Turtles love living among plants as a hiding place or tasty snack. A mistake when choosing plants can have fatal consequences for these demanding, sensitive armored animals. Find out here whether houseleek is poisonous to turtles.
Is houseleek poisonous to turtles?
Houseleek (Sempervivum) is not poisonous to turtles and serves as a he althy food plant. The plant contains he althy ingredients, provides turtles with fluids and is well suited for outdoor turtle enclosures as it prefers sunny and dry conditions.
Is a houseleek poisonous to turtles?
Houseleek (Sempervivum) isnot poisonous for turtles On the contrary, the succulent thick-leaf plant (Crassulaceae) is at the top of the menu for many turtle species. The houseleek owes its status as a sought-after fodder plant to these remarkable properties:
- Houseleek is a traditional medicinal plant with he althy ingredients such as malic acid, mucilage, vitamins, potassium and calcium.
- Water stored in the succulent leaves provides turtles with additional fluids.
- Evergreen Sempervivum species are hardy and are available as fodder plants all year round.
Can I plant houseleeks in the turtle enclosure?
The vast majority of 60 houseleek species come from the European Alps, such as Sempervivum tectorum, valued asrock garden plant. In their home regions, houseleeks have learned to survive in the blazing sun, mid-summer heat and drought. These growth characteristics make the stone rose the perfect plant for the turtle enclosure.
You shouldn't expect too much from a useful function as an ornamental plant or ground cover. Turtles love to munch on juicy Sempervivum leaves. By the time it has flowered or reproduced through daughter rosettes, the houseleek has long since been destroyed.
How do I plant houseleeks for turtles correctly?
Turtle experts recommend stony, gravelly, well-drained soil for the outdoor enclosure. This substrate quality is also beneficial for vital houseleek growth. How to properly plant houseleeks in the turtle enclosure:
- The ideal location isfull sun and warm.
- Dig the desired number of planting pits in the ground at a distance of 15 cm to 20 cm.
- A planting hole is twice as big as the root ball of a houseleek.
- Sprinkle the bottom of the pit with a layer of grit, gravel or coarse sand as drainage.
- Plant the potted houseleek, press the soil down well and water with low-lime water.
How do I care for houseleeks in the turtle enclosure?
The houseleek comes along with undemanding frugality. The only care measure in the turtle outdoor enclosure is the provision of water as needed. If there is no rain for a long period of time, the succulent plant draws on its water reserves in the leaf rosettes. As a result, the formerly succulent leaves shrivel up. If a houseleek shows this symptom, please water the plantwith rainwater or stale tap water. Beyond that, no further maintenance work is required.
Tip
Houseleek enriches the turtle terrarium
When it rains constantly or in winter, tortoises move to the transitional terrarium. Ideally, your armored darlings will be greeted there with houseleek rosettes as a welcome snack. Turtles and houseleeks feel equally at home in the sun under the warming light of a species-appropriate UV lamp (€34.00 on Amazon). Plant care in a turtle terrarium is no different from a houseleek houseplant: water sparingly and do not fertilize.
