buttercup?

[Sue Ann]

Oh dear just feed some buttercups to my tort.He seems ok. Is there a comprehensive list of what is BAD for them ?

 

[RosemaryDW]

Is there a comprehensive list of what is BAD for them ?

Not exactly.

You can find different lists and you can also check the very robust website “The Tortoise Table” for individual plants.

Unfortunately, the individual lists don’t always agree and the Tortoise Table is very conservative. It shows many plants as being “unsafe” that plenty of people have fed for many years without problem. Buttercup is a good example; the Tortoise Table calls it unsafe but in reality plenty of wild tortoises eat them and our UK owners have fed them for years. I intentionally grew some buttercups for my Russian this year. (She loved them.) The logic of the Tortoise Table for buttercup safety doesn’t make sense to me. I usually do a search on this site to see if anyone feeds a specific plant before deciding to feed something; real life tortoise owners can often give better feedback than “just” a list.

The safest diet for a tortoise is one that includes as much variety as you can provide. There are few plants that everyone agrees are “bad” and plenty that are good in some aspect. Keep things switched up and you won’t need to worry too much about a single plant.

That said, you should never feel you *have* to feed anything you aren’t comfortable with. I don’t think there is anything wrong with buttercups but if it makes you nervous, no need to feed them, at least not while you’re new. There is plenty of time to learn more about different foods; your tortoise is going to be around for a very long time!

 

[Sue Ann]

Not exactly.

You can find different lists and you can also check the very robust website “The Tortoise Table” for individual plants.

Unfortunately, the individual lists don’t always agree and the Tortoise Table is very conservative. It shows many plants as being “unsafe” that plenty of people have fed for many years without problem. Buttercup is a good example; the Tortoise Table calls it unsafe but in reality plenty of wild tortoises eat them and our UK owners have fed them for years. I intentionally grew some buttercups for my Russian this year. (She loved them.) The logic of the Tortoise Table for buttercup safety doesn’t make sense to me. I usually do a search on this site to see if anyone feeds a specific plant before deciding to feed something; real life tortoise owners can often give better feedback than “just” a list.

The safest diet for a tortoise is one that includes as much variety as you can provide. There are few plants that everyone agrees are “bad” and plenty that are good in some aspect. Keep things switched up and you won’t need to worry too much about a single plant.

That said, you should never feel you *have* to feed anything you aren’t comfortable with. I don’t think there is anything wrong with buttercups but if it makes you nervous, no need to feed them, at least not while you’re new. There is plenty of time to learn more about different foods; your tortoise is going to be around for a very long time!

Thanks, it is still too chilly to let my little guy outside but I'm trying to find out all I can. I am in South Carolina.

 

[Lyn W]

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to safe and toxic plants.
I am not that confident when it comes to IDing plants and tend to err on the side of caution, so always follow TTT's advice.