Avocados!
We can eat them and actually enjoy it too
Now if you have a pet tortoise, you’ll likely want to share your food with them
Question is – Can tortoises eat avocados?
In short –
Yes they can eat avocados! You can share it with your tort but you need to read this article before you decide to go full out on feeding avocados to your tortoise
You see,
Avocados are a great source of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, healthy fats, protein, and potassium.
Avocado trees produce fruit year round, even during the winter months.
Despite the fact that avocados are good for people, It is better if your tortoise simply consumes the leaves and stays away from the fruits.
Our bodies crave sweet treats, especially after we eat something salty.
However, while some sweets are healthy, many others aren’t.
If you often crave cookies, cakes, candies, ice cream, and pies, then you should limit yourself to those items.
Similar to humans, tortoises must avoid certain meals for the health of their bodies and to prevent serious digestion issues including kidney and thyroid disease.
Which foods fall under this category?
Do avocados fall under this category?
Avocados contain high levels of fat, which means they tend to cause heartburn and upset stomach.
Avocado leaves contain compounds called persin, which are toxic to tortoises because they cause damage to organs. However, avocado leaves do not pose any risk to humans.
Even though very little amounts of Persin won’t harm the tortoise, there is no purpose in feeding a dangerous drug because, in the end, the response that it might cause varies from tortoise to tortoise.
The response can frequently be so quick that you won’t even have time to hurry to your veterinarian.
As a result, never give avocados to tortoises as a safety measure.
Can tortoise eat avocado leaves?
The stomach of the tortoise may develop sulfides as a result of toxins present in avocado leaves.
This results in the death of every type of tortoise.
Most tortoise owners find it difficult to remember that they shouldn’t give their animals the leaves because they resemble lettuce so much.
An in-depth description of the primary harmful factor in avocados can be found below.
Why shouldn’t you give avocados to turtles?
Avocados are a fruit that have a lot of vitamin K in them; each 100 gram serving has roughly 26% of it.
Aside from vitamin K, avocados also contain trace amounts of folates, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B complex, and vitamin e, all of which are beneficial to tortoises.
Unexpectedly, avocados have more potassium and fiber levels than bananas, which aid the tortoise in managing loose stools and other digestive issues.
Learn that avocados contain antioxidants, just like broccoli, which help the tortoise’s eyes general health and enable it to see better, if the reasons listed above weren’t enough to convince you of the nutritional value of avocados.
Avocados contain many nutrients that are essential for good health.
However, some of its compounds can cause harm to tortoise.
Therefore, it is recommended not to give your tortoise avocado regularly or at all to be honest
Persin
The antifungal substance persin, which is present in avocados, can make tortoises unwell and potentially cause their death.
It is regrettably present in every component of the avocado, including the fruit, peel, seeds, and even the leaves.
Thus, the avocado should not be consumed in any way.
When exposed to this toxin, a tortoise that is sensitive to it may experience an elevated heart rate, tissue damage, unrest, weakening, or even death.
Although the consequences of poison may differ from species to species, I think there is no use in allowing a tortoise to consume it.
It is therefore preferable if the tortoises stay away from avocados.
Oxalic acid
In addition to Persin, avocados are a rich source of oxalic acid molecules, which, if consumed in excess, can harm tortoises severely.
However, just what is oxalic acid?
Oxalic acid is a biological substance that naturally occurs in the majority of plants and fruits and binds to calcium to stop calcium absorption.
Tortoises require a healthy diet that is high in calcium, particularly during their growth phase when their shell, bones, and skeleton are forming.
Overuse of oxalic acid hinders this absorption and quickly causes a calcium shortage.
The optimal calcium-phosphorus ratio of 2:1 in a tortoise’s body will even be hampered by oxalic acid, leading to many more dietary deficits.
The tortoise won’t be harmed by a small amount of oxalic acid, but that does not mean it can consume avocado.
Avocados are not ideal for tortoises for a variety of reasons, so it is best to stay away from them.
