toxic plants

[jason longboard]

I have oleanders that i will have to remove if they are bad for the torts,grape vines,grape fruit tree,orange tree,fig tree,lemon tree.Are any of these bad for the torts?

 

[Josh]

grape leaves are actually a very good source of nutrition.
im pretty sure oleander is toxic to torts...unsure about the rest.

 

[Yvonne G]

I have oleanders that i will have to remove if they are bad for the torts,grape vines,grape fruit tree,orange tree,fig tree,lemon tree.Are any of these bad for the torts?

Oleander is extremely toxic...remove it immediately!! My neighbor's puppy became sick and quickly died after chewing a dead stick off an oleander bush.

Yvonne

 

[jason longboard]

well i dont have a tort yet but thanks for the info.My dog leavs the stuff alone.I couldnt get him to go after a branch to save his life,lol.

 

[Crazy1]

Oleanders are poison to people and most pets. I believe Fig trees are ok for the leaves and only rarely the fig.
Here are some lists of poison plants including houseplants and some with pics. I am not sure of the Citrus. I heard Citrus is not good for Torts but then I have heard of some torts eating oranges occasionally. I think citrus leaves are not good for torts.
It also depends on what type of tort you are getting. Two plants I would not have in my yard if I had pets, children, or pets or children that visit, would be Oleanders and Poinsettias.

http://www.wonderland.com/~teddy/tortoise/tort_non_food.html
http://www.tortoise.org/general/poisonp.html
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/houseplants.htm
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/plantsthatpoison.htm
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/vex/toxic/toxic.htm

 

[janiedough]

I don't know how long you have had the fig tree or where you live, but those attract the biggest roaches I have seen in my life and I live in Louisiana - almost no one has them here because they attract the worst kind of bugs...

 

[jason longboard]

I don't know how long you have had the fig tree or where you live, but those attract the biggest roaches I have seen in my life and I live in Louisiana - almost no one has them here because they attract the worst kind of bugs...

oh heck no,I live in cali.No bugs realy other than some flys go to it.Its like 30 feet tall too.My old best friend was from baton rouge and he had to move back.We were friends for many years,like brothers and it was hard to see him go but I got to go their and stay with him for a month.I loved it their and I got to see the big scary from hell roaches you may speak of,lol.

 

[janiedough]

I want to move to CA when I finish law school, and a friend of mine from San Jose just moved here to go to school. I live in Baton Rouge! Well - part of the time for school.

 

[jason longboard]

so would these 2 5 inchers be ok in a sandbox style bricked in pin in my backyard if i put chicken wire or something over it.Im thinking foot and a half tall and the wire over it to keep cats dog and birds out.I asume a shade box and what else?Are they too small for that and I should keep them indoors,they are out in the wild like that right?Also,if a year ago the lawn was sprayed for fleas would I need to use new soil in that spot.It gets soaked all the time so I wouldnt think its still around.

 

[Josh]

the flea treatment is probably gone by now.
as long as the enclosure is secure and the little guys have some shade to get out of the sun, they should do quite well outside in the sunlight.

 

[ZippyButter]

I have oleanders that i will have to remove if they are bad for the torts,grape vines,grape fruit tree,orange tree,fig tree,lemon tree.Are any of these bad for the torts?

Oleander is extremely toxic...remove it immediately!! My neighbor's puppy became sick and quickly died after chewing a dead stick off an oleander bush.

Yvonne

It's also dangerous to small children whom parents don't know and let them play around these plants. A few years back, there was a Russian familly immigrated to southern CA, one of the children got into big problem after he ingested some of these leaves. He was rushed into the emergency room, but did not make out alive. I think the state should ban orleander and I don't know why you can still see these plants especially along some of the major freeways.

 

[jason longboard]

They grow fast and are used for dividing trafic and noise,shade ext.Kids and pets are a problem because you know kids will eat anything.I mix the leaves in with my pasta sauce and it dosnt seem to bother me much,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,jk,lol,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but yeah my dog is 10 years old and wont touch anything like that,dont have kids,the reason Im asking is because on one side of my yard I have them and the other doesnt.I cant decide witch side I would want the torts if I get them so if I do them on the one side then I know I need to move them.My main concern was if any of these other trees were toxic.Ive got great front shade from them in my front part of the house so those may stay for now.They kill my alergies in summer I can tell you that much.

 

[jason longboard]

so how do you guys keep pests out of the yard like fleas,ticks,ants and so on?Is it ok to spray,just not around there pens?

 

[Crazy1]

Jason, I don't use sprays like Raid or BugBeGone. None of those types of chemicals. They can find their way into the pens when you water. Most are set up to last some time on your lawn or in the dirt. Use organic remedies. Like bugs that eat bugs , spiders well they just seem to stick around. Widows I squash.

Fleas: In the yard or garden, plant fleabane (Fleabane Daisy Erigeron speciosus) to repel fleas. This is an annual growing 16-24" tall with violet, daisy like flowers. (I don't know if it is ok for torts) Nontoxic flea traps are available commercially.

Ants:Set out cucumber peels or slices in the kitchen or at the ants' point of entry. Many ants have a natural aversion to cucumber. Bitter cucumbers work best.
Leave a few tea bags of mint tea near areas where the ants seem most active. Dry, crushed mint leaves or cloves also work as ant deterrents.

Ticks: That is a hard one I have found that birds do the best organic job. Chickens, Guinea Hens, or just wild birds. You could just throw wild bird seed in the yard. If you don't want the seeds to germinate simply bake them at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Here are two sites http://www.eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/xdpy/kb/natural-pest-controls.html
And one of our threads http://tortoiseforum.org/bugs-t-1336.html
Or just try typing in Organic pest control for many,many more.

 

[janiedough]

It's also dangerous to small children whom parents don't know and let them play around these plants. A few years back, there was a Russian familly immigrated to southern CA, one of the children got into big problem after he ingested some of these leaves. He was rushed into the emergency room, but did not make out alive. I think the state should ban orleander and I don't know why you can still see these plants especially along some of the major freeways.

They are everywhere - they are all over the south. Even if you don't live in CA, watch out for them.