Feeding and Nutrition :: Dandelion greens?

[CherylH]

Greetings turtle lovers

As Spring is officially here and it has been warm and sunny the past week, I have been taking Speedy out for a daily afternoon crawl. I read somewhere on the forums that dandelion greens were a food source for her, and, as I will soon be experiencing prodigious quantities of these in my yard, I wanted to confirm this. Do the greens consist of just the broad, leafy base of the flowers or is the stem edible as well? Also - and this may be a silly question - are there any plants that could be regarded as hazardous for Speedy? Or for that matter, anything else I need to watch out for while we are exploring? I don't plan on leaving her unattended at any time, since she is incredibly fast when she decides on a course of action, and it is wildlife central where I live (the mountains of southwest Virginia, USA, by the way).

Peace

Cheryl

[steve]

I think some tortoise keepers use the entire plant but we just use the leaves. There is a link to which plants are safe/dangerous on the bottom: http://redearslider.com/plants.html

As for having her outside... even under watch, it would be great to have some sort of barrier. They blend well into their surroundings, move really fast and a very good climbers and diggers. Maybe have a water filled bucket nearby incase. It's easy to get distracted when the phone or door bell is ringing.

[cutepanda86]

So should I use the leaves and not the stems? My vet said dandelion greens but I didn't know what I should use.

[steve]

The leaves should be the most nutritious part. The rest should be edible, but like I said we just use the leaves.

[CherylH]

Thanks again, Steve:)

Speedy does indeed blend well into her surroundings...I have lost her visually in the smallest of grassy or weedy clumps quite a few times. I read the article on beneficial and detrimental plant matter, and was surprised to find cabbage on the NO list. Unfortunately, I have been feeding it to Speedy out of those bags of slaw mix that have those tiny carrot sticks that she likes. Another day, another RES lesson learned:)

Peace

Cheryl

[cutepanda86]

The leaves should be the most nutritious part. The rest should be edible, but like I said we just use the leaves.

Ah ok, thanks.

Now I'm not sure if its an option for everyone but sometimes during the summer the grocery store will sell dandelion greens. This should be ok for Sheldon, as they've been through a process and not just left out in the wild (I would of course wash the ones I pick in my yard), right?

[Gracie Turts]

watch out if you use any pesticides or any chemicals in the gardens.

[cutepanda86]

^^Definitely! Don't want to get your turtle sick.

[steve]

The one's from your yard are probably safer

[penelope]

Maybe us left-coasters have to be a little more careful - too much toxic crud hits the groundwater...and if the neighbors spray, it drifts...
I buy mt dandelions at the grocery. They are usually in the same area as the collards, mustard greens and such.
Just keep them covered in the produce bag or they / brown real quick - that's been my experience anyway.

[penelope]

PS - yeah they are F-A-S-T
I had my Mississippi Map, Jack out for some sun. I didn't think turtles were fast, so I turned around for a few minutes, looked back and he was gone!
Didn't find him until 3 weeks later when a neighbor knocked on my door; he was hanging out in her swimming pool!!!

[cutepanda86]

Maybe us left-coasters have to be a little more careful - too much toxic crud hits the groundwater...and if the neighbors spray, it drifts...
I buy mt dandelions at the grocery. They are usually in the same area as the collards, mustard greens and such.
Just keep them covered in the produce bag or they / brown real quick - that's been my experience anyway.

Ah I see. Well I'll have to keep that in mind.

@steve - I can do that. We live uphill of a farm, so I need to be careful with what days I pick them and what parts of the yard.

[penelope]

....and keep offering them, whether they eat them or not (just scoop them out after a few hours so they don't get the tank funky).
I offer greens early in the day, and pellets later.
One day you will be shocked when they go-to-town on their greens
After offering them to Penelope for over a month, with no hits I was beginning to wonder if she would ever eat them again.
Earlier I tossed in some dandelions and red lettuce, fully expecting that she would ignore them. To my surprise, Penelope chomped them down like there was no tomorrow.
Pleasantly shocked the heck out of me!
So, just being repetitive, keep on tossing them in and don't give up
Trust me - if they don't want the thick stems (not to be confused with the flowers), they simply won't eat them

Good Luck!!!!

[cutepanda86]

I will definitely try. He loves the lettuce so I'll give the dandelion greens a go. Thanks!

[penelope]

Added the dandelion question to my list of questions for the last vet visit.
Believe it or not, flowers are considered "fruit" so one can give dandelion flowers in the same frequency / amount as fruit - interesting...
she also said they can also have nasturtium, and rose petals (assuming zero pesticides / foliar fertilizer) - and the type of wild mallow indigenous to California.