Skyler Nell said:
Yes, it is Yorba Linda, my mistake.
Tortoises all dead, trader joes cucumbers poisoned them
- Thread starter rachaell
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Yes, it is Yorba Linda, my mistake.
Hey Walter, sorry if I hurt your feelings but Ive posted images of the CDTs before on here.. everyone knows what condition they were in when they came to me and I dont think anyone is thinking poorly of you at all when I mention their condition. You know that they were sluggish, and what symptoms they had. Those little symptoms are making it hard to diagnose any other symptoms as well. Again, no one is talking bad about you. You also have my number, and my tortoise (bing, for breeding). I wish you would have just called me or texted me if you were upset and I would have talked to you off the forum about it.
Anyway,
Back to whats going on here.
So I called the grower, and then Trader Joes. I guess word got out (I dropped the words "threatened species" a few times) because Trader Joes corporate office called this morning at 10 am as I was preparing to get to the vet.
They told me that they have since pulled that batch of cucs because they found AMMONIA on them. They while they dont use it on the vegetables themselves it could have been a cleaning agent in the trucks used for shipments.. or on the floorspace of the store.
Heres where the legal comes in: Since the amount of ammonia on the cucs was not a harmful dose to humans, and since the cucs are not labeled as animal food the company can only offer their "deepest condolences" and a care package.
Three of seven torts have survived. I think it was because I was able to react on time with the olive oil feedings and soaks. I still do not want to discuss my actually feelings on the matter because I feel like Im teetering on losing my mind here. I will say, if anything came from this .. its a lesson on poisoning and maybe a hint of a remedy.. or maybe it was just luck.
Im completely gutted.
Anyway,
Back to whats going on here.
So I called the grower, and then Trader Joes. I guess word got out (I dropped the words "threatened species" a few times) because Trader Joes corporate office called this morning at 10 am as I was preparing to get to the vet.
They told me that they have since pulled that batch of cucs because they found AMMONIA on them. They while they dont use it on the vegetables themselves it could have been a cleaning agent in the trucks used for shipments.. or on the floorspace of the store.
Heres where the legal comes in: Since the amount of ammonia on the cucs was not a harmful dose to humans, and since the cucs are not labeled as animal food the company can only offer their "deepest condolences" and a care package.
Three of seven torts have survived. I think it was because I was able to react on time with the olive oil feedings and soaks. I still do not want to discuss my actually feelings on the matter because I feel like Im teetering on losing my mind here. I will say, if anything came from this .. its a lesson on poisoning and maybe a hint of a remedy.. or maybe it was just luck.
Im completely gutted.
Dude that sucks... What is the "Care Package" they are sending?
rachaell said:
HA! Perfect response.
rachaell said:
That is a absolutely perfect response...
I don't understand how any ammonia used in the fashion they described would remain after washing and peeling the cucumbers.
Ive been googling it a lot, its feasible.. and makes sense that it only affected the smaller ones to the point of death. I also only managed to get about 90 percent of the skin off and if I touched the ammonia while cutting up the cucs...
We dont even keep that stuff in our house its so toxic.
We dont even keep that stuff in our house its so toxic.
I would imagine if it was in the trucks for whatever reason it might have soaked into the cucumbers. Not harmful to humans but deadly to little torts.
I am only asking this question for information purposes, did you notice a smell or anything while cutting them up?
I am only asking this question for information purposes, did you notice a smell or anything while cutting them up?
hey,, a week or so ago.. maybe less. someone posted about losing a little tort.. it ate great that morning then was found dead...
anyone recall that? who? I wonder where they live and what they fed that morning....
Im still in shock over reading this...
anyone recall that? who? I wonder where they live and what they fed that morning....
Im still in shock over reading this...
Yeah I remember reading that thread. It said something like they could'nt keep his spirits up or something like that...
scratch that...i just found the thread I was referring to. That person was from Texas
scratch that...i just found the thread I was referring to. That person was from Texas
It hit your torts so fast, it had to be a toxin, like the ammonia. I think most of the people on the forum are very stunned. You must feel like a Tsunami hit you, I cannot imagine what you are going through; shock, most likely.
You reacted quickly and efficiently to this, and I cannot see that there is anything else you could have done. I appreciate your sharing the process, awful as it was, so that if anything like this happens, those of us with less experience at least have some idea of what to try.
I will keep you in my thoughts.
You reacted quickly and efficiently to this, and I cannot see that there is anything else you could have done. I appreciate your sharing the process, awful as it was, so that if anything like this happens, those of us with less experience at least have some idea of what to try.
I will keep you in my thoughts.
I'm sorry for your loss.
In an odd way, I am sort of relieved that it was a contaminate. That means that it was nothing you did, or that there is anything wrong with your cares, or in your (previous) choice of stores, etc. This was one of those horrible things that can happen to anyone, anytime.
It is not a lot of comfort, but I find it sometimes helps with the grieving process a bit.
In an odd way, I am sort of relieved that it was a contaminate. That means that it was nothing you did, or that there is anything wrong with your cares, or in your (previous) choice of stores, etc. This was one of those horrible things that can happen to anyone, anytime.
It is not a lot of comfort, but I find it sometimes helps with the grieving process a bit.
Deeepest sympathies go out to you,
and great response to trader joes!
and great response to trader joes!
Rachael it has been so sad to hear what has happened to your tortoise's. So I am wondering by me having to buy by tortoise food from the store during the winter, if ammonia was to get on any of the food that we buy, would soaking it in water remove the ammonia or once exposed to the ammonia would it permanently stay in the food item. Also if the cucumbers that you had were not used for a certain length of time would the ammonia dissipate out of them?? You may not know but it would sure be helpful to myself and others if someone had the answer to the above.
I can't believe that's the response that they are sticking to. Clearly they don't get it or truly care. We as tortoise owners rely on fresh, clean food and trust in these companies to offer an edible food. Who would of thought that it was okay to have a small amount of something toxic on food and then sell it, especially Trader Joes. I think we are all just shocked that this could happen. I can't believe even after washing and peeling, it was still there. It's like it soaked through the cucumber??? Maybe you should contact a local news company. I know ours here allows you to report and tell your side and they will look into it. If anything, it will help get the word out because most tortoise owners buy commerical foods and wouldn't imagine this happening. What if there are others even though the so-called batch was pulled. It's a lesson for all of us to learn, but the question is...if you cleaned and peeled them, how could this be prevented if the same thing happened besides just not giving it? It's not right and they seem to be sweeping it under the table!
I don't know what to say. We will be rethinking where and what produce out babies get.
I'm not buying the ammonia thing. First of all who cleans a truck with ammonia? If anything you'd use bleach or a commercial product in a truck for hauling human food. Ammonia is not the best cleaner or disinfectant for such a situation. Secondly, its just not THAT toxic, especially in the tiny trace amounts that would have been present in the way you fed it. You know, washed and peeled. Something is not adding up. I still hope you do a necropsy. I know through the grapevine the Dr. Greek is an excellent tortoise vet. A bunch of us are ready to help pay for it.
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