# Tortoise eating only fruit



## ZEROPILOT (May 7, 2015)

Long story short..I have an older female Redfoot that was sick and not eating. After treatment for parasites she began to eat but will only eat fruit. Banana and Mango. She will nibble Broccoli rabbi, but nothing and I mean nothing else.
I'm excited about her finally getting better and stronger but I don't know about short term fruit issues. Is it ok? 
I don't feel that I have a choice.


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## mtdavis254817 (May 7, 2015)

Can you mix the fruit with greens and mazuri, then gradually use less and less fruit


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## Grandpa Turtle 144 (May 7, 2015)

Tortoises are a lot like kids if they can get away with it they will do it ! I've used diabetic jello powder to have vegys smell like fruit .


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## Turtlepete (May 7, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Long story short..I have an older female Redfoot that was sick and not eating. After treatment for parasites she began to eat but will only eat fruit. Banana and Mango. She will nibble Broccoli rabbi, but nothing and I mean nothing else.
> I'm excited about her finally getting better and stronger but I don't know about short term fruit issues. Is it ok?
> I don't feel that I have a choice.



She will likely have loose stool, but apart from that there will be no significant issues. Obviously a diet that high in sugary foods is not ideal, but it is better then her eating nothing during her recovery. Just keep offering greens and Mazuri, more normal foods, and hope she takes a liking to them as well.


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## ZEROPILOT (May 7, 2015)

Runny stool would be good. If she goes I expect a heavy load of dead worms to pass as well.
Thanks. She eats the fruit and will nibble on whatever leaf the food sits on and it must be on the ground. She won't even look at food in a dish.


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## Tidgy's Dad (May 12, 2015)

I think as long as she's eating something, it's good at this point.
Worry about a better diet when she is fully recovered.


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## leigti (May 12, 2015)

So if you mix the fruit and the greens together the greens will taste like fruit too. And just slowly reduce the amount of fruit. Or squeeze some of the fruit juice onto greens.


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## christinaland128 (May 12, 2015)

She seems to be as stubborn as a human toddler. But you're Momma and momma knows best! Be stubborn back!  (if it doesn't cause her to regress).

I chop my greens up and sometimes purée the fruit as a glaze on the greens. That might work.


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## domalle (May 12, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Long story short..I have an older female Redfoot that was sick and not eating. After treatment for parasites she began to eat but will only eat fruit. Banana and Mango. She will nibble Broccoli rabbi, but nothing and I mean nothing else.
> I'm excited about her finally getting better and stronger but I don't know about short term fruit issues. Is it ok?
> I don't feel that I have a choice.


High fruit diets are readily tolerated by redfoots. They are not strictly herbivorous like Russians, Europeans, Sulcatas, Leopards, Stars, Radiateds. All of the preceding will be adversely affected by frugivorous diet. Not so the redfoot. And they certainly don't need Mazuri or any artificial diets. If they can have the benefit of a life in captivity outside in a suitable climate with access to sun, shade, water and natural graze material (dandelion, clovers, plaintain, grasses) so much the better. They will thrive.
Your female will be fine. Just be aware, banana can be constipating.
It's a rare redfoot that will resist papaya. And it will promote bowel movement.
Good luck.


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## ZEROPILOT (May 13, 2015)

It gets worse. Now she only eats pear. And it must first be cooked.
She no longer looks at mango or anything else.
Papaya was also a bust. The others ate it though.
At this point I present food...remove it and present something else.
Some days she'll nibble.
Some days she won't eat at all.
She lives outdoors and has a house with shade and her own garden and private pool.
Just like my three other RF that are thriving.


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## tortdad (May 13, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> It gets worse. Now she only eats pear. And it must first be cooked.
> She no longer looks at mango or anything else.
> Papaya was also a bust. The others ate it though.
> At this point I present food...remove it and present something else.
> ...


Has she pooped out ask the dead dead worms yet? If not I say keep feeding her whatever she will eat. If she's pooping good now be tough and don't feed her for a few days, offer fresh greens until she eats like she's supposed to. She won't starve herself but she may go a few weeks without eating.


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## ZEROPILOT (May 13, 2015)

Very little in and NOTHING out.
It's possible that I've missed some with the rains. I look several times a day.


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## Turtlepete (May 13, 2015)

Would not attempt to "wean" her until she is steadily eating whatever is offered again….Continue to offer a variety and hope she decides to expands her tastes a little bit, but don't restrict the foods. It's important to keep some food in her, especially during the process of deworming.

Have you tried _everything_? Oddities like baked sweet potatoes, mushrooms (can be baked as well, releases a pleasant aroma that seems to attract them), even fish (salmon or something of that sort). Mice, rats, moistened dog food….When they get picky, they get crazy-strange tastes that change within a week. One week a tortoise in this situation wants nothing but romaine lettuce heads spread out in its enclosure. The next it likes moistened dog food and nothing else. 

