Weeds for tortoise

[Roose Bolton]

Hello!

I have a little yellowfoot tortoise, and I've been selectively feeding him specific weeds that I know the names of only. But I live in a forest in PA and we have so, so so many weeds around that I just don't know what they are called/if they are fine to feed him. I feel like he's just getting the same sort of foods every day. I also have random weeds popping up all throughout my outdoor enclosure I built him, and the long and short of it is, I don't know if it's ok for him to even be wandering around in there anymore. I don't want him to eat something that'll poison him!

How do you know what random little weeds are ok to feed a tortoise and not? The tortoise table is good for the ones I could find (like virginia creeper, we have it in droves!) but a lot of weeds all look very similar and I just am unsure about it.

Is it all right if he eats pretty much anything as long as it's not a dietary staple or on the poison plant list? How do other members here keep potentially dangerous plants from popping up in outdoor enclosures?

 

[C.H.D Exotics]

heres a website for all the weeds in your state, you would just have to search if there toxic to tortoises or not. http://www.preen.com/weeds#!pa

 

[RosemaryDW]

I use the Preen website fairly often myself. In addition to identifying your state, refine the search to "broadleaf weeds only," it's easy, just click a button.

If you see a plant that looks familiar, click on its picture to see other pictures and learn more about it.

Once you've identified it, you can check it out on the Tortoise Table or do a search here to see if someone else has asked about the same plant.

I sometimes check a state's cooperative extension or state university's weed site. Here is one for your state: http://plantscience.psu.edu/research/centers/turf/extension/plant-id/broadleaf

I'll also check lists of local wildflowers, which are weeds by another name: http://www.pbase.com/timclyons/wildflowers

 

[Tom]

You must ID each weed and then verify if it is safe for your tortoises consumption.

Your tortoise does not know which of all these foreign plants are okay and which aren't. Tortoises eat the wrong stuff all the time. It costs some of them their lives.

 

[RosemaryDW]

P.S. you're doing great so far, giving him as many weeds as you can and looking to find others that are safe.

It gets easier. You aren't used to looking at weeds from a consumption perspective; the longer you keep your eyes open, the more comfortable you'll be identifying them.