# My Horsefield Tortoise isn't eating!!!!!



## lordlottie01 (Dec 29, 2013)

Hi everyone! I'm new on this so please excuse me if I'm not doing this right. My Horsefield Tortoise, (Marty) is a male, 4 years old and I got him for Christmas.  Best day ever!!!! Anyways he hasn't eaten a bite since then! Once I caught him pecking at some lettuce but never eating. Am I doing something wrong? His diet mainly is made up off: Broccoli, carrots, Choi Lettuce, cauliflower, cress, and sometimes iceberg lettuce. Please help!!!!!!


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## Yvonne G (Dec 29, 2013)

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

The most common cause for a tortoise to not be eating is that he isn't warm enough. A tortoise has to be able to warm his inner core up to AT LEAST 80F, and warmer is even better. So, measure the temperatures all over the floor of the habitat and make adjustments to your light accordingly.

Another reason your new tortoise might not be eating is that your aren't offering him the types of food that Russian tortoises eat. Here's a list of the different kinds of foods you can offer him:

Endive
Escarole
Radicchio
Chicory
Turnip greens
Mustard greens
Kale
Collards
Spring Mix (mixed salad greens)
cabbage (fed on occasion)
Hibiscus (flowers and leaves)
Hosta
Sedum
Mulberry leaves
Hen and Chicks
Ice Plants
Prickly pear flowers, fruit and pads (burn the spines off)
Dandelion
Plantain (not the banana type fruit....the weed plantago major)
Mallow (flowers and leaves)
Henbit
Rose (flowers and leaves....make sure no systemic pesticides were used)
Chrysanthemum flowers
Cornflowers Plagiobothrys ssp
Forsythia (flowers and leaves)
Dayflower Commelina diffusa (flowers and leaves)
Californian Poppy escholzia 
Chia Salvia hispanica

You can pick and choose a nice variety from the list, you don't have to use everything, but don't just pick one or two items and feed them exclusively. A tortoise needs variety in his diet.


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## Jlant85 (Dec 29, 2013)

Hello and welcome to the forums.... 
What was mentioned above is enough to get you started! 
Here is a good link to read to get you further more into learning more about your torties! 
^_^v
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-80698.html


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