# Tortoise eating bark?



## Mallykc (Nov 15, 2013)

I asked a while back what type of substrate I should use for my indoor enclosure because last year the top soil was so messy. Somebody suggested the bark, I believe it was the coconut type. It's been working great and I haven't had any issues but now it seems that my tort, Cedar, thinks it's food. He just pooped out some bark during his soak. 
This isn't a good think I assume, so what should I do?


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## Tom (Nov 15, 2013)

Are you using shredded coco fiber or orchid bark?

What sort of lighting and eating are you using? Colored bulbs? Coil type UV bulbs?

What do your feed your baby?

Any supplementation?


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## Mallykc (Nov 15, 2013)

Tom said:


> Are you using shredded coco fiber or orchid bark?
> 
> What sort of lighting and eating are you using? Colored bulbs? Coil type UV bulbs?
> 
> ...



Hey, thanks for your response.
To answer your questions...

I'm not sure of the bark I'm using now. (I threw the packages away)


but this is what it looks like. 

Up until a couple weeks ago he didn't use bulbs cause he was strictly outdoors but now he has a solar glo for during the days and a red heat bulb for at night.
No coil bulbs I know how bad those are. 

I haven't given him supplements in a while...def should start that back. Could that be the reason for eating bark? 

His diet usually consist of lettuce, zucchini and squish. Occasionally he gets fruit (apples and strawberries mainly) and the dried grass pellets that the pet store sells for dessert torts.
I feed him every morning he is usually already asleep by the time I get home from work at night. 

I'm moving in a couple weeks and will be buying all new bulbs and substrate so it's a perfect time for me to fix whatever is wrong...if I'm doing something wrong.


**squash not squish


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## thatrebecca (Nov 15, 2013)

I'll be interested to hear what people have to say about this. I caught my CDT eating some orchid bark in her night box recently, something I had never seen her do before. I assumed it was some kind of strange pre-brumation craving (she's now down for the winter).


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## ascott (Nov 15, 2013)

I would remove the bark as a substrate. I know some folks are gasping at the mere suggestion P). I always "feel" that torts should be offered the most earthen material as humanly possible. While some folks get annoyed by the water being mucked about when coco coir is used...well, too bad---just plan on cleaning the water dish out 2 or 3 or 4 times a day...I would use substrate that is fully ingestible and passable....rocks, sticks, chunks of bark ; are all things that are really hard---not able to pass so much. 

Some folks say torts do this; because they are missing some nutrient, are mixed up by colored lights...etc. My theory is they are tasters...and since they have so many salivary glands (6 at least) once their little wet tongues touch something --they are committed..either the chunk is large enough they can work it out with the aid of their front feet or they can not--in which case they have no choice but to swallow it on down---which can create a back up point...

Do I know this for sure....nope. Simply my observation.


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## Mallykc (Nov 16, 2013)

ascott said:


> I would remove the bark as a substrate. I know some folks are gasping at the mere suggestion P).



Thanks for your advice. I'll def consider an alternative for his new enclosure.


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