CallMeMiles

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Joined
Jun 29, 2019
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1
Location (City and/or State)
Minnesota
Hi guys! I’m new to the community(though I’ve read some threads before) and I had a question.
I have been growing some plants for my dear baby Ben and they are getting eaten by something. The spinach plants are in a pot, and I was wondering if it would be okay to put cayenne pepper on the plants? My aunt and cousin both said it should be fine because it doesn’t harm any other animals, but I know that torts are sometimes different in those aspects(and not to mention they’ve never even housed reptiles so they don’t know **** about them).
Does anyone know anything?


Side note: I was browsing forums looking for a topic related to this one(to no avail) but read that you shouldn’t feed your Russian tort spinach? Is that true?????
 

Kez

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Joined
May 19, 2019
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32
Location (City and/or State)
United Kingdom
I know Tortoises can’t have chilli pepper, I would have thought cayenne pepper would be in the same category? Have a look a Neem oil as an insecticide. It is widely used by organic gardeners. It’s biodegradable & isn’t harmful to animals & wildlife so I would imagine a Tortoise would be fine with it, especially as you would wash the food first.
 

RosemaryDW

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5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2016
Messages
4,144
Location (City and/or State)
Newport Coast, CA
I would not use chili powder. I would first see if I could figure out what was eating them before applying anything. Could it be caterpillars? Do you seen any bugs on the understand of the leaves? Chew holes? That kind of thing.

You will often read guidance that says not to feed spinach due to it containing a chemical (oxalate) that can bind with calcium and theoretically prevent your tortoise from being able to absorb the (important!) calcium.

I have yet to see anything definitive that proves there is an absolute connection and wouldn’t have problems feeding some occasionally as part of a varied diet. If you are feeding it as a majority of the diet, that could be problematic but we can say the same thing whenever we rely primarily on a single food source.

That said, you’re a new owner and shouldn’t feel you have to feed anything you’re not entirely comfortable with; there are plenty of other options.

Turnip tops are extremely easy to grow so long as it’s not hot and are a good food source.
 

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