- Joined
- Nov 7, 2012
- Messages
- 5,171
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- South of Southern California, but not Mexico
I'll try and pull together other threads, by link, that have already beat this topic up.
What I have found, most plants that tortoises like have oxalates in them. It's a 'secondary'compound with some direct uses by the plant, but for the most part seems to be a leaf eating insect deterrent.
When looking at what it does in the tortoise gut we need to sort out a better C: P ration where the C is reduced by the amount of oxalates, so that a more true C: P can be determined. Not that oxalates are the only compound that precludes bio-availability of calcium, but it seems to be one of special concern as so many info sources so heavily indicate how horrible oxalates can be. My growing contention is that oxalates don't really matter in tortoises.
This post https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...of-opuntia-with-citation.129949/#post-1217586 put me on this path of inquiry. Though opuntia is high in oxalates, it is a favored food as both a native diet item for some species, and an introduced diet item for many many more. It turns out even with oxalate burden in opunti, the C: P ration is still positive.
a few more
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/oxalic-acid-not-as-bad-as-we-think.62761/#post-594792
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/oxalates-what-are-they.37761/
$1 for any links to or PDF loaded here that have oxalate content values for any plants that we feed, any quote from the tortoise table and you'll be fined $100.
What I have found, most plants that tortoises like have oxalates in them. It's a 'secondary'compound with some direct uses by the plant, but for the most part seems to be a leaf eating insect deterrent.
When looking at what it does in the tortoise gut we need to sort out a better C: P ration where the C is reduced by the amount of oxalates, so that a more true C: P can be determined. Not that oxalates are the only compound that precludes bio-availability of calcium, but it seems to be one of special concern as so many info sources so heavily indicate how horrible oxalates can be. My growing contention is that oxalates don't really matter in tortoises.
This post https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...of-opuntia-with-citation.129949/#post-1217586 put me on this path of inquiry. Though opuntia is high in oxalates, it is a favored food as both a native diet item for some species, and an introduced diet item for many many more. It turns out even with oxalate burden in opunti, the C: P ration is still positive.
a few more
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/oxalic-acid-not-as-bad-as-we-think.62761/#post-594792
https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/oxalates-what-are-they.37761/
$1 for any links to or PDF loaded here that have oxalate content values for any plants that we feed, any quote from the tortoise table and you'll be fined $100.