Safe to eat? Cannot identify!

[boris'mommy]

boris seems to love whatever these are I have pulled him off for now in order to identify them before allowing him to possibly get ill.

 

[Tom]

I can't tell what that one is.

Take a sample to a local nursery and ask for the resident plant nerd.

 

[MangoKing]

From the photo appears to be field bind weed, wild morning glory. It is not safe to feed. Does it get white flowers if not pulled? long white roots?

Very hard to control.

 

[waretrop]

I looked out in Alice's playground this months ago and saw all her grass cut down short and then I glanced over to a patch about 1 foot square. It was another kind of leaf, WEED, that she ate all around. I let it grow for a week or 2 and finally went out and carefully pulled it out. It was either not very taste or not healthy for her. I think they are selective when they have a choice. If something bad is thrown into a tray layered then it will be hard for them to be selective. There are some times when Alice doesn't like mustard greens. It doesn't seem to ship well in the heat, to the stores. She really does toss it off her tray then it doesn't look good.

I feel they have good judgement in what is dangerous for them to eat...BUT not good judgement in eating things that cause diarrhea. Sometimes my "pear tree" goes on "auto feed" when I am not home to watch it. She sees them and races over to them and gobbles them till there is nothing left. That is not fun for mommy...

 

[Dizisdalife]

It could be prostrate knotweed. My sulcata will eat it sometimes, but mostly ignores it.

 

[Yvonne G]

From the photo appears to be field bind weed, wild morning glory. It is not safe to feed. Does it get white flowers if not pulled? long white roots?

Very hard to control.

If you look towards the top of the plant in the second picture you can see yellow flower buds. I was thinking wire weed, but no, not with yellow flowers

 

[Tom]

From the photo appears to be field bind weed, wild morning glory. It is not safe to feed. Does it get white flowers if not pulled? long white roots?

Very hard to control.

I've had this pop up in my enclosure before, and the plant in the picture doesn't look like mine did. I assume it came in from bird droppings containing seeds, or possibly seeds carried in on the wind. I hand pulled it out by the roots, and it hasn't been back for years.

 

[Tom]

I feel they have good judgement in what is dangerous for them to eat...BUT not good judgement in eating things that cause diarrhea. Sometimes my "pear tree" goes on "auto feed" when I am not home to watch it. She sees them and races over to them and gobbles them till there is nothing left. That is not fun for mommy...

Many people "feel" this way. And sometimes the tortoises do selectively not eat the bad stuff, which is why this feeling is so common. But please let me tell you that its a gamble, and many people gamble and lose. The reptile vets that I know and regularly work with have far too many stories of dead tortoises from eating toxic plants.

They don't always make the right choice, even if they sometimes do. The safe bet is to remove any unknown weeds and prevent access to any toxic, or unknown plants. This way the tortoise simply can not make the wrong choice and die.

 

[Bambam1989]

From the photo appears to be field bind weed, wild morning glory. It is not safe to feed. Does it get white flowers if not pulled? long white roots?

Very hard to control.

According to the tortoise table bind weeds are safe to feed in small amounts
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=39&c=6#.WasIWnplDqA

 

[Alaskamike]

There is " Safe to eat in small amounts" and those that are toxic. In Florida here it can be difficult since when rainy season hits EVEYTHING comes up. Seemingly overnight.

100ds if not 1000ds of plant from all over the world have been brought here. Birds & wind transport the seeds. When I see something I've not seen before I pull it out till I can check it out.

Having said that - I do notice certain plants remain untouched while others get gobbled. Who knows the selection process , or the torts ability to discern dangerous plants.

I would rather exercise caution that have a sick or dead tort. I'm sure we all would.