Cantaloupe leaves?

[Moozillion]

Does anyone know if cantaloupe leaves are ok for Hermann's tortoises to eat? (I know the FRUIT is definitely NOT ok).

 

[Laura]

I feed squash leaves... but ??

 

[ascott]

And a piece of cantaloupe from time to time would do wonders for your torts spirit and certainly would not do harm to his body as a treat.....it is not the forbidden fruit...lol

 

[mainey34]

I dont see why you couldnt. I feed them to my sulcata and redfoot. In moderation..

 

[Moozillion]

Thanks for the feedback!

I have read more than once that Hermann's torts are strictly broad-leafed weed eaters and that the sugar content in fruits is too much for their systems to handle comfortably- it causes bacterial overgrowth (which certainly sounds bad!).

 

[johnsonnboswell]

I bet she'd love the flowers

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

All mellon, squash, and cucumber leaves, flowers, and fruit/vegetable are acceptable food items. The fruit grown today versus the historic produce is very high in sugar, so the advice to keep fruit to a minimum is wise. But all these kinds of plants are excellent foder. Large tortoises will come across a vine such as these and just eat it from one end to another consuming a multi-meter length of vine. Now that's looooong fiber. The seeds provide substrate for gut transmission, at least for larger individuals.

Will