wild dandelions in my yard

[johnnysd]

just a quick question. i 'm trying to figure out the best diet for my tortoise. i noticed there are some wild dandelions growing in my yard.
my question is....are those dandelions different from the bunches sold at my local grocery store? can i feed them to my tortoise. i tried cutting some up and this milky stuff came out so i decided to post my question first before i feed it to him.
ps. the organic market where i live has them labeled as "chicory" although it looks just like the dandelions bunches sold at the Ralphs i go too. are they the same or are they different

 

[Fernando]

i believe both are edible. Chicory are dandelion leaves I think. Take a photo of the wild ones your talking about. If they are growing in your grass and they are dandelions (assuming there are no pesticides or things sprayed on the grass) they are safe to eat.

 

[Nay]

Oh what a nice delicacy, especially in salads (yes for people too)
And the torts love the flowers!! I love it when we see that nice bed of yellow!, most folk cringe!
That's tort ownership, changes the way you look at some things.
Nay

 

[GBtortoises]

The dandelions growing in your yard are true dandelions. The grocery store version is often actually chicory. Either is fine to feed tortoises and the wild version probably has more nutrional value! I feed mine the entire plants; leaves, stalks and flowers. Never with any problems.

 

[Laura]

if you pick them and white stuff comes out.. they are not dandilions, but something similar. I feed it,,, but not as much.

 

[Angi]

I have several weeds that look Like dandilion. Dandilion has a tender leaf. Mine grow lower to the ground than the milk thisle. And Laura is correct no milky white stuff.

 

[GBtortoises]

"if you pick them and white stuff comes out.. they are not dandilions, but something similar."

I disagree, wild dandelions, especially in spring and early summer, absolutely secrete small amounts of "milk" from the flower stem when it is snapped open.

Maybe western dandelions are different that dandelions here in the Northeast. Here if left uncut they will often grow to as high as 12" with very large flowers and big, tough, dark green leaves.

 

[Edna]

"if you pick them and white stuff comes out.. they are not dandilions, but something similar."

I disagree, wild dandelions, especially in spring and early summer, absolutely secrete small amounts of "milk" from the flower stem when it is snapped open.

Maybe western dandelions are different that dandelions here in the Northeast. Here if left uncut they will often grow to as high as 12" with very large flowers and big, tough, dark green leaves.

People also often say that dandelions do best in poor soil, but that is not true. Dandelions in a garden situation with good soil and water grow up looking like salad greens. The dandelions that grow in my mother's nursery/waste/compost patch, at 8,500 ft in Colorado, are amazing.

 

[GBtortoises]

That's how they grow here in most areas, like thick, salad greens. Soil in my area is generally very fertile, alot of it current or former farmland. In those areas dandelion and other weeds grow big and full. In other soil types around here they still grow plentiful, just not as big and thick. I'm at about 2,500 ft.

 

[Balboa]

As previously stated grocery stores usually sell chicory, which is related to the dandelion, but not a true dandelion, and the actual dandelion from your yard (assuming its toxin free) is even better for your tort (though only as a part of a varied diet, there can be too much of a good thing, don't overdo it). As also stated they should secrete that sticky, milky sap.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?catID=5

Not everything we think of as a dandelion is though, and some are downright harmful.

If the the stalks are somewhat solid rather than hollow, and the flower opens all the way up it is probably a cat-ear, which are also good eats.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?catID=81

If however the flowers never seem to open up it could be groundsel/ragwort which is toxic. Before I learned how to tell all the different "dandelions" apart I fed some of that to my tort. Luckily for me she was smarter than I and didn't eat it. Unlike dandelions and cat's ear, where the leaves are always at ground level, this is more like a bush, and grows leaves from a vertical stalk as well (when the plant is older and doesn't get mowed).
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?catID=144

Weeds are some of the best stuff we can feed our torts, but it pays to do some research and learn to identify them. The above linked website is UK based, but a great place to start, and many of the same plants can be found in the U.S..

 

[cueboy007]

One of the best things your tortoise can possibly eat, that's their natural diet.
Just leave them outside, let them graze around.

 

[johnnysd]

As previously stated grocery stores usually sell chicory, which is related to the dandelion, but not a true dandelion, and the actual dandelion from your yard (assuming its toxin free) is even better for your tort (though only as a part of a varied diet, there can be too much of a good thing, don't overdo it). As also stated they should secrete that sticky, milky sap.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?catID=5

Not everything we think of as a dandelion is though, and some are downright harmful.

If the the stalks are somewhat solid rather than hollow, and the flower opens all the way up it is probably a cat-ear, which are also good eats.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?catID=81

If however the flowers never seem to open up it could be groundsel/ragwort which is toxic. Before I learned how to tell all the different "dandelions" apart I fed some of that to my tort. Luckily for me she was smarter than I and didn't eat it. Unlike dandelions and cat's ear, where the leaves are always at ground level, this is more like a bush, and grows leaves from a vertical stalk as well (when the plant is older and doesn't get mowed).
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?catID=144

Weeds are some of the best stuff we can feed our torts, but it pays to do some research and learn to identify them. The above linked website is UK based, but a great place to start, and many of the same plants can be found in the U.S..

thank you very much for the repy with pictures. i think i have the toxic ones because the flowers don't seem to open up. i'm so gald i decided to post this question before i fed it to him

 

[dmarcus]

I wish I had more growing in my yard, a couple will pop up every few days but the torts go after them quickly...

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I wish I had more growing in my yard, a couple will pop up every few days but the torts go after them quickly...

I bought a bunch of seeds off of Ebay and planted them directly in the tort-enclosures.

http://cgi.ebay.com/200-Dandelion-s...273?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c3ccb549

http://cgi.ebay.com/dandelion-YELLO...371?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e630f330b

http://cgi.ebay.com/500-organic-dan...424?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb5503d48

 

[DeanS]

I've said it before and I'll say it again! Anything growing in your yard is going to have far more nutritional value than ANYTHING you buy in the store.