In addition to avocados, several plants, including spinach, chard, parsley, and rhubarb, contain oxalic acid, which your tortoise would benefit from avoiding as well.
High-fat content
Do you believe that avocados are a diet food and are healthy?
For people, they most certainly are, but not for tortoises.
They contain a lot of calories and fat.
Surprisingly, according to the US Department of Agriculture, 100 grams of avocado include 160 calories and 14.66 grams of fat.
Therefore, we get the conclusion that avocados are rich in calories, fat, and carbs.
Additionally, an avocado fruit’s buttery taste makes it susceptible to overeating and may drive your tortoise to run into problems that cause it to gain weight more quickly.
It’s important to keep in mind that tortoises don’t need a lot of fat in their diet, and that if they do, It has a lot of bad effects.
I believe strawberries, melon, and bananas, which are healthier than avocado and deliver fat in the proper amounts, should be enjoyed by the tortoise if you’re seeking for foods that provide it fat.
Calcium/Phosphorus Ratio Imbalance.
Calcium is the only mineral that tortoises really need because it is so important for their growth and development.
However, your tortoise will consume a range of foods throughout the course of the day, which may result in a rise in the body’s phosphorus level.
A tortoise’s health could be harmed by rising phosphorus levels, which cause calcium absorption to decrease.
Experts advise that the ratio of calcium to phosphorus in a tortoise’s body be 2:1 to safeguard it from this unfortunate event.
Although avocado oil has been shown to reduce inflammation, there are no studies showing whether it reduces hair loss.
Avocados contain high levels of fat, so if you suffer from low energy levels, you might not benefit from using avocado oil.
However, it does contain vitamin E, which helps protect against free radicals, which could prevent hair fall. It also contains lutein, which protects cells from damage by ultraviolet light.
Lutein is often used in anti-wrinkle creams because it prevents wrinkles caused by sun exposure.
So while we don’t recommend using avocado oil as a treatment for baldness, it may still provide benefits to other parts of your body.
There is no scientific evidence that suggests eating avocado regularly increases bone density.
In fact, the opposite is true.
Avocados contain high levels of potassium and magnesium, both minerals that increase bone mineralization.
However, avocado also contains large amounts of phosphorus, which decreases bone mineralization.
This means that consuming too much avocado can actually decrease bone density.
As a result, the calcium content is very low, giving us even another argument against feeding avocados to tortoises.
Avoid avocado and other poisonous plants, which I have listed below, as well as foods with a general ratio that is reversed because they will only harm the tortoise.
Additionally, you should be more careful about the diet and completely avoid certain foods if you have baby tortoises.
Rely more on commercial pellet food because it is made with a unique recipe that meets the needs of the tortoise and gives it the proper nourishment.
Adult tortoises should only be given foods with unbalanced ratios in very small amounts, and they should always be combined with other nutritious foods like rhubarb and radicchios for a balanced diet.
But definitely no avocados!
Tortoises love avocados so much they sometimes eat them by mistake.
What happens when a tortoise swallows an avocado?
In the same way as apple seeds are harmful to people, avocados are poisonous to tortoises.
If a tortoise eats an avocado by accident, the amount and type of poison it will produce will depend on the tortoise’s age, species, and diet.
In general, the Guatemalan and Nabal kinds are the most lethal to tortoises and ought to be avoided at all costs because they could cause death.
While it is best to fully avoid the rest of the species, if you accidentally consume one of them, the consequences will be less severe and you will have more time to get first aid at the vet.
The tortoise will undoubtedly experience some negative effects, such as fluid around the heart, lungs, and kidneys, which could result in organ failure or even death, regardless of the sort of avocado it consumed.
Unfortunately, there is no known cure for avocado poisoning.
If you seek medical attention as soon as possible, your veterinarian will administer first aid.
Even though symptoms don’t appear for about 12 hours, death can happen anytime in the first two days.
