# Tortoise eating it's mulch!



## mini_max (Jan 7, 2015)

Just came upon Max going to town on his substrate. Before I quickly provided him with some more real food, I'm pretty sure he actually bit some off and ingested it (little reptibark chips).

Anyhow, I can't think that this practice is good for his insides! Anyone with similar experience? Should I be swapping out the substrate, or not a big deal?


----------



## Yvonne G (Jan 7, 2015)

I'm pretty sure Repti-bark is non toxic, so it won't harm him THAT way, but depending upon how sharp or large the pieces he ate are, they may be a problem going through his digestive tract. Hopefully the pieces will be coated with slime and pass on out.

I occasionally use a product called Miner-All, by Sticky Tongue Farms. It has calcium, but it also contains other minerals to help him feel like he doesn't need to eat dirt to get his minerals.


----------



## mini_max (Jan 7, 2015)

Hmmm, he gets mineral powder once a week, but maybe his body's telling him he needs something more. He also just flipped himself trying to eat an artificial cactus...not sure what is up with this guy! Despite all signs pointing to him being starving he's far from it! Lol. I will offer another snack with some mineral powder. Maybe that will do the trick. Thanks.


----------



## Yvonne G (Jan 7, 2015)

I like to feed more than they eat, leaving some on the feeding tile the rest of the day so he can keep coming back to it.


----------



## mini_max (Jan 7, 2015)

He tried to eat the little plastic scoop I use for the mineral powder, then ate the powder out of the spoon. Then he tried to eat another bark chip! Hes gone wild! Is it hormonal or something?


----------



## mini_max (Jan 7, 2015)

He had a little food left in his dish...I usually try to put too much as well. Usually I put out fresh stuff at dinner time as he's come to expect a bed time snack. But this is just completely not his normal behaviour.


----------



## mini_max (Jan 7, 2015)

I warmed up his temps because I was worried he might be getting ill because his eye looked puffy last night. Could this have something to do with it? He's waaaay more active than normal today too.


----------



## Tom (Jan 7, 2015)

What sort of "mineral powder" are you using. Mineral powder would be different than calcium powder. Most people have calcium only. Which do you have?

What are you using for heating and lighting? Any infrared bulbs? Coil type UV bulbs?

What are you feeding your tortoise?


----------



## mini_max (Jan 7, 2015)

I do calcium twice a week - exoterra calcium + d3 and vitamin powder once a week - exoterra multivitamin. Heat and light is a Mercury vapor bulb with a Che at night. No coils! He is eating kale, collard greens, radicchio, occasional lettuce, clover, carrot tops, and dandelion (although it's been almost 2 weeks since he's had any dandelion).


----------



## Tom (Jan 7, 2015)

Hmm... The only thing I see is that his steady diet of grocery store greens might be lacking in fiber. Perhaps you could get some ZooMed Grassland tortoise food up there in the frozen north? Or "horse cubes" that are just plain grass hay. You would soak a very small amount of either of these to rehydrate it and then mix it all up with the greens. Only use a little tiny bit at first. These things will add some fiber and might stop this behavior.

I would also leave a cuttle bone in there, and see if you can get a product called "MinerAll" by Stickey Tongue Farms. Use this one instead of the other two for a few weeks and see if it helps.


----------



## mini_max (Jan 7, 2015)

Ugh, frozen north is right!!! Thank you for your time and advice. I will hunt down some of the zoomed food, and the miner-al. He's got a cuttlebone which he uses frequently, so calcium intake should hopefully be ok. 

If anyone knows of a product similar to the seed mixes from carolina pet supply that I an get in Canada, I would love to know!


----------



## mini_max (Jan 7, 2015)

Sorry, one more quick question. I sometimes grow wheatgrass...would it be a safe or beneficial addition to his diet?


----------



## seiff (Jan 8, 2015)

Mine started eating their coconut hush, so I started feeding twice a day. Haven't seen it since.


----------



## parrotlady (Jan 8, 2015)

Be careful with the coconut coir, it has been known to cause death from impacting hatchlings. This was discussed with serval breeders at the forum in November. They necropsied the hatchlings and found the coir to be the culprit. It isn't known how much food was fed or how often they were soaked. buyers who lost purchased babies from breeders after having them for a few months. After discussions with owners as to how the hatchlings were kept and the necropsy, I am wondering if coconut coir is the safest substrate to use.


----------

