Rescued tortoise constantly eating?

[TortieMoonshade]

We have a recently rescued mature leopard tortoise and she eats anything and everything that looks remotely like food in sight, including the curtain. She was rescued from a squatter camp where it is generally barren of vegetation so I was wondering if it is because she was starved for some period of time and it's a coping mechanism, the same way a neglected dog or cat would do?

Will this cause her to become obese since she lives in our large, confined outdoor garden with grass and she eats the grass too? How do I prevent this?

She also doesn't hide at all, she runs like I've never seen a tortoise do when she's scared? Probably realized that hiding won't help because our native South African people cook and eat tortoises.

Thank you very much for your support

 

[TammyJ]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[ryan57]

"Will this cause her to become obese since she lives in our large, confined outdoor garden with grass and she eats the grass too?"

No. You can't/shouldn't force feed a tortoise. Do they get obese in the wild when they graze on grass and whatever else they can all day with no supervision? No, your tort will be a OK 100% fine.

I have a little sulcata that doesn't hide too. Probably not for the same reason you mentioned. LOL!! It should be very distressing to a creature to realize that they are on the menu.

 

[TortieMoonshade]

"Will this cause her to become obese since she lives in our large, confined outdoor garden with grass and she eats the grass too?"

No. You can't/shouldn't force feed a tortoise. Do they get obese in the wild when they graze on grass and whatever else they can all day with no supervision? No, your tort will be a OK 100% fine.

I have a little sulcata that doesn't hide too. Probably not for the same reason you mentioned. LOL!! It should be very distressing to a creature to realize that they are on the menu.

Thank you, although if a dog with food PTSD can get obese due to not stopping eating I'm sure a tortoise with the same might as well. A wild tortoise will stop eating when it's full, she does not. She ploughs through food like she's never gonna eat again and eats her buddy's food too till he chases her away.

And yes, I'm glad we got her out of that situation before it became a reality lmao.

 

[TortieMoonshade]

Thank you, although if a dog with food PTSD can get obese due to not stopping eating I'm sure a tortoise with the same might as well. A wild tortoise will stop eating when it's full, she does not. She ploughs through food like she's never gonna eat again and eats her buddy's food too till he chases her away.

And yes, I'm glad we got her out of that situation before it became a reality lmao.

Sorry forgot to mention, I know she's full after a full plate of food because her buddy who's about the same age and species as her gets full and leaves whatever's left.

And that's her cue to finish his leftovers and go munch on the grass as soon as she's done. Not to mention going for our curtains as well geez 😂

 

[ryan57]

Sorry forgot to mention, I know she's full after a full plate of food because her buddy who's about the same age and species as her gets full and leaves whatever's left.

And that's her cue to finish his leftovers and go munch on the grass as soon as she's done. Not to mention going for our curtains as well geez 😂

Ahh. So the garbage disposal phase. I fear my little one is going to be this way. @ 170g it eats greens and Mazuri 3 times the size of its shell every day.

 

[TortieMoonshade]

Ahh. So the garbage disposal phase. I fear my little one is going to be this way. @ 170g it eats greens and Mazuri 3 times the size of its shell every day.

I hope she slows down at least, I'm not sure how much to feed her anymore 😂

I feed her and her pal a plate the size of their shell every day except Saturdays or Sundays, she's 7 and he's 6 but they get fully grown at 15 so I'm not sure.

 

[Ink]

Are they in the same enclosure

 

[TortieMoonshade]

Are they in the same enclosure

Yes but it's not an enclosure, it's a massive garden with lots of plant cover. They each have their own space and don't bother each other and we seperate them from time to time especially during feeding. Leopard tortoises are also known to be tolerable when kept together and we haven't had any problems so far.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
Has her poop been tested for parasites? That could be affecting her appetite. She should also probably be quarantined from the other tort because if she has parasites or some other condition she will need treatment and her poop could cause the other tort to have them too.
I also wonder if it's a mineral deficiency that causes her to eat or maybe it's just because she wasn't fed properly where she was.
If you read the Information for New People in the FAQs threads and also the Caresheet for raising Sulcata and Leopards etc in the Species Specific thread you'll find lots of ideas for diet. You could also add a small pinch of calcium to her food a couple of times a week or provide a cuttlefish bone (as sold for birds but with any plastic or metal cage brackets removed. You can also get mineral blocks for torts.
Is she wandering in your house? If so it would be safer to make sure she stays in a secure enclosed space because torts can die from eating things they shouldn't like human and pet hairs, dust bunnies small objects, fabrics etc I remember reading about one on the forum which ate a sock and it cost the owner a fortune for surgery - I can't remember if it survived. There are also a lot of hazards on floors as well as the risk of being kicked, heads crushed in doors caught in cables and risk of strangulation or electrocution etc. My leopard is too big for a viv or tort table so he has his own adapted room with a heated hide.

