sulcata weirdly pees while eating iceberg lettuce

[SGT Fish]

i got home from being away for a couple days and had a head of iceberg lettuce left over in the fridge. I normally dont feed him iceberg lettuce but i figured at the worst it will hydrate him and fill his belly til i got some other foods for him in the morning. as soon as he started eating it he pee'd a whole lot of water out.

I've heard that they do this when soaking to replenish/refresh their internal water stores. But it was just weird. Anyone know why he did it? is it because he was being hydrated?

Also, are there any huge downsides to feeding iceberg lettuce as a rare treat? sometimes i throw a few leaves to him just to change things up, but it is hardly even a small part of his diet

 

[Tom]

Well they can pee anytime they want. Sometimes its just random or coincidental.

Yes, they do tend to pee when replenishing water supplies, which iceberg lettuce would contribute to.

Used in the way you are using it, there is no harm to it. I do the same thing. Sometimes the catering trucks at work have huge piles of leftover salad. I'll throw the spring mix, spinach and iceberg all in one big trash bag, bring it home and mix it with weeds, grass clippings, grass hay, mulberry leaves, etc., and feed it all out to my herd. This happens once every month to two.

 

[AnimalLady]

Well they can pee anytime they want. Sometimes its just random or coincidental.

Yes, they do tend to pee when replenishing water supplies, which iceberg lettuce would contribute to.

Used in the way you are using it, there is no harm to it. I do the same thing. Sometimes the catering trucks at work have huge piles of leftover salad. I'll throw the spring mix, spinach and iceberg all in one big trash bag, bring it home and mix it with weeds, grass clippings, grass hay, mulberry leaves, etc., and feed it all out to my herd. This happens once every month to two.

I thought spinach was a no no? Ive been picking the dang spinach out of the spring mix diligently! Is it ok to feed?!

 

[Alaskamike]

My opinion , after reading just volumes of nutritional advise , research, and experience with tortoise foods and feeding programs is that -
If it's not poisonous , almost any greens , veggies, Mazuri, even fruit is fine as a small part of a varied diet. I even give my Sulcata a boiled egg once a month. Shell & all.

I don't get all scientific about it , no more than I do with my own diet , but I vary foods and rotate things.

Basics like grass are always available. I think sometimes we tend to get a bit obsessive about some foods. Spinach and iceberg lettuce are 2 I've seen demonized. Words like " bad" and " never" get easily attached to a food without much thought.

Variety is the spice of life - as well as diet

 

[MPRC]

I'm with Mike, balance is the key. I eat a good balance of veggies and my critters get the scraps and leftovers along with their staple greens.
(I have redfoots who eat a lot more fruit and veggie options so their percentages of 'extras' is probably higher than what most folks would do with a sully) When the plums were ripe they got a little bit each day, when the tomatoes came in they usually got one little tomato. When my neighbor pruned her grapes Vern got branch after branch of grape leaves until they were gone. When I'm out of greens they get a plate of mazuri. I make sure they have access to fresh greens every day and if they want to tear into a watermelon rind as well then I don't worry about it.

 

[Tom]

I thought spinach was a no no? Ive been picking the dang spinach out of the spring mix diligently! Is it ok to feed?!

A lot of spinach every day would be bad. A little spinach mixed in with other greens once or twice a month is good for them. Spinach is high in iron and other good stuff. That's why its good for people too.

 

[Big Charlie]

I have avoided iceberg lettuce ever since I got my first guinea pig 20 years ago and was warned never to feed them iceberg. Apparently it is very high in pesticide residue. I figured if iceberg wasn't safe for guinea pigs, it probably wasn't a good idea for me to eat it either.