Willow - Page 2

MPGeezer · 04-09-2012, 11:06 AM

Hello all , thanks for all the comments .. she is a Horsfields. She has been eating the odd buttercup for years so I assume its not doing her any harm. There are some weeds in the garden she has never tried, some she has bitten once and never returned to. Her favourite is dandelion leaves and flower. She eats the leaves of the buttercup as well as clover. I feed her Tortoise pellets from a local reptile shop soaked in water with cuttlefish grated over them .. this diet has seemed to suit her. I have recently started using this sites products .. weed and flower seeds and have just bought some dried stuff for in the winter as well as the Komodo pellets. She seems bright and alert and has bursts of energy that leave us looking for her all over the garden {140' of it} most nights when she is brought in. My outdoor pen has had a makeover recently and I have planted a load of seeds .. she went in the other day and totally destroyed the biggest grower, so I am leaving her out of that until the plants are more established. Never really thought about the poison aspect as in the wild they must have some sort of instinct to leave certain plants alone. She does love apple which i give perhaps once a month .. but read that they shouldn't have any fruit. Anyone else feed fruit to Russians?
Jason

cogsred · 04-09-2012, 11:12 AM

Perhaps they possess an innate ability to distinguish between edible and inedible?

In a state of captivity, where they depend upon human intervention, i suppose it makes good sense to not deliberately cultivate poisonous plants in their living area, but in a lot of wilder gardens dangerous vegetation is inevitable isn't it?

**Bindi** · 05-09-2012, 07:39 PM

Fantastic pics and a lovely tortoise

Mighty_Quinn · 05-09-2012, 07:58 PM

Gorgeous pics

)

Easter Bunny · 06-09-2012, 04:44 PM

Lovely tortoise x

Dexieii · 06-09-2012, 05:04 PM

What fabulous pictures!

cherylahutch · 06-09-2012, 05:30 PM

Beautiful colouring for a horsfield mine are all different shades great tortoises

MPGeezer · 06-09-2012, 08:00 PM

Thanks to all for the kind words about Willow

**egyptiandan64** · 07-09-2012, 12:16 AM

Because most plants aren't poisonous to tortoises. Almost all poisonous plant lists are geared towards mammals and not reptiles. Hermanns tortoises in the wild eat buttercups, usually the young plants early in the year. My Horsfields will eat buttercups, if they find them. They also eat Milkweed. It's native on this side of the pond and pretty toxic to mammals. It has white sap and the only things I know of that eat it are Monarch butterfly catapillars and milkweed beetles and of course Horsfields tortoises (I seen a Spur-thigh eat a young plant too). No one has had any trouble after eating the milkweed, so I can only think that they can handle a once in a while feeding of it.

Danny

destiny88 · 10-07-2013, 10:01 PM

Great beautiful pictures . shes gorgeous

maybe the said tortoise that died after eating buttercups
was eating ones that had weedkiller or such like on .

04-09-2012, 11:12 AM	#12
cogsred Member Egg Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: on the Moray Firth Posts: 53	Perhaps they possess an innate ability to distinguish between edible and inedible? In a state of captivity, where they depend upon human intervention, i suppose it makes good sense to not deliberately cultivate poisonous plants in their living area, but in a lot of wilder gardens dangerous vegetation is inevitable isn't it? Last edited by cogsred; 04-09-2012 at 11:19 AM.

05-09-2012, 07:39 PM	#13
Bindi Super Moderator Adult Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Hampshire Posts: 11,157	Fantastic pics and a lovely tortoise __________________

05-09-2012, 07:58 PM	#14
Mighty_Quinn Member Hatchling Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: East Scotland Posts: 500	Gorgeous pics ) __________________

06-09-2012, 04:44 PM	#15
Easter Bunny Senior Member Adult Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Kent Posts: 5,337	Lovely tortoise x __________________ Lynne x

06-09-2012, 05:04 PM	#16
Dexieii Member Egg Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: SE Kent Posts: 76	What fabulous pictures! __________________ 1.0.0 TGG 2.7.2 THB www.cinqueportsrescue.co.uk

04-09-2012, 11:06 AM	#11
MPGeezer Junior Member Egg Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Romford Essex Posts: 5	Hello all , thanks for all the comments .. she is a Horsfields. She has been eating the odd buttercup for years so I assume its not doing her any harm. There are some weeds in the garden she has never tried, some she has bitten once and never returned to. Her favourite is dandelion leaves and flower. She eats the leaves of the buttercup as well as clover. I feed her Tortoise pellets from a local reptile shop soaked in water with cuttlefish grated over them .. this diet has seemed to suit her. I have recently started using this sites products .. weed and flower seeds and have just bought some dried stuff for in the winter as well as the Komodo pellets. She seems bright and alert and has bursts of energy that leave us looking for her all over the garden {140' of it} most nights when she is brought in. My outdoor pen has had a makeover recently and I have planted a load of seeds .. she went in the other day and totally destroyed the biggest grower, so I am leaving her out of that until the plants are more established. Never really thought about the poison aspect as in the wild they must have some sort of instinct to leave certain plants alone. She does love apple which i give perhaps once a month .. but read that they shouldn't have any fruit. Anyone else feed fruit to Russians? Jason

06-09-2012, 05:30 PM	#17
cherylahutch Senior Member Adult Join Date: May 2011 Location: Northumberland Posts: 2,170	Beautiful colouring for a horsfield mine are all different shades great tortoises __________________ Proud owner of Elvis, Padme, Bella,Ruby and Daisy the Horsfields, Mork and Mindi the Indian stars, Toby and Scarlett the Redfoots Yoshi and Cleopatra the Egyptians and Sam the Labrador. .

06-09-2012, 08:00 PM	#18
MPGeezer Junior Member Egg Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Romford Essex Posts: 5	Thanks to all for the kind words about Willow

07-09-2012, 12:16 AM	#19
egyptiandan64 Super Moderator Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: USA Posts: 14,171	Because most plants aren't poisonous to tortoises. Almost all poisonous plant lists are geared towards mammals and not reptiles. Hermanns tortoises in the wild eat buttercups, usually the young plants early in the year. My Horsfields will eat buttercups, if they find them. They also eat Milkweed. It's native on this side of the pond and pretty toxic to mammals. It has white sap and the only things I know of that eat it are Monarch butterfly catapillars and milkweed beetles and of course Horsfields tortoises (I seen a Spur-thigh eat a young plant too). No one has had any trouble after eating the milkweed, so I can only think that they can handle a once in a while feeding of it. Danny __________________

10-07-2013, 10:01 PM	#20
destiny88 Member Incubating Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Lincolnshire Posts: 153	Great beautiful pictures . shes gorgeous maybe the said tortoise that died after eating buttercups was eating ones that had weedkiller or such like on .

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