My hermanns tortoise Dash really likes nettles but i think they are stinging him!! Today he had the strangest reaction to eating them. He jerked around, opened his beak really wide and moved his head from side to side as if they were stinging him. He just kept eating them but eventually i took them out of his enclosure because i just couldn't watch it anymore. Am i being paranoid or are they actually stinging him? And if so, what can i do to get rid of or at least lessen the stinging? I know nettles are good for them and he clearly likes them so I'm just wondering if there's a solution to this?
Stinging nettles?
- Thread starter okkarence
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- diet stinging nettles
The pricklies basically function as little hypodermic needles that “shoot‘ off the when touched.
The more pressure you put down on them, the least “medicine” they can release. For example if I go for it and really grab tight on a bunch before pulling it out the less painful it should be. (I’ve done this and can comfirm it’s less painful although I don’t recommend it!) I wouldn’t think they’d be able to pierce the very thin skin on a tortoise jaw but perhaps he somehow managed to get a mouthful in the wrong place. As he’s eaten them before without problems I’d give him another go and see if he has the same experience. The sting lasts for quite a while so it would only take one bad mouthful to cause a longish reaction, maybe it was a one-time deal.
If not, you can get the prickles off by just dumping nettles in boiling water for sixty seconds; then drop them in a bowl of cold water to stop any further cooking. Just dump them in using tongs and pull them out the same way. Sixty seconds, that’s it. Not sure he’ll like them that way but it’s worth a shot.
The more pressure you put down on them, the least “medicine” they can release. For example if I go for it and really grab tight on a bunch before pulling it out the less painful it should be. (I’ve done this and can comfirm it’s less painful although I don’t recommend it!) I wouldn’t think they’d be able to pierce the very thin skin on a tortoise jaw but perhaps he somehow managed to get a mouthful in the wrong place. As he’s eaten them before without problems I’d give him another go and see if he has the same experience. The sting lasts for quite a while so it would only take one bad mouthful to cause a longish reaction, maybe it was a one-time deal.
If not, you can get the prickles off by just dumping nettles in boiling water for sixty seconds; then drop them in a bowl of cold water to stop any further cooking. Just dump them in using tongs and pull them out the same way. Sixty seconds, that’s it. Not sure he’ll like them that way but it’s worth a shot.
Thank you! I actually found a different method that worked today, i scrunched them up (with gloves on!) for about 30 seconds to release the juices and then washed them. Dash ate it all with no issues today! Thank you for the explanation it was actually really interesting
That’s dedication! The last time I dragged any home—and yes I used my bare hands to yank them out, I wasn’t expecting to find any—my tortoise just went “Eh.”
She won’t be getting another chance! I’m glad your tortoise likes them.
She won’t be getting another chance! I’m glad your tortoise likes them.
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