M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
Bob's pen in the Spring is thick with Crimson and New Zealand white clover, but I don't see any evidence that it is harmful to him...what would we see?
Madkins007 said:Few flowers have much oxalic acid, and considering that dandelion flowers are considered edible for humans as well, I doubt they have much.
It would be nice to have a better database of nutrients and plants, but for crying out loud- can you imagine what that would look like? Listing different parts of plants, and in many cases, even different ages or treatments?
Just another quick note- red and white clover is considered HIGH in oxalic acid (the German name for the plant comes from the acid content), but it shows up on 'safe' lists all of the time. Makes me wonder how many other garden or yard plants are high in it but still on the lists.
Anyone got a couple hundred torts sitting around we can experiment with? (we'd need a couple of test groups and a control, so the more the merrier!)
:shy:
katesgoey said:I didn't ask my first question very clearly so I'm going to try again: Do we know if there is a loss or lessening of content of the oxalic acid if the plant has been picked for and fed to the tortoise rather than the tortoise "picking" it fresh from the ground itself? I've read where some plants lose some elements after picking if they are not fed within a period of time so I'm curious to know if this makes a difference. Thanks.
maggie3fan said:Bob's pen in the Spring is thick with Crimson and New Zealand white clover, but I don't see any evidence that it is harmful to him...what would we see?
Madkins007 said:katesgoey said:I didn't ask my first question very clearly so I'm going to try again: Do we know if there is a loss or lessening of content of the oxalic acid if the plant has been picked for and fed to the tortoise rather than the tortoise "picking" it fresh from the ground itself? I've read where some plants lose some elements after picking if they are not fed within a period of time so I'm curious to know if this makes a difference. Thanks.
Oxalic acid is more of a mineral than a vitamin. As the plant dries out, the acid becomes more concentrated, but there is not 'more' of it. Because the plant is drier, it hydrates the animal less as well, which is probably the more important element.
The 'drying time' between picking and feeding in situations like local farmer's markets or backyard gardens is probably not as big a deal as the drying time involved in long-distance trucking for mega-marts.
We do know that cooking it kicks the chemical reaction into hyperdrive, however. It has been said on some sites that if the stuff is not cooked, it has much less effect. Not sure I believe that completely, but the theory makes sense.
Thank you.