Tortoise ate fertilized grass

[zezike]

My 40 lb.Sulcata Koa, ate newly fertilized grass that was treated one day before He ate from it, at a neighbor’s yard. He ate for a half hour before I realized it. He had been going there for a long time before this, because I knew it was not treated. That was two hrs. ago. I gave him Spring mix at home after,
,hopefully to counter act the grass He ate. With his size and not a long time ingesting the fertilized grass and eating lettuce after it and behaving all right, I am right now going with the thought that He will be all right, but watching him close.Please may I have feedback.

 

[ZenHerper]

You need to have the package ingredients and call animal poison control. There is a chemical search tool here:

Pet Poison Control - American College of Veterinary Pharmacists

Pet Poison Control is a public health outreach providing information on common household toxins and prescription medication. It serves as a resource for Fellow and Members of the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists to share with their clients and community.

vetmeds.org

 

[MichaelL]

Make sure to give him a really long soak.

 

[Yvonne G]

You probably don't have anything to worry about unless he actually ate fertilizer. When one fertilizes plants the plant takes up the fertilizer and converts it to 'plant food.' Same way the plant takes nutrients from the soil.

 

[Markw84]

Agree with @Yvonne G Eating grass that has been fertilized is not a problem. Fertilizer is needed as it is food for the grass and good for the grass. In fact, most people do not feed their grass and plants enough and get poorer quality and weaker plants as a result. Feed your plants and grass and you will get better results!

You do need to be careful that the fertilizer was not also a "weed and feed" which many grass fertilizers are now. In that case there is weed control chemicals added to the fertilizer. But plain fertilizer is good for the grass (and plants) you are feeding. Just be sure it is fertilizer only.

 

[zezike]

You need to have the package ingredients and call animal poison control. There is a chemical search tool here:

Pet Poison Control - American College of Veterinary Pharmacists

Pet Poison Control is a public health outreach providing information on common household toxins and prescription medication. It serves as a resource for Fellow and Members of the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists to share with their clients and community.

vetmeds.org

Thank you so much for your reply. I’ll keep your information. I soaked him well today and He seems to be fine. I feed him Timothy hay mixed with spring mix baby lettuce and fruits and veggies that I keep looking up what he can have. Otherwise I have taken him to the naighbor’s grass but They forgot to tell ne about starting to fertilize. My yard has always been taken care of by a professional company so I feel that’s absolutely not safe. I bought desert tortoise seed mix and now I need to plant an area that has sandy Florida soil and no grass for a long time, for him to graze on. Do I buy topsoil from home depot and mix with loose coconut fiber ECO earth? Don’t know what is ok to use for planting seeds for a tortoise. Top soil looked like it had no additives. Also saw manure. So I’m really a dunce about this planting procedure and I don’t want to harm him or worse, this prescious little creature. That’s why ive been going to my neighbor, but now I can’t any more. Plus what I read now, It’s ok to fertilize, just wait 2 days and use organic only, but no weed and feed in it. I thought there should be no fertilizazion at all. What about will the rest of the yard’s treatment seep into Koa’s feeding area? Sorry I’m really unloading on you here.

 

[ZenHerper]

Thank you so much for your reply. I’ll keep your information. I soaked him well today and He seems to be fine. I feed him Timothy hay mixed with spring mix baby lettuce and fruits and veggies that I keep looking up what he can have. Otherwise I have taken him to the naighbor’s grass but They forgot to tell ne about starting to fertilize. My yard has always been taken care of by a professional company so I feel that’s absolutely not safe. I bought desert tortoise seed mix and now I need to plant an area that has sandy Florida soil and no grass for a long time, for him to graze on. Do I buy topsoil from home depot and mix with loose coconut fiber ECO earth? Don’t know what is ok to use for planting seeds for a tortoise. Top soil looked like it had no additives. Also saw manure. So I’m really a dunce about this planting procedure and I don’t want to harm him or worse, this prescious little creature. That’s why ive been going to my neighbor, but now I can’t any more. Plus what I read now, It’s ok to fertilize, just wait 2 days and use organic only, but no weed and feed in it. I thought there should be no fertilizazion at all. What about will the rest of the yard’s treatment seep into Koa’s feeding area? Sorry I’m really unloading on you here.

Sulcata should not be eating fruit. This is the most up-to-date and most successful care info:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

If the neighbors know that the fertilizer is labelled "pet safe", then extra hydration should be sufficient. If they use a professional service that treats against weeds or insects as well: that is concerning.

***********

If the garden area is where the tort will be spending a lot of time, containers are better for plants that you don't want to be eaten to the ground. Coco coir works well to incubate most seed types, but gets too packed down over time to allow roots to breath properly.

Buy an organic soil that has NO perlite or other white-colored bits in it (torts think they're some sort of edible mineral source, but they are not). Sift the soil to make sure there are no nails, bits of plastic, glass, rocks, etc..

Buy a pet-safe plant food and follow the package instructions. Ask at your garden center what is most popular where you live. I use old fish tank water and a homemade compost pile, so I don't buy chemical fertilizer for my plants.

Manure is very concentrated and has to be mixed into ground soil, but it can burn plants if you use too much.

If you want to do a more extensive in-ground garden, get your local garden center's help with pet-safe advice on specific soil amendments, etc.. Everywhere the ground is somewhat different.

There is always a risk that pesticides and herbicides will wash from one place to another when it rains. The Best recommendation is to not use toxic chemicals on the property, especially near to where a tortoise lives.

 

[zezike]

Sulcata should not be eating fruit. This is the most up-to-date and most successful care info:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

If the neighbors know that the fertilizer is labelled "pet safe", then extra hydration should be sufficient. If they use a professional service that treats against weeds or insects as well: that is concerning.

***********

If the garden area is where the tort will be spending a lot of time, containers are better for plants that you don't want to be eaten to the ground. Coco coir works well to incubate most seed types, but gets too packed down over time to allow roots to breath properly.

Buy an organic soil that has NO perlite or other white-colored bits in it (torts think they're some sort of edible mineral source, but they are not). Sift the soil to make sure there are no nails, bits of plastic, glass, rocks, etc..

Buy a pet-safe plant food and follow the package instructions. Ask at your garden center what is most popular where you live. I use old fish tank water and a homemade compost pile, so I don't buy chemical fertilizer for my plants.

Manure is very concentrated and has to be mixed into ground soil, but it can burn plants if you use too much.

If you want to do a more extensive in-ground garden, get your local garden center's help with pet-safe advice on specific soil amendments, etc.. Everywhere the ground is somewhat different.

There is always a risk that pesticides and herbicides will wash from one place to another when it rains. The Best recommendation is to not use toxic chemicals on the property, especially near to where a tortoise lives.

Thank you so much for your very helpful information, I appreciate it.