# Zucchini obsession OK?



## thatrebecca (Jul 12, 2013)

Gomez and Morticia, my two juvenile CDTs, are obsessed with zucchini. I found out recently that before we adopted them this spring, zucchini made up most of their diet. (Their prior keeper was very kind, but was of the old fashioned, 'no water dish, not much food, live in a glass box' school of tortoise keeping).

Anyway, they graze on grasses in their enclosure, and every morning their food dish has a mixture of greens, weeds, cacti, flowers, etc. But I often feed zucchini cause they love it so much. I tuck it under the other food, and they dig under there to get it, sometimes leaving other healthy stuff uneaten. My question is, is there anything wrong with them eating so much zucchini? Should I wean them off it for any reason? Or just let them have what they like? 

They've both been putting on weight steadily since we adopted them, and have healthy appetites and regular poops and pees.


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## Laura (Jul 12, 2013)

variety is better.. Id feed less of it, so they eat the other stuff too...


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## Tom (Jul 12, 2013)

The thing that is wrong with zucchini is that its not very nutritious and it takes up stomach space from the things they SHOULD be eating. I'd cut it WAYYYYY back. A little bit grated and mixed in with the other foods once a week or so won't hurt anything but its not "good" for them, so why? Give them lots of weeds, mulberry leaves, grape leaves, cactus pads and even an occasional hibiscus flower if you can find one.

I can't get hibiscus to survive up here. If I lived where you are, my whole house would be surrounded with hibiscus! The leaves are really good tortoise food.


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## thatrebecca (Jul 13, 2013)

We just went out and got some hibiscus plants today! (Saturday being tort home improvement day at our house). Anyway Gomez and Morticia had their first taste of the leaves this afternoon and went straight up bonkers for them. I suspect we'll be planting lots more, and weaning off the zucchini for a while.


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## cally (Jul 13, 2013)

Omgosh- my russian is obsessed with zucchini too! Even squash- i did the same thing and hide it under everything else but he did the same thing! He puts mouth fulls of it in! I cant grow hibiscus up here either (ohio) so we take them inside and put them back out in the summer lol i kno its funny 


Cally- Russian Tort <3


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## thatrebecca (Jul 13, 2013)

cally said:


> Omgosh- my russian is obsessed with zucchini too! Even squash- i did the same thing and hide it under everything else but he did the same thing! He puts mouth fulls of it in! I cant grow hibiscus up here either (ohio) so we take them inside and put them back out in the summer lol i kno its funny
> 
> 
> Cally- Russian Tort <3



Hah! Wonder what it is about that stuff? It's like tortoise crack.


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## cally (Jul 13, 2013)

It is! Haha and u can hear them crunching it right away- he looks at my with his mouth shoveled full n i laugh at it! I even caught him with some in his burrow lolol


Cally- Russian Tort <3


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