Supermarket organic danger greens??

[haidao88]

Are there any organic or supermarket greens I should watch out for like spinach?


My tortoise Peach hates apples
Mario loves Peaches
0.0.2 redfoot

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Other than spinach*


My tortoise Peach hates apples
Mario loves Peaches
0.0.2 redfoot

 

[jaizei]

Spinach is fine.

 

[Millerlite]

Spinach shouldn't be fed much same with chard

 

[wellington]

Spinach shouldn't be fed much same with chard

Ditto

 

[yagyujubei]

No green onions, green beans, or green tomatos.

 

[Madkins007]

If you are going to claim that spinach, chard, etc. is dangerous for some reason, please back that up with some sort of actual source info.

Here is the thing about spinach- it contains something called oxalates, which combine with calcium to make crystals that the body cannot use or process. These crystals can also be found in bladder stones, etc. The argument is that this means that tortoises should not eat foods with many oxalates in it so they get the best calcium dose they can. Some people suggest that the oxalates actually deplete other calcium reserves in the animal or negate the calcium in the rest of the diet.

However...

1. Dr. Mader, in the book Reptile Medicine and Surgery, says there is no clinical evidence that oxalates cause bladder stones and feels the evidence is in favor of dehydration being the main culprit.
2. Wild tortoises are well-known for eating plants so high in oxalates that they are poisonous to humans. The chemicals do not seem to work the same in tortoises as they do in humans.
3. Reptile nutrition experts include spinach on the lists of recommended foods, quite often with no warnings at all. In dr. Mader's book, for example, it includes a warning that there are indeed oxalates in spinach and some other foods, and uses that as yet another reason to provide a balanced diet.
4. The way they measure oxalates in foods is not as clean and simple as measuring, say, the calories. Some systems show spinach has a much lower level of oxalates than many other foods. http://oxalicacidinfo.com/
5. Pretty much EVERY food has some really bad aspect to it, if you overdo it. The trick is just to offer a balanced, varied diet. Spinach has a lot of great nutrients that help offset the oxalates.
6. Did you know that calcium blocks iron absorption? (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1600930) Iron is a critical nutrient too. This does not mean that we need to skip calcium for some period, but that we need to take a balanced, varied approach to diet.


Having said that. I would like to toss my two cents in on foods not to offer-

This is a red-footed tortoise. They have evolved to eat an enormous variety of food, including a lot of foods we would never offer some other species. There is not much at the store you need to avoid. Here is the list from my site (https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/nutrition/good-foods-list)-
- Hot peppers (too hot, they usually avoid these). Bell peppers in any color are great, though!
- Most citrus fruits- other than occasional naval oranges (while some acid is fine, too much causes problems)
- Fatty, salty, or sugary foods
- Processed foods in general, unless meant for tortoises
- Dairy products- milk, cheese, etc.
- Bakery goods- other than occasional soaked bread to treat protozoans, etc.
- Tofu, soybeans
- Olives, avocados, artichokes (Fatty, and avocados are dangerous for birds, so MAY have some risk for reptiles)
- Nuts, grains, and seeds. They will usually pass through the system undigested, so they don't hurt it, but they also don't help at all.

 

[haidao88]

Madkins007 you are by far the person who explained to me the best on diet I am now pleased and not as worried as long as I remember I few things... But you have certainly explained it very detailed


My tortoise Peach hates apples
Mario loves Peaches
0.0.2 redfoot