Can my tortoise eat this?

[Joseph Flores]

I was wondering if my baby leopard tortoise can eat this clover weed.

 

[Tom]

I'm pretty sure that is oxalis. It is currently listed as a "do not feed" due to its high oxalic acid content, however we are re-thinking some of what was once accepted as gospel. I know it is not toxic, but we don't know if its okay to let them eat it or not. In the past, I fed occasional handfuls of it to large sulcatas, along with buckets of other foods, and it appeared to do no harm in those very small quantities, but once I learned what it was, I stopped feeding it to them.

Will @Kapidolo Farms is a student of these compounds and tortoise nutrition in general. @Markw84 too. Maybe we can get one of them to chime in on this ongoing subject of study.

 

[Joseph Flores]

I'm pretty sure that is oxalis. It is currently listed as a "do not feed" due to its high oxalic acid content, however we are re-thinking some of what was once accepted as gospel. I know it is not toxic, but we don't know if its okay to let them eat it or not. In the past, I fed occasional handfuls of it to large sulcatas, along with buckets of other foods, and it appeared to do no harm in those very small quantities, but once I learned what it was, I stopped feeding it to them.

Will @Kapidolo Farms is a student of these compounds and tortoise nutrition in general. @Markw84 too. Maybe we can get one of them to chime in on this ongoing subject of study.

Thank you very much Tom!

 

[Markw84]

That is indeed oxalis. We are finding out tortoises are not effected by raphides, which is calcium axalate crystals, but oxalis contains high levels of oxalic acid which is a different issue. As far as both being feared as they bind to calcium and make it unavailable for the tortoise, it is the total overall balance of total calcium in the meal that is the key, so ensure plenty of calcium in other foods and keep high raphide items to a lesser percentage of the diet. But with the oxalic acid in oxalis, my approach is not to feed this deliberately but not be concerned if they get some in grazing.

Let's see what @Kapidolo Farms adds to this...

 

[ZEROPILOT]

My yard is full of it. And my RF avoid it completely.
So, in my case, it's all about WILL they eat it. And the answer is no.

 

[ZenHerper]

You can take a bite -- it is terribly acidic! As a punch to a salad, yeah. But a mouthful? Yuk. lol

A well-hydrated adult who's digestion and metabolism are optimized will probably not have trouble, as long as the diet is varied and calcium-phosphorous appropriate (i.e., there is some calcium to spare).

Oxalates can jam up so many body systems at high amounts/over time, I prefer to not depend on them for any net positives. Not toxic at small, occasional amounts to healthy critters.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

For babies, I don't pull the spinach out of the spring mix, but I wouldn't ad any either. If adult tortoises graze on Oxalis among many weedy plants, my adult outside Manouria do, I don't worry. But I wouldn't ad it to the salad for babies.