My tortoise ate a crocus!

[SweetKaykes]

my tortoise was outside today for about 15 minutes. I left my boyfriend to watch him in the yard while I wound the hose back up and when I came back my boyfriend showed me a picture of my baby eating a yellow flower. I found out it was a corcus and I’ve heard they are poisonous. Is this true? If it is, what can I do?

 

[Relic]

Did you mean crocus?

 

[SweetKaykes]

Did you mean crocus?

Yes sorry. Crocus.

 

[Relic]

Is it poisonous? It seems yes and no. Fall blooming variety, yes. Spring blooming variety, no (even though it still might mess with the GI tract). LOTS of species of crocus, with LOTS of characteristics...probably difficult to determine your exact specimen. However, by this point whatever damage is done, is done. Best to never let them eat something you have not already checked out. Best of luck to you.

 

[SweetKaykes]

Is it poisonous? It seems yes and no. Fall blooming variety, yes. Spring blooming variety, no (even though it still might mess with the GI tract). LOTS of species of crocus, with LOTS of characteristics...probably difficult to determine your exact specimen. However, by this point whatever damage is done, is done. Best to never let them eat something you have not already checked out. Best of luck to you.

Thank you, this clears it up a lot. I never feed him anything I don’t research first. My boyfriend sees me feed him a variety of different things and he assumed that we could feed him any type of plants. After this, I found the list on this forum of things they can eat and he now has a copy.
Luckily little Kame is okay

 

[Lyn W]

Any plants that grow from bulbs and I believe tubers should not be fed.
Have a look at www.thetortoisetable.org.uk which has a great database of plants to feed and avoid.
It will tell you what's safe or not.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Since he ate it Saturday and it's now Wednesday.
How is the tortoise?

 

[RosemaryDW]

If he only ate a flower he’s fine, imo. I not seen anything ever that indicates a tortoise on this forum got more than an irritated face after eating a whole bunch of some tulip tubers themselves. (Sulcatas will eat anything, it seems.)

My Russian tortoise eats the flowers (only) off our iris when they are in season, along with those from another small tuber/bulb plant; I don’t worry about it any more. She’s never shown any interest in other parts of the plant other than for shade. I wish she’d leave a few flowers for us though.

Of course you should keep a close eye on her while you’re learning what to feed and not to feed but I find the Tortoise Table to be unspecific about the parts of these plants that may actually be problematic.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

My Redfoot group was left outside the pen while I was updating it and the ate about 6 whole "Easter" lillies.
None of them ever showed any signs of illness or distress.

 

[Yvonne G]

I think redfoots are different. In fact, I think rain forest tortoises are much better able to eat and digest plants on the do not feed list. My Manouria dug up and ate all my iris bulbs when I first moved here.

 

[SweetKaykes]

Since he ate it Saturday and it's now Wednesday.
How is the tortoise?

He is doing just fine. He’s my first so I guess I’m a worrier. Lol.

 

[Christine&Callidus]

Thank you, this clears it up a lot. I never feed him anything I don’t research first. My boyfriend sees me feed him a variety of different things and he assumed that we could feed him any type of plants. After this, I found the list on this forum of things they can eat and he now has a copy.
Luckily little Kame is okay

I love the “he now has a copy”

 

[Sue Ann]

Thank you, this clears it up a lot. I never feed him anything I don’t research first. My boyfriend sees me feed him a variety of different things and he assumed that we could feed him any type of plants. After this, I found the list on this forum of things they can eat and he now has a copy.
Luckily little Kame is okay

Where can I find that list? I am getting an outside environment for my Sulcata and want to add plants. I already had a scare with buttercups.

 

[SweetKaykes]

Where can I find that list? I am getting an outside environment for my Sulcata and want to add plants. I already had a scare with buttercups.

Lyn posted one up above. And here is a few of my favorite ones.

• Arugula
• Bok choy/Chinese cabbage
• Collard greens
• Turnip greens
• Prickly pear cactus
• Grape leaf
• Clover sprouts
• Alfalfa sprouts
• Mustard greens
• Cat grass
• Wheat grass
• Alfalfa
• Turnip greens