affected by this. So safe in a tortoise enclosure. They will eat some that is within reach but no harm if it is a part of a varied diet with good calcium content to offset some of the oxalate content. (binds with some calcium)

 

[fritzgerald]

Tiger and Chester ferns are just varieties of the Boston Fern. Nephrolepis sp All are safe in a tortoise enclosure.

Pothos is listed as "poisonous" as with mammals, it can cause irritation of the mouth due to its oxalate content. Tortoises are not affected by this. So safe in a tortoise enclosure. They will eat some that is within reach but no harm if it is a part of a varied diet with good calcium content to offset some of the oxalate content. (binds with some calcium)

Thank you, I just didn't want to pick them up and find out they're toxic. Gonna pick up a couple of the ferns, some pothos, spider plant, and a few others I was able to find on tortoise table.

 

[fritzgerald]

Here's what I picked up. From what I can find, they should all be safe if eaten but if any of them are a no-go, I can just grow them outside the enclosure as house plants.

Pothos NJoy
Peperomia Rana Verde
Hypoestis
Calathea Lancifolia
Chester Fern
Spider Plant

 

[Tom]

Thank you, I just didn't want to pick them up and find out they're toxic. Gonna pick up a couple of the ferns, some pothos, spider plant, and a few others I was able to find on tortoise table.

Mark's info is spot on as usual, but there is something else to be aware of: All decorative plants sold in stores are grown with toxic systemic pesticides. This is done at the grower level and many of the wholesalers and retailers don't even know this. It is done to protect the commercial food industry from potential pests. These poisons are taken up into the plants tissues and cannot be rinsed or washed away. It takes months for them to dissipate after replanting in soil without these toxic chemicals.

One solution is to take cuttings from older mature plants and grow your own. Another option is growing your own plants from seed.

 

[fritzgerald]

Ok, I reached out to see what fertilizers or pesticides they use in their plants, if any. I'm hoping since it's a small backyard nursery, and sold at a reptile show, that maybe they're safe, but probably not. I'll have to see what they say.

If they can't go in, would 6 months be long enough after repotting and growing outside of the enclosure?

 

[COmtnLady]

The cuttings or starting from seed, as Tom talked about, is the better way to go.

However, if you bought the plants already -
get a bag of good clean organic dirt
Pull the plants out of the pots they came in and wash all that soil off of the roots
dispose of that contaminated soil
Re-pot plants in good soil
let them grow and work out the pesticides for 6 months to a year
(I would repot at least once more in clean soil during that time)

That should clear out much of it, but nothing will get rid of all of it. Any original leaves and stems can have residual pesticides/chemicals in them.

Taking cuttings from only the new growth would make for better enclosure plants... which also adds on more growing time before you can use them. Since your tortoise will eat them, having a dozen plants that you can rotate in/out as they get "pruned back" would be something to consider.

 

[fritzgerald]

Thanks all. I'm still waiting to hear back from the nursery but, I'm just gonna get rid of them and start from seeds. Was hoping to use them for some nice shade and cover. He'll have a plastic tub hide and I have a bunch of cork bark, plus I'm gonna scatter grass seeds so he'll have stuff to munch on while I get some bigger plants started. Now to go find some good safe soil to use.

 

[COmtnLady]

As long as you have the plants out of reach of your tort, you could still set them around the upper or outside spots to make it look more lush, just so that (s)he can't ingest them... or they don't drip into the enclosure when you water them.

Cork Bark doesn't digest... Fir/Orchid bark is much safer to use.

Best substrate is either inches of coco coir packed solidly and covered with another few inches of fine orchid bark, or just the orchid bark. Torts are notorious for digging so so you do NOT want soil in there. If it is "safe" it has organic material in it and that can mold or encourage fungal growth. Just stick with the coco coir/bark. Plant your seeds in trays or pots that can get a bit of height (an inch or two) of the plant, which can then be put into the enclosure, and later removed when they are decimated or trampled and no longer useful. If the plant is edible, you tort won't let it grow before eating it to the ground.

 

[fritzgerald]

As long as you have the plants out of reach of your tort, you could still set them around the upper or outside spots to make it look more lush, just so that (s)he can't ingest them... or they don't drip into the enclosure when you water them.

Cork Bark doesn't digest... Fir/Orchid bark is much safer to use.

Best substrate is either inches of coco coir packed solidly and covered with another few inches of fine orchid bark, or just the orchid bark. Torts are notorious for digging so so you do NOT want soil in there. If it is "safe" it has organic material in it and that can mold or encourage fungal growth. Just stick with the coco coir/bark. Plant your seeds in trays or pots that can get a bit of height (an inch or two) of the plant, which can then be put into the enclosure, and later removed when they are decimated or trampled and no longer useful. If the plant is edible, you tort won't let it grow before eating it to the ground.

Thanks. I should have clarified, the cork bark is for hiding spots and the "safe soil" was for potting medium. I have a ton of fir bark for the substrate and some coco coir to add below the fir bark where I plan to throw in some grass seeds. I haven't gotten my tortoise yet so I should be able to have a little bit of grass growth or sprouts before he even gets in there. I'm not expecting anything planted directly in the enclosure to last much longer than small sprouts but, I do want to get some decently sized shade/cover plants in at some point.