Just bought one to put in the enclosure, should i pull or cut the sharp bits off incase it hurts him or his eyes?
Thanks
Thanks
Cowboy_Ken said:If its a true aloe, I'd leave it be. That's what I did with the one I put in my baby sulcata enclosure. If its a new, store bought plant, you need to was it real good and repot it using good soil. This is the parent plant I got mine off of;
Second one is the, “pup" planted direct in the substrate.
Cowboy_Ken said:Once they get big, they send out the pups. They grow on the side, at the base of the plant. My three month old has no problem with the thorn type edges. I think you can purchase a plant/veggie soap that can help cut the nasty chemicals nurseries use to keep the plants healthy looking and pest free. I would wait two weeks or so after you repot it before putting it in with your tortoise. Put it in a nice, sunny window and use a very loose, free draining soil. Let it dry out a little between watering. Hope this helps.
acrantophis said:Remember guys, there are hundred of aloes species. The most common is aloe barbadensis, aka aloe vera. Aloe Vera (like the one in your pics) is a made up name. This variety and any hybrids (blue elf etc...) are edible and safe. As are most African aloes. There are, however, several very toxic aloes. Aloe saponaria and aloe ferox are two common and toxic species. I have a half acre of almost every aloe variant, including hybrids. I rarely feed any to my sulcata. There is very little nutrition in an aloe. I'm sure it's fun to see what they like to eat but, like myself, I rarely feed things that are empty calories. It will help with constipation, but most tortoises have no problem in that department.
Cowboy_Ken said:Aloe Vera is the English name given for the Latin variety known as Aloe barbadensis. It is not a made up name, it is the common English name given. Yes, there are toxic to mammal varieties, but it is very hard indeed to find one of these in the common horticulture society. I believe that having these grow in an enclosure should pose no risk to adding empty calories to a tortoise. Unless a tortoise developed a liking to the bitter taste, the occasional nibble or full on bite would be of little consequence.
laney said:Thanks that is really helpful!!
It looks like your pics just smaller and more stumpy. I will follow your instructions to make it safer for them and hopefully keep it alive I'm so bad with plants I'm sure I could even kill the fake ones lol.
Thanks again x
Aww I don't know anything else about it apart from it said aloe Vera, so are you saying that it might be toxic?
I get so anxious about putting things in their enclosures as so many things can be toxic, I got so excited when I found something that I thought wasn't!! I just want to make their enclosures better don't wana hurt them though, and the garden centres in Scotland suck!!