Whats best?

[lovinmesomefranklin]

Hi, I have a baby redfoot tortious named Franklin (6 months old) and I'm making him a outdoor garden just for him I have bought some greens and cabbage that I know he can have, but what about flowers? What type of flowers are best for him? I bought some sun flowers and vinca plants, are those okay for him? Thanks for the help

 

[Zik]

I only know a few flowers and their leaves which are safe and edible for tortoises and are actually good for them. I feed my tortoise with these.

• Hibiscus (flowers and leaves)
• Dandelion (flower and leaves)
• Marigold (flower, not sure about the leaves.)

You can also check out this website for more reference.
http://www.thetortoisehouse.com/Edible04.htm

 

[kingskettle]

Not an expert by any means but my tortoises LOVE pansies, petunias, hollyhocks and opuntia flowers.

www.cactusinspain.com

 

[lovinmesomefranklin]

Thanks alot for the help

 

[JoesMum]

This Plant Booklet is really good for finding out what's good to feed.

You can also look up stuff you can buy in the shop or find growing outside on The Tortoise Table Plant Database

 

[MikeCow1]

IIRC, cabbage is not a good choice can cause thyroid? damage. Vinca, I believe is poisonous.

 

[Madkins007]

Cabbage is a 'brassica'- among other things, this means it has goiterinogenic properties, which is a fancy term for things that block or inhibit iodine absorption by the tissues. You need iodine, so this is a bad thing.

Lots of things are brassicals- cabbage, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, brocolli, etc. Even most of the greens we strongly recommend using are brassicas- collards, turnips, mustard...

The thing is that this is not really an issue in real life. A little variety with plants that are not brassicas and everything is OK.

Most of the reasons this even became an issue in tortoise keeping is that back in the old days, cabbage was considered about the only thing you needed to feed. Some species that were more sensitive to this than others quickly developed goiters- large growths usually on the neck.