Hopefully she starts eating soon.


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## ZEROPILOT (May 13, 2015)

Yes. Absolutely everything. It's nuts how much food I throw away daily...Weekly. I don't want to give what doesn't get eaten to the others.
Dog food cat food meat raw and cooked mushrooms, even Shitake and every manner of greenery. Fruit has been hit and miss with her eating one thing today and not tomorrow. She walks right over Mazuri.
Today I've got some really over ripe mango.......Then back to my test kitchen.
next deworming is this Saturday. Hopefully she'll be eating something.


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## tortdad (May 13, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Yes. Absolutely everything. It's nuts how much food I throw away daily...Weekly. I don't want to give what doesn't get eaten to the others.
> Dog food cat food meat raw and cooked mushrooms, even Shitake and every manner of greenery. Fruit has been hit and miss with her eating one thing today and not tomorrow. She walks right over Mazuri.
> Today I've got some really over ripe mango.......Then back to my test kitchen.
> next deworming is this Saturday. Hopefully she'll be eating something.


 I thought you were done with the deworming already. Yeah, don't wean her until she's done with the meds.


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## ZEROPILOT (May 13, 2015)

She only had one round so far and i gave her a light dose. Two days on. ten days off.


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## Gillian M (May 13, 2015)

Tidgy's Dad said:


> I think as long as she's eating something, it's good at this point.
> Worry about a better diet when she is fully recovered.


 That's exactly how I see it: so long as a tortoise is eating, great! However, many of the forum members disagreed with me when I mentioned that my tort fell in love with tomatoes. I was adviced either NOT to feed it tomatoes or just to give it a little as a treat very rarely.


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## ZEROPILOT (May 13, 2015)

Gillian, to me..At this point. Eating is eating.
She doesn't eat anything with regularity and some days wont touch anything.
Nothing that myself or my vet has done has had much of an effect.


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## Tidgy's Dad (May 13, 2015)

Gillian Moore said:


> That's exactly how I see it: so long as a tortoise is eating, great! However, many of the forum members disagreed with me when I mentioned that my tort fell in love with tomatoes. I was adviced either NOT to feed it tomatoes or just to give it a little as a treat very rarely.


Tomato is not good, but better than nothing.
My Tidgy loves it, but is very rarely given it.
It is better to wean Oli off it.
Sorry Zeropilot, for hijacking, but you are right, eating is, indeed, eating and worry about the diet later.


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## Gillian M (May 13, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Gillian, to me..At this point. Eating is eating.
> She doesn't eat anything with regularity and some days wont touch anything.
> Nothing that myself or my vet has done has had much of an effect.


 Sorry, I did not do that intentionally. What did the vet say/advice?


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## ZEROPILOT (May 13, 2015)

$300 for xray and blood work. No issues found.


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## Gillian M (May 13, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> $300 for xray and blood work. No issues found.


 Wow!! $300...that is *so* *much*! Suppose one cannot afford that? (I do not mean you).


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## ZEROPILOT (May 13, 2015)

I felt I was obligated.
Part of the responsibility.
Wouldn't have sucked so much if a problem was found.


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## Tidgy's Dad (May 13, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> I felt I was obligated.
> Part of the responsibility.
> Wouldn't have sucked so much if a problem was found.


At least you know you did the right thing and have eliminated some potential problems.


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## Gillian M (May 13, 2015)

ZEROPILOT said:


> I felt I was obligated.
> Part of the responsibility.
> Wouldn't have sucked so much if a problem was found.


 That didn't answer my question which was: "Suppose one cannot afford it?"


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## ZEROPILOT (May 13, 2015)

Do everything that you can then.
I've done nothing less.

This is actually the third time I feel that I've thrown away money at two different vets. $300 each time, strangely enough. Each time no issues were found...So not really needed?
Do what you can.
I'm leaning less and less on vets and more and more on this forum and I have a couple of very helpful friends here whom I haven't met but have been correct very often as well as more helpful. And it's been free.
In a true case of emergency you could use credit or maybe borrow money, contact a breeder or a zoo and ask questions...


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## Robber (May 14, 2015)

Is this a recent acquisition that you don't know much about its previous eating habits?


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## Yvonne G (May 14, 2015)

Gillian Moore said:


> That didn't answer my question which was: "Suppose one cannot afford it?"



Not too many people can. But you can always ask the vet if the will take payments.


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## ZEROPILOT (May 14, 2015)

Robber said:


> Is this a recent acquisition that you don't know much about its previous eating habits?


Yes. She was fed rotting produce on the ground with 42 others. Her sister I also own and she acts just fine.


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## ZEROPILOT (May 14, 2015)

Yvonne G said:


> Not too many people can. But you can always ask the vet if the will take payments.


I have also heard that a vet would maybe consider a hardship case and keep the costs down. I must just look like a big sucker!


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