Planting invasive plants.

[Cowboy_Ken]

I, personally, am keeping my eyes open for the invasive, "money tree". I'd have plenty of "things" takin care of for myself, my family and close friends and of course my tortoises. I'd be fertilizing, watering, and weeding making sure if was in an environment it could thrive.

 

[TSchadel]

I found this website to be helpful - it has a long list of safe and unsafe plants for your sully!

http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

 

[Razan]

I found this website to be helpful - it has a long list of safe and unsafe plants for your sully!

http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

You are so right. This site has brought to my attention to dig up a few plants that were, by my ignorance, thought to be tortoise safe.

Thanks for your post.

 

[TSchadel]

You are so right. This site has brought to my attention to dig up a few plants that were, by my ignorance, thought to be tortoise safe.

Thanks for your post.

I don't think it's the "Gospel" of plant database - but I do think it's a great resource.

 

[lighthiker2]

Please message me for addy ! I have containers by my raised bed gardens for such plants and beside doors for fragrance. I miss my
Mints!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Please message me for addy !

If you've not received an World Wide Internet Machine address yet, here's the one I use…
http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plant_database_14.asp

Hope it works for you.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

If you've not received an World Wide Internet Machine address yet, here's the one I use…
http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plant_database_14.asp

Hope it works for you.

And I concur that no, it's not gospel. Too many "safe" listed as "moderate". IMO

 

[omarnegron]

Absolutely. Be glad to send you some. A quick mailing in a zip lock bag should be simple enough. No charge. Just be careful where you plant it because it can't be stopped once it is in dirt.

And does anyone know if passion fruit leaves are toxic to tort' s ? They are toxic as a rule but torts eat the darn-dest stuff.

My redfoots really like passion fruit leaves and both are very healthy. I'm feeding them with this leaves at least 3 times per week.

 

[Yvonne G]

Large yard available for growing sulcata food. Unfortunately many of the plants I hope to put in the yard are 1) plants that are considered invasive or 2) I'm not even sure if it is toxic to the sulcata. For example :Sweet Broom. Lovely flowering bush with rapid growth. ampas Grass. Another lovely flowering plant that grows fast. They both are invasive plants. Do you know if they are edible for sulcata's?

It seems it would be better to find an alternative to invasive plants, but they grow so well for our tortoises' voracious appetite.

Please let me know what you grow to feed your large sulcata's. The fruitless mulberry trees are great ! Every sulcata owner should have one. Grape vines too for their leaves. Hibiscus leaves are ok but he does not seem to prefer them. The spineless cacti he loves, loves, loves. Yes, I have seen the lists of toxic and non toxics and the lists of weeds to feed but gosh darn it I'm a bit dim and find it quite overwhelming at times. Keep it simple.

What do you grow to feed your large sulcata's?

I didn't think pampas grass was invasive. I had it all across the front of my property. It didn't reproduce. It made a really nice big division between the street and my house. It was a great place for my ducks to nest and raise babies. This was when this house belonged to my daughter and she didn't have tortoises. But I don't think tortoises would eat it.

My 110lb sulcata, Dudley, eats the Bermuda grass and weeds that grow in his yard. I occasionally toss him a branch off the mulberry tree, or a flake of orchard grass hay, and if I get a bunch of free produce trimmings, he shares in that bounty. But mainly, he eats the grass.

 

[Razan]

My redfoots really like passion fruit leaves and both are very healthy. I'm feeding them with this leaves at least 3 times per week.
View attachment 172030

Thanks a million for posting this ! The passion fruit vines are growing madly and producing very well. All the while thinking must get out there and remove them. You just made my tortoise really happy too. Now he has another addition in the variety of food to eat.

Thank you

 

[Razan]

I didn't think pampas grass was invasive. I had it all across the front of my property. It didn't reproduce. It made a really nice big division between the street and my house. It was a great place for my ducks to nest and raise babies. This was when this house belonged to my daughter and she didn't have tortoises. But I don't think tortoises would eat it.

My 110lb sulcata, Dudley, eats the Bermuda grass and weeds that grow in his yard. I occasionally toss him a branch off the mulberry tree, or a flake of orchard grass hay, and if I get a bunch of free produce trimmings, he shares in that bounty. But mainly, he eats the grass.

Good to know pampas grass may not be desirable to our large tortoises. You saved me from the disappointment of buying, watering and nurturing something to feed him that he probably will never eat. It is ornate in the right place and in general I like it. The quest is to find large amounts of growing edibles for Sherman. There is great enjoyment in plucking things from the yard to feed the tortoises instead of trying to "grocery store" their food.

Confession: I still keep a supply of bok choy and kale available for convenience. It mixes so quick and easy sprinkled in the hay salad.

Question about feeding rose leaves and blossoms: With these large sulcatas is it OK to toss them entire rose stalks ? This was done recently and he managed good, leaving just the thorny branch behind. Is this practice a bad idea ?

The quest continues.

 

[JoesMum]

Question about feeding rose leaves and blossoms: With these large sulcatas is it OK to toss them entire rose stalks ? This was done recently and he managed good, leaving just the thorny branch behind. Is this practice a bad idea ?

