Watermelon/cantaloupe leave/vines...

[Terry Allan Hall]

I know European tortoises shouldn't eat much, if any, fruit, but are the leave/vines themselves safe for my torts? Any concerns?

TIA!

 

[Yvonne G]

The leaves of these plants are safe for your tortoise to eat, also the squash plants.

 

[Itort]

Shouldn't be a problem and blossums are good too. The thing with fruit is the sugar content, these are designed to attract animals to eat and in the process distribute the seeds. Most of the fruit we get is after years of domestication very fleshy and sweet. Wild fruit are not (compare a crabapple to a Red Delicious).

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Thanks, emysemys and Itort

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I think the watermelons are full with the much water level in it. That's good and if your torts like that than we can feed them and nothing to worry. Get them wheatgrass too and some of the green vagetable too with vine.

They currently eat various combinations/mixtures of sow thistle, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, red and green romaine, brocolli slaw, dandelions, chopped okra, chopped green beans, other greens (all organic), augmented w/ calcium carbonatepowder/cuttle bone...chopped, mixed and frozen until used.

Looking for a good source of mulberry leaves, too.

Never tried wheatgrass.

 

[GBtortoises]

I feed mine squash vines often in the late summer, simply due to the fact that they're available from our garden. Most of the tortoises eagerly devour them!