Aloe Vera?

[timetravellingtortoise]

So I have an aloe vera plant that I've been growing for a while.... Besides the soil having some extra fertilizer to grow it, it's all organic. I read somewhere that this is edible for tortoises?

Is it? If so, would it just be a treat type food like once every couple weeks? Should I chop it up into small cubes because the leaves are so big?

 

[acrantophis]

Your tortoise can eat it, but it is very watery and may give your tortoise diarrhea.

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Your tortoise can eat it, but it is very watery and may give your tortoise diarrhea.

I think you can tell a lot about an animals health by its poop, including us ;-) ! So when my tortoise has watery poops I know his GI tract was unhappy. Even romaine lettuce, I feel, is too watery to use as a staple for grass grazing tortoises.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

my leopard has an aloe vera plant in his enclosure. it is safe and you can offer some. mine has been there and growing for 5 months...not once has my tort touched it... he eats other succulents though. go figure.

 

[acrantophis]

Keep in mind that some aloe species are toxic. Aloe saponaria aka soap aloe and aloe ferox are so toxic that the sap will burn your skin. Aloe Vera is not
Toxic. it usually is one or more different hybrids containing aloe barbadensis. I don't take risks with my tortoise, especially if the food in question has little to offer nutritionally.

 

[kanalomele]

I keep several kinds of aloe. It is not a staple but a perfectly healthy part of a balanced varied diet. The adults have it available and occasionally eat it. The kids are offered it once in awhile with no ill effects or diarrhea. I think that any source of hydration is an important tool to keeping my torts in top shape. I was replanting a few aloe pots and had left a few on the patio overnight. By the time I got back to them there were several nibbles taken out of them. So funny when that happens.

 

[mainey34]

My sulcata loves her aloe she will eat it every day if I let her

 

[DeanS]

I only feed aloe vera once or twice a year...but I would wait at least a month (or more) since the last application of fertilizer.

 

[Laurie]

I planted an aloe plant in Brains (rt) enclosure. He are the entire plant within two days! I'll give him some from time to time now, but I'm not going to put it in with him again, lol!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Keeping with the aloe tread, I have been able to source some huge aloe leaves at a local market. They're 2'x4-5" at the base. Occasionally I'll throw some small pieces in with both my Russians and sulcatas and they munch it down with no ill effects.
What I'm curious about is the following; we all know the cell regenerative properties of aloe jelly from the leaves. I propose has anyone used the jelly, (from the leaf, not the bottled kind) as a shell conditioner? It might do some good compared to the shell conditioner crap that gets sold next to heat rocks and walnut shell sub strate. Anyone? Thoughts?

 

[mainey34]

I have heard the jell world good on the shell, but I have never tried it. The reason for this is because I was told that it attracts ants. My sulcata is outdoors all the time and I have enough ant problems. I don't need any more. I sure would love to try it if it wasn't for this.