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Old 20-03-2011, 12:53 AM   #1
**Carol**
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Default Stinging nettle, ok or not?

I was under the impression from this site that stinging nettles were bad and dead nettles good, but on the Tortoise Table site it says young stinging nettles are ok in moderation. Well I found a little young stinging nettle plant the other day but I was dubious to feed it to Reggie. In the end I fed him a small leaf and at first he was fine but after a few bites started opening his mouth really wide and trying to scratch his face with his front feet. I snatched it away immediately and fed him a dandelion leaf which calmed him down and he went back to happily munching. I just thought it was unusual that the TT website would say it could be okay if they can still sting torts in the mouth
Also, just a random question, do dead nettles also sting? Or are stinging nettle the only species of nettle that sting?
Sorry I've thought of another question: Thistles?? Can torts really eat these? Again it just seems that the spines would harm them. Does anyone feed thistles?
Thanks for your advice everyone
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Old 20-03-2011, 01:13 AM   #2
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Dead nettles don't sting. There are lots of very similar looking plants, some of which are quite toxic. You can tell the red or white dead nettle as its stem is unusually square in shape. But there is also a plant called Hemp nettle which is toxic but also has the square stem. The key here is time of year. Red and white dead nettle are around at the moment but are usually gone before summer. Hemp nettle apppears in high summer.

Stinging nettles are a difficult one. You can stop the sting by leaving the picked nettles in a carrier bag for a few hours but one of the componants of the sting is Oxalic acid so you then have that problem too. It may begin to break down as the nettles sting disappears, I'm not sure. I think, very occasionally, the young shoots would be ok if left in a carrier bag for a while before feeding bt I've never bothered with them myself.

Thistles are fine. I snip the spines off with scissors.
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Old 20-03-2011, 02:37 AM   #3
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I feed nettles but no one every eats them anyway
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Old 20-03-2011, 08:09 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by anna m View Post
I feed nettles but no one every eats them anyway
same here. I've never fed stinging nettles but my lot won't eat dead nettles.

Carol, young thistles are not very jaggy
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Old 20-03-2011, 09:54 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirkie View Post
Dead nettles don't sting. There are lots of very similar looking plants, some of which are quite toxic. You can tell the red or white dead nettle as its stem is unusually square in shape. But there is also a plant called Hemp nettle which is toxic but also has the square stem. The key here is time of year. Red and white dead nettle are around at the moment but are usually gone before summer. Hemp nettle apppears in high summer..


Dave, very interesting point about the Hemp Nettle looking much the same as Dead Nettle - are there any difference in how they look so as the wrong one isnt picked and fed?
I tend to go for the ones with the little pink flowers...or the bigger ones with white flowers. There are some with no flowers...are these the bad ones??
Just wondered what characteristics are identifiable for the Hemp Nettle?
xx Thanks
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Old 20-03-2011, 10:15 PM   #6
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Time of year Rach. I never see red dead nettle in the summer, I never see hep nettle in the winter or early spring.

This is hemp nettle
http://www.thewesternisles.co.uk/wil...emp-nettle.htm

If you look at the flowers they have two little yellow dots that remind me of orchids, dead nettles dont have these.
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Old 20-03-2011, 11:17 PM   #7
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Goodness....I do pick the ones that have pink flowers but these are the really small ones, with deep pink flowers. Havent noticed the yellow in the centre of the flower..so I think Im ok.
Will remember what you have said here, thanks Dave. xx
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Old 21-03-2011, 11:37 AM   #8
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Eeek, I didn't know about the hemp nettle either! Will look more closely now.
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Old 21-03-2011, 02:53 PM   #9
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When we were kids we used to dare each other stuff and when we were up the river we dared this lad to run through a bunch of nettles and told him that nettles didn't sting at that time of the year . He did it only wearing his swimming trunks. He is now 50 years old and has been credited with doing some totally radge things in his lifetime so he obviously never learned anything from that experience other than you get stung
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Old 21-03-2011, 03:02 PM   #10
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there's about 50 species of dead nettle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium

here's some I spotted at alnwick castle gardens, they grow really high

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