Feeding and Nutrition :: question about giving RES dandelions

[Twoster]

sorry if this was posted twice, any help would be appreciated..
i read that dandelions are good for RES and should be a staple product of their normal diet, but i was wondering if this was okay;

i went outside and uprooted a dandelion (free from pesticides and weed killers, etc..), i brought it inside and chopped most of the roots off, left a tiny piece so the leaves would be held together, washed it, and placed it in my tank with a food clip, leaves, flower and all.. i read that the flower is not harmful, just some turts do not show interest it in..there are atleast 9 leaves and 2 flowers with stems..good or bad?....any suggestions?

[jenaero]

I've heard that they'll show little interest in the flower itself. I've never tried it though. I buy dandelion greens at the grocery store.

[Twoster]

alright thanks,
ill def. buy some when i have a chance, but there are PLENTY around, so i figured why not try it..he inspected it, he may be spoiled(he really likes his green leaf lettuces), but ill leave it in for a while ...thanks again

[Twoster]

does anyone know why some of the dandelion leaves have the short hairs or fuzz all over them..and other ones do not?

[Tenodera]

Um I'm not sure.. Usually the ones that recieve full sun have hairs and the ones in shade have less or no hairs at all. Serra likes the hairless ones better. I think the hair tastes bitter to her.

[Twoster]

thank ya

[DavidY]

I think there are different varieties of dandelions and therefore different flavors maybe? I've tried the dandelion leaves in my back yard before with little success. The flowers are very high in vitamins and antioxidants but they also contain a lot of phosphorous so they should only be fed in small quantities and not too often. I've fed the fully opened flowers to my bearded dragons before and sometimes they go crazy over them, other times not. I haven't offered any to the turtles yet.

[marisa]

I'd skip the flowers (your turtle is likely to just tear them up) and concentrate on the leafy green leaves. You could also just cut the root off completely and clip the leaves together. (Sometimes my turtles bite the leaves to release them from the clip before they nibble on them.)

The one you plucked from the back yard sounds fine. I tend to buy dandelions from the supermarket as well---they're bigger, less bitter, and the edges often aren't as serrated as the ones in the back yard (which, for some reason my turtles seem to appreciate). I have no idea as to whether there are different varieties, but growing conditions (and when they're picked) will affect their taste as well as their nutritional value.