My Sulcata Tortoise ate this fruit? Is it harmful?

[jeffreyagustinus]

So I moved my Sulcata tortoise to my garden. Recently, I found out that my tortoise ate this red fruit. I'm not sure what it is but I think it is a palm fruit. Do you think it is harmful to my tortoise?



Pictures of my tortoise

 

[Tom]

I don't know about the fruit, but does your tortoise live in that yard full time? I ask because they drown in pools all the time.

 

[newCH]

Those are foxtail palms. I have heard here in So.FL people eat them and also people feed them to their parrots. I have not tried them. We dont do anything with those fruit/seed pods. We have had people knock on our door asking if they cut down the branch that holds them because they want them. When the fruit sits on the ground we get little seedling trees popping up.

 

[jeffreyagustinus]

I don't know about the fruit, but does your tortoise live in that yard full time? I ask because they drown in pools all the time.

I ask 2 people to monitor the tortoises so the tortoises won't drown

 

[Yvonne G]

As you probably know, sulcatas are not supposed to be fed fruit except as a rare treat. The fruit isn't going to poison the tortoise, but eating too much of it may cause a parasite bloom.

That's a beautiful yard, however, tortoises can't be watched every minute of every day. I would figure out a way to fence off the pool so he can't get near it.

 

[DeanS]

I think your yard is screaming for a border of free-standing Malibu boulders or a retaining wall of Malibu cobbles! Yvonne is right...there's no way to monitor every moment...and during the summer, that looks like a big water bowl. Good luck!