Native plants vs. non native

[Saloli]

Hey I have a question I was just thing about this I always use plants from the same area as the turtles or other animal(s) in the terrarium. I generally don't mix ones from other places when setting up terrariums of aquariums or pens. What about the rest of you?

 

[ascott]

Native plants to each species of tortoise or turtle is of course the best choice....IMHO and we should strive to meet that need for nutritional value as each species is part of the evolutionary movement and have been designed for specific diets and have evolved to survive and thrive on certain items in their native land.....

However, there are sometimes when this has to be secondary, such as winter months in most states or the opposite in some places the heat is entirely too hot for some species kept in captivity...so while, IMHO native plants are first choice, they may need to be switched up to like plants in some environments.... again, this is solely my opinion and beliefs on this subject....

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I agree - native plants would be ideal, but there's no way I can grow some of the native plants for my Eastern box turtles here in So Cal. I have to grow what can live in this climate. I try to pick plants that are as similar as possible, but that's about the best I can do.

 

[Turtle Guru]

I agree i try to keep it as natural as possible for my turtles because I think it makes them happy, healthier, and feel more safe with a natural look. That's my opinion on the natural or nonnatural look.

 

[fbsmith3]

I love the idea, and I try to collect native, non-toxic plants, but is this really necessary. Box turtles love bananas, almost too much, but bananas are in no way a native fruit. There is no plant that is anything like bananas. I also don't think tomatoes are native either and Box turtles also love them.

Their native plant of mushrooms, but I would never be able to figure out safe for box turtles.

 

[terryo]

We have a place called High Rock here. It's a acres and acres of large wooded areas that are protected, where there are plenty of Eastern's that are native to this area. Sometimes we go up there and hike in the trails, and even on a sunny day very little sun is filtered through the tall trees. It's so filled with trees and all kinds of weeds and leaf litter and lots of heavy moss around the trees. It's high on a mountain and very humid in the hot Summer days and almost hard to breathe there. I don't know the names of any of these weeds and plants and could never duplicate them in a vivarium. So I just use annuals for color and to look nice, and little tropical plants you get in a nursery, and moss and ground cover. I have never seen any of my box turtles eat any plant inside or outside. The only thing I've ever seen them eat are hosta sprouts early in the Spring when worms and bugs are still scarce. Outside I use fig trees, and blackberry plants and they will eat the fallen fruit, but I don't know any native plants that I could use inside in a vivarium. If you can name some, please share.

 

[fbsmith3]

Right now, I just have a few native ferns, grass and dandilions. I took them from her outside enclosure before the snow storm. Right now, I'm slowly lowering the termerature and keeping the light time interval same as outside. I will try to convince her to hibernate or at least brumate this year. Since I only have 1 Box turtle, this should be very easy....I hope.

My Cleo never eats any of her enclosure plants, she is spoiled and only eats plant matter that I put in her bowl. The only thing the eats that I do not personnlay feed her is slugs and earthworms. She has a compost heap in her enclosure, and sometimes she looks at me in a way that I know she wants me to turn the heap over to expose some worms. So I guess the only thing she actively hunts is slugs, I can not bear touching slugs.

 

[Saloli]

I love the idea, and I try to collect native, non-toxic plants, but is this really necessary. Box turtles love bananas, almost too much, but bananas are in no way a native fruit. There is no plant that is anything like bananas. I also don't think tomatoes are native either and Box turtles also love them.

Their native plant of mushrooms, but I would never be able to figure out safe for box turtles.

Actually there are fruits that are native that are banana like in smell taste and texture they are called pawpaws, as for tomatoes there are native tomatoes and relatives in the east. they seem to eat most of the mushrooms that I collect they even eat destroying angels

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We have a place called High Rock here. It's a acres and acres of large wooded areas that are protected, where there are plenty of Eastern's that are native to this area. Sometimes we go up there and hike in the trails, and even on a sunny day very little sun is filtered through the tall trees. It's so filled with trees and all kinds of weeds and leaf litter and lots of heavy moss around the trees. It's high on a mountain and very humid in the hot Summer days and almost hard to breathe there. I don't know the names of any of these weeds and plants and could never duplicate them in a vivarium. So I just use annuals for color and to look nice, and little tropical plants you get in a nursery, and moss and ground cover. I have never seen any of my box turtles eat any plant inside or outside. The only thing I've ever seen them eat are hosta sprouts early in the Spring when worms and bugs are still scarce. Outside I use fig trees, and blackberry plants and they will eat the fallen fruit, but I don't know any native plants that I could use inside in a vivarium. If you can name some, please share.

american violets, lady ferns, chain wood fern, cinquefoil to name a few though if you go online look up plants ative to your area