Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I harvested a large amount of red clovers from a field near my house and froze them to have a treats for my sulcatta over the winter. On Turtlestuff.com's list of plants to avoid, red clover was listed as it could contain cyanogenic compounds (?) after a frost. Has anyone else fed their tortoises red clover after it was frozen? I have not given my tort any yet as I amafraid to now but he loves them. Should I just ditch them all? Thanks,
Sharon
-----
SharonJ

I Googled around for info, and while I found references to some types of red and white clovers having cyanogenic compounds, and that any type of damage, like freezing, could release them, it wasn't entirely clear to me how you would know what was safe and what wasn't.

In other words: maybe!

I've fed clover to my tortoises during spring and winter with no problems at all. I've not tried to feed them any after it has been frozen.

I can't think of a reason to take the risk. I'm not one of those people who thinks tortoises instinctively know what is safe. I've seen my tortoises try to eat an orange stripe on my tennis shoe. I don't think that's good for them :->

Thanks for the response and trying to find out more info for me. I am going to throw away the clovers which is ashame because he really loves them. You are right though, better safe than sorry. I guess he will just enjoy them more when he gets them again in the spring!
Sharon J
-----
SharonJ