I agree with @RosemaryDW.
One is safe, but no their favorite.
Two is horse weed. Not safe and horribly invasive. Rip it all out by the root BEFORE it goes to seed.
Three is safe.
Thank you all. So I posted these pics on a local turtle/tort FB page and got the following answers from this seemingly awesome person. What do you think?
1) Rocket, or London Rocket. Essentially a wild mustard green. Okay in small amounts but not as a regular dietary component because of the oxalic acid created in the plant.
2) Kochia, also called Careless Weed. Okay for torts when the plant is small. Tends to concentrate nitrates to an unsafe levels when larger.
3) Probably Prickly Lettuce, another member of the Asteracae or Sunflower family. Okay if a tortoise eats asmall amount while the plant is young and small, but not healthy as the plant matures because it concentrates nitrates like Kochia does.
Anyhow the long and short is It seems all the weeds around my house are kinda crappy lol. Not surprised. It’s tough livin’ out here on the Mesa!
I’m going to start by saying I am only one owner with one opinion; I also feed more casually than some would. I don’t worry about oxalic acid and I don’t worry about concentrated nitrates. In part because my tortoise gets a very wide variety in her diet; I’m not overloading her on anything. (I *do* worry about some diet concerns, in case I sound too casual.)
Also, I find some of the food advice out there to be based on food science that may not be relevant for tortoises. “Bad” for horses does not necessarily equal “bad” for tortoises but sometimes that’s the only information we have to go on. When I have a question about a plant I look more at what family it’s in and whether or not that food is found in a tortoise’s native range.
It’s not rocket; you don’t have it growing wild in New Mexico; arugula also has bigger flowers. But it’s a close relative.
I don’t know what it is exactly; I’m leaning to horseweed, like Tom.
Prickly lettuce is indeed in the sunflower family but that’s a LARGE plant family. It’s most closely related to (surprise! Lol) lettuce and the chicories, which we heavily recommend. I don’t feed it once it gets large, when it theoretically would be concentrating nitrates but not because of that; my tortoise simply won’t eat it at that stage. It doesn’t taste good to her. Is that nitrates? I don’t know but I know I’m not going to worry about her eating some in the spring. At any rate, the one in your picture is still young, safe even if you are concerned about the nitrate level.
Prickly lettuce and wild brassicas are excellent food for testudo tortoises like your Greek. Prickly lettuce is not native to the United States, it’s from Europe, just like her. Russians eat a ton of brassicas in the native range so I feed more of them than some owners do.
I’m feeling very opinionated today for some reason! At the end of the day only you can decide what is best for you and your tortoise. If you aren’t comfortable with a plant, no need to feed it, especially when you’re new and none of us agree with each other. I’m pretty relaxed about feeding now but I sure wasn’t when I was new.