Can Tortoises Eat Artichoke?

 

The Globe artichoke commonly called artichoke is a variety of a species of thistle cultivated as a food. The edible portion of the plant consists of the flower buds before the flowers come into bloom, but are they healthy for your tortoises? Have you been wondering if this plant would be good for your tortoise consumption? Well, look no further. In this article, we'll discuss if artichokes are edible plants for your tortoises and their benefits.

Can Tortoises Eat Artichoke?

Yes, tortoises can eat artichokes. Artichokes or Globe artichokes have no known hazards to tortoises and they can safely eat all parts of the plant. Artichokes come from the Mediterranean, and it contains a high amount of vitamins and minerals, calcium, and fiber especially when given raw. They are therefore safe and beneficial. 

Artichokes are healthy for tortoises because of their many nutrients. They contain vitamin C, folic acid, potassium, niacin, and lots of antioxidants (antioxidants act to slow or prevent the oxidation of another chemical). These vitamins and minerals help prevent illness and support your tortoise's immune system, muscles, metabolism, and more. Artichokes are also useful to hell with irritable bowels in your tortoises. 

Tortoise owners have reported that there's no harm to feeding artichokes to your pet. Some have been feeding theirs for 15 years and more and no issue has been reported so far. Asides from artichokes, there are other plants, crops, and grasses in your garden your tortoises can eat. Some of them are plant marigolds, parsley, oat grass, fennel, hibiscus, sweet potato, watercress, and petunias to own variations of crunchy plants in your garden; wildflowers, wild berries, and grasses. 

Nutritional Benefits Of Artichokes To Tortoises

Artichokes are edible healthy plants for your tortoises because they have a high nutrient content. They include vitamins, fat, sugar, fiber, protein, minerals, folic acid, niacin, and lots of antioxidants. 

Vitamins 

These plants have a high content of Vitamins A and C. Vitamin A is required to protect your tortoise's immune system and fend against sickness and illness. Also, vitamin A present in artichokes is important in maintaining good reproductive health, lung health, and eye health for your tortoise.

Vitamin C on the other hand, helps your tortoise's body produce new tissues and repair old ones. It also strengthens the immune system, aids in iron absorption, and is beneficial for wound healing in any case your tortoises get injured. 

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are abundant in artichokes. They function in your tortoise's body to ward off sickness, prevent cell deterioration, and lessen the oxidative stress placed on the cells by unstable atoms known as free radicals. Antioxidants act by slowing or preventing the oxidation of another chemical.

Protein

Artichokes are so packed with proteins that they offer more protein than many other vegetables at 3.5 grams per serving. This makes it a great choice of plant feed for your tortoises. Feeding your tortoise with a protein-packed plant like artichokes reduces its risk of coronary heart disease. 

Fiber

Fiber is so important in the digestion of your tortoise. They help to aid digestion. According to a recent study, a half cup of artichokes contains about seven grams of fiber. Fiber also helps to promote regular bowel movements and reduced constipation in your tortoise. It aids in controlling your pet's weight, blood sugar levels, and cholesterol levels in its body. However, you should avoid overfeeding them with artichokes because a diet high in fiber when eaten too much can cause diarrhea and upset stomachs in tortoises. 

Why Does Your Tortoise Need Artichokes In Its Diet?

Apart from its nutritional benefits, artichokes help in other areas of your tortoise's body and function.

Artichokes can help to strengthen your tortoise's gut

Artichokes have been studied in recent years and are known to be full of inulin, which is a kind of, but not the fiber that helps to prevent gastrointestinal issues like constipation, enhance the absorption of minerals like calcium, and bolster your tortoise's immune system. According to a study from the British Journal of Nutrition, inulin also works as a prebiotic, which helps your animal's body maintain a healthy gut. 

They help to boost your tortoise's immune system

Artichokes are among the list of plants with an immune-boosting ability. They help to prevent and ward and fight off disease-causing organisms that may put your pet at risk. 

Artichokes can help to lower body fat

Excess fats are not good for your tortoise. Once a tortoise starts adding much weight, it finds it more difficult to withdraw into its shell and becomes more uncomfortable. Artichokes help to lower body fat and drop a few pounds. Study shows that artichokes are certainly helpful in maintaining healthy body weight. 

They are a whole food

Artichokes are a whole food. This means that they are either not processed at all, or contain artificial substances. Feeding your tortoise a whole food plant-based diet will cause a reduction in its cholesterol and body mass index. This will prevent high body fat and overgrowth. You want your tortoise to be able to move freely not lazy and obese. 

What To Not Do With Artichokes?

Some pet owners make the mistake of boiling or steaming artichokes before giving them to their pet tortoise. It is not advisable to do this because, in the process of steaming the plant, it loses a chunk of its nutrients. Serving the plants raw to your tortoises is much preferable but be sure it is a herbivore (plant-eating) specie. 

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, artichokes have no known hazards to tortoises and they can safely eat all parts of the plant. They contain nutrients like vitamins (Vitamins A and C), protein, minerals, calcium, potassium, niacin, and lots of antioxidants (antioxidants act to slow or prevent the oxidation of another chemical), and fiber especially when given raw. Artichokes also help to treat allergies in your pet. They should however not be boiled or steamed before giving to your tortoises to prevent nutrient loss and malnourishment in your pet.