Pesticides in store bought veggies

[TortugaGirl]

OK, I have seen the lists of edible foods for Russian Tortoises and I have been feeding him a mixture of cabbage, dandelions (we don't spray) and last week I bought an organic salad green mix, oh and he eats cilantro also. I thought I was being a great mom until this week when I gave him one rose petal from my birthday bouquet and then someone mentioned how it was probably laced with pesticides. OK, I can live with myself for that one petal but then I got to thinking and probably every single thing I have fed him is laced with pesticides except the dandelions from our yard.

So with all that being said, how the heck do you feed your tortoise without worrying you are feeding him pesticide laced food? I am not a green thumb and although I have planted a few things for Sir DonDeVas, there is no way I can always feed him food that I have grown. So now I feel like such a bad mom. I wash the veggies I give him but I'm sure that isn't helping, is it?

 

[dmmj]

I grow my own greens, does not help much there. Store bought stuff is pretty safe, the flowers sold at grocery,drug, and florists among others are heavily laced with chemicals to prseerve them longer. Grow dandelions, they are weeds and they grow like weeds.

 

[Elohi]

When I buy grocery store greens, I buy organic as often as possible. If I don't, I don't worry too much because I wash everything in vinegar water just like I do with all my families produce.


Elohi(Earth)

 

[Tom]

David sort of touched on it, but you have to understand that foods intended for human consumption are generally going to be fine. Flowers intended for decoration and NOT intended to be eaten by anyone are frequently full of all sorts of chemicals. Two totally different things.

I grow most of my own stuff, just like the Captain. This is in my opinion the best way to go, by a wide margin.

Here is a list of just a few good things you could grow yourself or find:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food

 

[TortugaGirl]

When I buy grocery store greens, I buy organic as often as possible. If I don't, I don't worry too much because I wash everything in vinegar water just like I do with all my families produce.


Elohi(Earth)

What is the mixture you use for your vinegar water? And do you use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar? Thanks!

 

[TortugaGirl]

David sort of touched on it, but you have to understand that foods intended for human consumption are generally going to be fine. Flowers intended for decoration and NOT intended to be eaten by anyone are frequently full of all sorts of chemicals. Two totally different things.

I grow most of my own stuff, just like the Captain. This is in my opinion the best way to go, by a wide margin.

Here is a list of just a few good things you could grow yourself or find:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food

 

[TortugaGirl]

Thank you so much for your extensive list! And makes sense, if it is for human consumption it is generally OK, flowers intended to last forever..not fine! haha

 

[Elohi]

What is the mixture you use for your vinegar water? And do you use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar? Thanks!

I'm not specific on my measurements. I just fill the sink of a bowl with water and then pour some vinegar in. If I were to measure it it's 4 parts water, 1 part vinegar.


Elohi(Earth)

 

[ascott]

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

Please be aware...just because something is sold in the local human grocery store does NOT mean it is healthy nor safe for human consumption...please keep in mind, pesticide/insecticides/herbicides are chemicals that get worse the higher in volume you consume them and do so over long periods of time.....therefore, you may ingest items for a number of years while the chemicals build up in your body tissue....same as in any other animal eating those same items.... it is in your best interest to understand this, as well as the best interest of the tortoise in your care.

Some folks will say it is crazy, there is no way the "government" would allow harmful things to be distributed amongst the human population...well, it will take very little effort on your part to quickly understand that simply is not the case.

I purchase organic here, yes, it is a little more expensive, but I am ok with that....there is nothing full proof, after all we live in a polluted world...but why add chemicals directly to the mix? Most of these chemicals are saturated within the growing fields, a grower will use a particular chemical, it will eventually lose its effectiveness, as the undesirable insects and such become immune to the ill effects, the culprit will simply evolve over time to be able to continue to thrive, so then another chemical must be utilized, and so on and so on and so on....it can take a number of years (minimum of around 7 years) for the soil to rid itself of each chemical, the problem comes into play that with each layer of chemical saturation comes years of needed heal time, which in reality never occurs....as additional new chemicals are layered....terrible actually.

Organic growing has to allow for no less than 7 years of time to pass from the last "known" chemical of any kind (including commercial fertilizers) used on any body of land that will be listed as an organic growing field....again, nothing is perfect....but it is important to rapidly reduce our exposure, and our animals exposure, to applied chemicals....

 

[ascott]

Also keep in mind, that since the chemical saturation is in the soil, the saturation of the plant grown is systemic, so as much as you wan to believe you are washing away the harm...it is IN the plant, not on it....

 

[TortugaGirl]

Also keep in mind, that since the chemical saturation is in the soil, the saturation of the plant grown is systemic, so as much as you wan to believe you are washing away the harm...it is IN the plant, not on it....

UGH, so many worries for our little torts! Thank you so much for your info.

 

[txturtledude]

A healthy tortoise should avoid...
Smoking
Alcohol
Prescription and Illegal Narcotics (organically grown is OK)
Sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup
Processed Foods
Excess Dietary Fat and Trans Fats
Excess Sodium
Dairy Products
White Bread and Starchy Foods
Gluten

 

[TortugaGirl]

A healthy tortoise should avoid...
Smoking
Alcohol
Prescription and Illegal Narcotics (organically grown is OK)
Sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup
Processed Foods
Excess Dietary Fat and Trans Fats
Excess Sodium
Dairy Products
White Bread and Starchy Foods
Gluten

Are you sure you are talking about a tortoise diet? haha (Funny you posted yesterday....I see you are Dallas/Ft Worth area...I was just there in Plano visiting my son. We went to AT&T stadium for the US watch party!)

 

[txturtledude]

It's funny, but we probably worry more about what we feed our torts than we do ourselves.

What a disappointing way for the game to end, but proud of Team USA! They are getting better and should contend next time.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

You could wash them off thoroughly, so that they aren't covered in pesticides...