Dandelions evey day bad?

[Leanne_1232006]

Hi just come across this post, is dandelion leaves bad everyday then??
Mine loves them

 

[lismar79]

Yep, if in big quantities. Feed a few leaves with a lot of other things and it should be ok. Moderation is key with any food item. Here is a help link to the dandelion and other plants as well:
http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp?catID=5

 

[144 Grandpa Turtle]

Hello Leanne welcome to the TFO from AZ . Have a great tort day !


Sent from my iPhone using TortForum

 

[Tom]

Correct. With the exception of grass for grass eaters, I wouldn't want to feed any tortoise the same thing every day. What species and age have you got?

 

[FLINTUS]

Aside from the obvious point which Tom mentioned, the main problem is high level of oxalic acid, which can stop calcium absorption.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Dandelions are nutritious, but nit in big amounts, so you could mix other greens in with them.

 

[Star-of-India]

I'll confess that 25 years ago living in an apartment in the Bronx, NYC, I raised a young Sulcata and a young Leo on dandelions exclusively for approximately 3 years as it was what I could reliably get for them other than iceberg lettuce which I knew wouldn't be healthy for them. They grew very nicely and smoothly on that diet. I used to amuse a local grocer by the large amount of dandelions I bought from her.

Subsequently I brought them back to California and they had access to a lawn, but I still gave them lots of dandelions and sow thistle. When I decided to move back to NYC a year later they'd become too large for an apartment in NYC (particularly in the opinion of my then girlfriend).

The Leo ended up being given to the Sacramento Zoo and was on display there for a while. I haven't been to that zoo in a long time so I don't know if it's still there. Unfortunately the Sully had a pool accident, but his corpse was given to a zoologist at UC Davis.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Dandelions are the Oregon state flower, or should be, within feet of my house I pick bags and bags of the stuff. I feed it to Bob daily. He gets a good breakfast of a variety of stuff, then about lunch time he gets a big pile of grape leafs including different blossoms roses, day lilies, Rose of Sharon, squash etc, and about 5 pm just for a snack he gets a big pile of dandelion leafs and flowers. I figure it doesn't hurt him because he really gets the best diet possible. He also has a big pile of beautiful Oregon grass hay supplied by cowboy-ken that is in his shed and he free feeds from that.
In fact I always get a laugh when I write down what he eats for threads like this or for newbies, because I realise that most of my day is spent gathering weeds
grasses and other stuff for Bob and almost everything I grow here is for him. I have 15 Rose of Sharon plants started from seed grown just for him. 2 different types of grapes, squashes, zucchini, pumpkins grown not for the fruit but for the blooms, and the smaller torts get some of all of that. I even cut grass from my front yard with scissors just from him. I could go on and on but why bore you more? I think Bob is my heroin...

 

[ascott]

Dandi's every day .....if you are so lucky to be able to get enough of them.....yes, every day is good. This is a food that has so many beneficial properties that to be able to offer it daily would be fantastic....of course make sure your tort remains well hydrated...

 

[Leanne_1232006]

Thank you