Maggie3fan's Bob (sadly passed away) wrecked her rose bushes. I suspect you don't need to be too delicate with these reptilian bulldozers.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/oh-bob.122409/#post-1130099

 

[Yvonne G]

Good to know pampas grass may not be desirable to our large tortoises. You saved me from the disappointment of buying, watering and nurturing something to feed him that he probably will never eat. It is ornate in the right place and in general I like it. The quest is to find large amounts of growing edibles for Sherman. There is great enjoyment in plucking things from the yard to feed the tortoises instead of trying to "grocery store" their food.

Confession: I still keep a supply of bok choy and kale available for convenience. It mixes so quick and easy sprinkled in the hay salad.

Question about feeding rose leaves and blossoms: With these large sulcatas is it OK to toss them entire rose stalks ? This was done recently and he managed good, leaving just the thorny branch behind. Is this practice a bad idea ?

The quest continues.

Yes. I feed my rose trimmings and prunings to the tortoises all the time, stems, thorns and all. The trouble with this is I now can't use systemics to kill the aphids.

 

[Razan]

My redfoots really like passion fruit leaves and both are very healthy. I'm feeding them with this leaves at least 3 times per week.
View attachment 172030

Found this


Common name : Passion Flower (Passionfruit Vine)
Latin name : Passiflora spp.
Family name : Passifloraceae

All parts from most species of Passion Flower contain cyanogenic glycosides of varying degrees (including the edible Passiflora edulis), which could be poisonous to livestock. It would be wise to play safe and avoid all


This is from the tortoise table...Something to think about...

 

[Razan]

Yes. I feed my rose trimmings and prunings to the tortoises all the time, stems, thorns and all. The trouble with this is I now can't use systemics to kill the aphids.

Thank You !

This makes feeding him lots easier. The routine of meticulously trimming rose leaves and flowers are over. I like the chop and toss method lots better. He will be getting more leaves this way, and more leaves will make him happier.

The whole systemic plant thing is a little disturbing. Fortunately we already have plenty of well established roses to harvest from.

Thank you for the time you give tortoise forum to help us give our tortoises a good life.

 

[omarnegron]

Found this


Common name : Passion Flower (Passionfruit Vine)
Latin name : Passiflora spp.
Family name : Passifloraceae

All parts from most species of Passion Flower contain cyanogenic glycosides of varying degrees (including the edible Passiflora edulis), which could be poisonous to livestock. It would be wise to play safe and avoid all


This is from the tortoise table...Something to think about...

I found this post from 2012:

Ok, so i contacted one of the editors for The Tortuga Gazette, about the article and he replied this
"I wrote the article about the Passion Vine. You need not worry about your tortoises eating the leaves. The cyanide you mention is present in very young, unripe fruit - passion fruit at this stage of development should never be eaten.

I can send you a PDF of the article by email as soon as tomorrow. If you give me a postal mailing address, I will send you a copy of the issue in which the article appeared. That, however, may take some time, as I need to dig the copy out of a storage box."

so here it is... its completely safe , i hope she sends the PDF at least

--------------------------------------

I never feed my redfoots with the passion fruit flower, only with the leaves and ripe fruit. My redfoots really enjoy eating the leaves and they are very healthy

 

[Razan]

I found this post from 2012:

Ok, so i contacted one of the editors for The Tortuga Gazette, about the article and he replied this
"I wrote the article about the Passion Vine. You need not worry about your tortoises eating the leaves. The cyanide you mention is present in very young, unripe fruit - passion fruit at this stage of development should never be eaten.

I can send you a PDF of the article by email as soon as tomorrow. If you give me a postal mailing address, I will send you a copy of the issue in which the article appeared. That, however, may take some time, as I need to dig the copy out of a storage box."

so here it is... its completely safe , i hope she sends the PDF at least

--------------------------------------

I never feed my redfoots with the passion fruit flower, only with the leaves and ripe fruit. My redfoots really enjoy eating the leaves and they are very healthy

Wow, thank you for doing additional research and looking into this more thoroughly. I am so pleased to get the information and relieved once again to be able to keep the precious vines and feed the leaves to Sherman !

Thank you.

Nicely done !

 

[Razan]

The final verdict is in. Sherman loves the ripe passion fruit which he probably should not eat because of all the seeds. More importantly, this sulcata HATES the passion fruit leaves. He was happy to takes a big gluttonous bite of the new food offering then shook head to rid himself of the offensive greens. He ran over to his pile of hay to eat away the offending residual taste. And yes, he ran. He looked like a cartoon character who just bit into a lemon.

 

[Razan]

Hungry Hungry tortoise.

 

[Big Charlie]

The final verdict is in. Sherman loves the ripe passion fruit which he probably should not eat because of all the seeds. More importantly, this sulcata HATES the passion fruit leaves. He was happy to takes a big gluttonous bite of the new food offering then shook head to rid himself of the offensive greens. He ran over to his pile of hay to eat away the offending residual taste. And yes, he ran. He looked like a cartoon character who just bit into a lemon.

I guess you could say he hates them with a passion?