He won't tolerate company in his space - even me. If I sit on his floor he marches over and tries to barge me put of his way and he was quite aggressive with a tort garden ornament if he saw it. Torts are very subtle bullies starting with hogging food and basking spaces, staring and following, progressing to nudging and barging and biting which can cause illness or even death for the tort on the receiving end, so if you see any of that be ready to separate asap. Although if you have a big garden and they can avoid each other they should be fine unless they are different genders and the male starts to harass the female to mate.

 

[Lyn W]

P.S Ignore the questions about where she lives. I read the bit about the garden but it was too late to edit my post.

 

[Tom]

Yes but it's not an enclosure, it's a massive garden with lots of plant cover. They each have their own space and don't bother each other and we seperate them from time to time especially during feeding. Leopard tortoises are also known to be tolerable when kept together and we haven't had any problems so far.

Hello and welcome! What part of the RSA are you in? I spent months there in George, and all over the whole Cape Town area. Prior to that, on a different trip, I'd spent a couple of weeks up in Johannesburg.

They should never live in pairs. You need separate enclosures, or a dividing wall. Male South African leopards can be particularly aggressive. I had to house my two males separately and alone because not only would they try to kill each other, they were both very aggressive with the girls too. I watched one male walk over and flip a female while she was in the middle of digging a nest. In some cases groups can work, but never pairs. You are already seeing the problems, and it will get worse. Even without the overt aggression you are seeing, the chronic stress of living as a pair will hamper the immune system and sickness is likely as your colder weather depends.

The tortoises should never have access to curtains or be loose in the house. This is dangerous and cannot be made safe. They need to be in their own large enclosures.

You need to build a double night box or two singles for these guys to sleep in and protect them from nocturnal predators and pests, and to keep them warm as you move into fall soon. Here are two examples:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

They cannot over eat and get obese on the correct foods and in a large area to walk around in. Grasses, weeds, leaves, flowers and succulents or the right types are the correct foods, so your garden sounds ideal. A large percentage of the diet for South African leopards should be grass. Much more so than leopards from other parts of the range, or other species like Chersina.

 

[ryan57]

Hello and welcome! What part of the RSA are you in? I spent months there in George, and all over the whole Cape Town area. Prior to that, I'd spent a couple of weeks up in Johannesburg.

They should never live in pairs. You need separate enclosures, or a dividing wall. Male South African leopards can be particularly aggressive. I had to house my two males separately and alone because not only would they try to kill each other, they were both very aggressive with the girls too. I watched one male walk over and flip a female while she was in the middle of digging a nest. In some cases groups can work, but never pairs. You are already seeing the problems, and it will get worse. Even without the overt aggression you are seeing, the chronic stress of living as a pair will hamper the immune system and sickness is likely as your colder weather depends.

The tortoises should never have access to curtains or be loose in the house. This is dangerous and cannot be made safe. They need to be in their own large enclosures.

You need to build a double night box or two singles for these guys to sleep in and protect them from nocturnal predators and pests, and to keep them warm as you move into fall soon. Here are two examples:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

They cannot over eat and get obese on the correct foods and in a large area to walk around in. Grasses, weeds, leaves, flowers and succulents or the right types are the correct foods, so your garden sounds ideal. A large percentage of the diet for South African leopards should be grass. Much more so than leopards from other parts of the range, or other species like Chersina.

"I watched one male walk over and flip a female while she was in the middle of digging a nest."
That ain't right. Cold blooded.

 

[Tom]

"I watched one male walk over and flip a female while she was in the middle of digging a nest."
That ain't right. Cold blooded.

He received an instant trip back to his bachelor pad. The female went back and finished the nest.