If you suspect your tortoise accidentally consumed too much avocado, take him to the veterinarian so they can give him fluids to help the toxin be diluted and expelled from the body as quickly as possible.
On the other hand, the tortoise won’t have any severe or debilitating symptoms if he consumes only a small amount of avocados, although avocados are more dangerous in large numbers.
Excess or not, in my opinion, it is always preferable to visit a vet first because you never know how much the tortoise has consumed or whether it ate avocado without your knowledge.
Additionally, you might not want to take a chance and go to the clinic as soon as you suspect that your tortoise has eaten avocado if you are unfamiliar with the species of avocado and have brought it very casually from the supermarket.
So what have we learnt here
Don’t ever leave avocados lying around near your tort
If it’s possible, don’t buy avocados and if you do, keep them as far away from your tort as possible!
Species of tortoises and avocados – What you need to know!
What about avocados for Sulcata tortoises?
In captivity, sulcata, a species of desert tortoise, only occasionally eats fruits.
These tortoises have dietary restrictions because they cannot process the high sugar content of the majority of fruits.
Then again, what about avocados?
No, Sulcata tortoises cannot consume avocados since the fruit’s persin will instantly cause organ failure and death in the animals.
Never try to give avocados to Sulcatas, instead feed a wild-replicating balanced diet of collard greens, kale, mustard, turnip, dandelion grasses, and beet greens instead.
What about avocados for Mediterranean tortoises?
No, avocados are inedible to Mediterranean tortoises, and all avocado parts—including the roots, leaves, bark, blossoms, and fruit—are bad for the tortoise’s digestion.
Even the avocado leaves are off-limits to Mediterranean tortoises because they contain persin, which can cause serious stomach problems like diarrhea and vomiting or even death.
To protect your tortoise from future problems, avoid planting avocado trees anywhere near its enclosure.
What about avocados for red-foot tortoises?
Red-foot tortoises appear to be the only species that can tolerate the high sugar content of a variety of fruits, including mangoes, papayas, blackberries, plums, and apples.
However, due to the antifungal component, even this species cannot consume avocados.
Red-footed tortoises won’t be significantly affected if unintentionally consumed in little amounts, but if consumed in larger numbers, they may even die.
Therefore, it is best to avoid giving avocados to red-footed tortoises as well.
More information on what to avoid
Picky eaters, turtles are.
Owners of tortoises should be mindful of the hosta’s leaves, plants, and fruits because they can be poisonous and seductive.
A tortoise needs to stay away from certain plants. Usually, they are poisonous.
Toxins that may cause stomach issues are frequently found in the leaves, flowers, and seeds.
Occasionally, if a tortoise consumes too much of the plant, it may even result in death.
The following is a list of plants you shouldn’t give your tortoise.
- Heaths
- Azaleas
- Laurel
- Rhododendron.
- Yews and ground hemlock
- Avocado
- Castor beans
- Cycad or sago palms
- Holly, mistletoe, and poinsettia
- Oleander, foxglove, and lily of the valley
- Ivy
- Plants with nicotine
- Oak
Which fruits are tortoises allowed to eat? Here’s a list you should check out!
Fresh fruit is a great way to provide nutrition for your tortoise.
You should know what types of fruit are safe for your pet before adding any additional items to its diet.
Avoid giving your tortoise any fruits that could make them sick or perhaps kill them.
Here’s a list of fruits you can give your tort which I’m sure they’d enjoy eating!
- Apples
- Blueberries
- Watermelons
- Banana
- Mango
- Papaya
- Tomato
- Guava
- Pineapple
- Cactus fruit
- Grapes
- Plums
- Peaches would be very ideal for your tortoise diet
Wrapping Up
Avocados are a wonderful fruit with a buttery texture that makes a terrific addition to salads and dips.
Although it is beneficial to people, it is hazardous to tortoises and ought to be avoided when there are so many alternative food options on the market.
Avocados should never be given to tortoises in any form, including fruits, roots, leaves, or bark, as any of these parts can be fatal to them.
