Feeding and Nutrition :: Feeding grape leaf

[Squishy]

I read the nutrient analysis page listed on the Fresh Plants page of the main site, and it appears that grape leaf has the best "bang-for-the-buck", especially in calcium - way more than red leaf lettuce which is frequently recommended on these forums. With so much more content, is it still safe to offer as much as the turtle will eat? I have been providing one shell-sized leaf per day, and the turtle usually nibbles at it throughout the day and finishes it by 10 pm. The majority of it is eaten after the basking lights turn off at 8 pm.

We have four grape vines in the backyard; I don't know the specific species, but they are used for making wine. The grapes are purple and a lot more watery than what you buy in grocery stores, with a sugary body and a sour core close to the seeds. Would these be safe to offer as a monthly treat? Would I have to remove the seeds?

The vines are grown about seven feet high and act as a canopy over a small driveway in our backyard. We don't use pesticides, but birds like to play around in them and eat the grapes. Is there anything I should worry about when feeding leaves to the turtle, or should everything be fine providing I don't give him a leaf covered in bird poop?

Edit: We also have three mulberry trees in the front yard (at least I think that's what they are - they are the kind with knarled branches that droop down like an umbrella and grow blackberry-like fruits). Would these be better than the grapes as a treat, or should I offer both to give some variety?

[BullDog]

Interesting! I never even thought of feeding grape leaves! But you're right. They're great for calcium.

The only concern is that they're very high in vitamin A, and too much vit A can be toxic. To play it safe, I would say about once a month.

For grapes, yup, they're just fine for a treat (also once a month). Some people remove the skin or cut the grapes so they aren't a choking hazard.
I think mulberries would be fine for a treat as well. But generally you only want to give one fruit serving per month. So once a month, you can give either grapes or mulberries.

[Squishy]

The nutritional values seem to be proportional to what you get out of dandelion leaves, which I have seen recommended as a staple food (all but fibre and vitamin C content, that is). What kind of problems could arise from a vitamin A overdose? For the last week I have been using grape leaves as the main food in the turtle's diet, as it is much cleaner than lettuce. The lettuce would get shredded and clog up the filter in a week; maybe the grape leaf has a stronger smell, or the turtle is attracted to the greener leaves, but he tends to chase down wayward bits and chomp them down before eating the rest of the main leaf.

[Squishy]

No further thoughts on grape leaf, guys?

Since the nutritional values seem to be about five times what lettuce gives, I have reduced the daily serving to a piece of leaf one-fifth of the shell size, or roughly the size of both of my thumbs.

[marisa]

Briefly, the "vitamin A" found in plants is in the form of (beta) carotene, which is actually a precusor to Vit A. The body converts beta carotene into a form of Vit A; eating foods high in beta carotene does not carry the same worry as ingesting too much Vit A. Too much vitamin A in supplemental form can be toxic.

That said, it's good to include a variety of foods/veggies in the diet, not only grape leaves.

[Squishy]

Gotcha.

I also give three pellets a day, which bookend the grape leaf. I suppose I could give some dandelion leaves when they start growing again, but I really don't want to give any more lettuce. I still have some dried up lettuce bits on the side of the tank that I haven't managed to scrub off yet.

He also gets a snail once in a while; I'm still hoping he will run into one he won't eat, so I can have something to help clean the tank.