 

[TortieMoonshade]

Hi and welcome,
Has her poop been tested for parasites? That could be affecting her appetite. She should also probably be quarantined from the other tort because if she has parasites or some other condition she will need treatment and her poop could cause the other tort to have them too.
I also wonder if it's a mineral deficiency that causes her to eat or maybe it's just because she wasn't fed properly where she was.
If you read the Information for New People in the FAQs threads and also the Caresheet for raising Sulcata and Leopards etc in the Species Specific thread you'll find lots of ideas for diet. You could also add a small pinch of calcium to her food a couple of times a week or provide a cuttlefish bone (as sold for birds but with any plastic or metal cage brackets removed. You can also get mineral blocks for torts.
Is she wandering in your house? If so it would be safer to make sure she stays in a secure enclosed space because torts can die from eating things they shouldn't like human and pet hairs, dust bunnies small objects, fabrics etc I remember reading about one on the forum which ate a sock and it cost the owner a fortune for surgery - I can't remember if it survived. There are also a lot of hazards on floors as well as the risk of being kicked, heads crushed in doors caught in cables and risk of strangulation or electrocution etc. My leopard is too big for a viv or tort table so he has his own adapted room with a heated hide.

He won't tolerate company in his space - even me. If I sit on his floor he marches over and tries to barge me put of his way and he was quite aggressive with a tort garden ornament if he saw it. Torts are very subtle bullies starting with hogging food and basking spaces, staring and following, progressing to nudging and barging and biting which can cause illness or even death for the tort on the receiving end, so if you see any of that be ready to separate asap. Although if you have a big garden and they can avoid each other they should be fine unless they are different genders and the male starts to harass the female to mate.

Thank you very much for the advice, we will see when we can take her to the vet to get her and him tested. We're also planning to spay and/or neuter the male depending on what the vet suggests so that we don't end up with babies every year, we're already expecting our first clutch next year as they've already mated.

My male, Scooter, is actually smaller than our female, Phoenix, and he's a very timid little guy around her and around us. If anything she's the one who would bully him but she pretty much avoids him so I doubt we need to worry.
However, if I do notice signs of aggression besides him defending his food from her insatiable appetite I will seperate them. We already seperate them now during feeding times since we noticed that.

 

[TortieMoonshade]

Hello and welcome! What part of the RSA are you in? I spent months there in George, and all over the whole Cape Town area. Prior to that, on a different trip, I'd spent a couple of weeks up in Johannesburg.

They should never live in pairs. You need separate enclosures, or a dividing wall. Male South African leopards can be particularly aggressive. I had to house my two males separately and alone because not only would they try to kill each other, they were both very aggressive with the girls too. I watched one male walk over and flip a female while she was in the middle of digging a nest. In some cases groups can work, but never pairs. You are already seeing the problems, and it will get worse. Even without the overt aggression you are seeing, the chronic stress of living as a pair will hamper the immune system and sickness is likely as your colder weather depends.

The tortoises should never have access to curtains or be loose in the house. This is dangerous and cannot be made safe. They need to be in their own large enclosures.

You need to build a double night box or two singles for these guys to sleep in and protect them from nocturnal predators and pests, and to keep them warm as you move into fall soon. Here are two examples:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

They cannot over eat and get obese on the correct foods and in a large area to walk around in. Grasses, weeds, leaves, flowers and succulents or the right types are the correct foods, so your garden sounds ideal. A large percentage of the diet for South African leopards should be grass. Much more so than leopards from other parts of the range, or other species like Chersina.

I'm in Pretoria, Gauteng. I'm glad you enjoyed your stay, where are you from?

I understand and thank you for your expert advice, as I told Lyn W I will seperate them if I see any other signs of aggression I will completely seperate them and the only reason I'm not at the moment is because he's smaller than her and extremely timid around her and us.
And that's horrible, testosterone filled that one I'm sure 😂

I only keep them inside when it rains heavily and floods parts of our garden, they then each have their own little blanket and towel hides that they stay in

 

[TortieMoonshade]

I'm in Pretoria, Gauteng. I'm glad you enjoyed your stay, where are you from?

I understand and thank you for your expert advice, as I told Lyn W I will seperate them if I see any other signs of aggression I will completely seperate them and the only reason I'm not at the moment is because he's smaller than her and extremely timid around her and us.
And that's horrible, testosterone filled that one I'm sure 😂

I only keep them inside when it rains heavily and floods parts of our garden, they then each have their own little blanket and towel hides that they stay in

Sorry I pressed reply too soon.

That they stay in seperately. We stay in a small flat and keep them in two seperate rooms each of which they can't get under any beds or couches and the floors are clean of any debris, we've already taken care of that issue. And she's not able to eat the curtains, just attempt it 😂

Thank you very much, my problem though is we've tried outdoor hides and they refuse to go in. They very much prefer hiding under plants and sometimes we can't find them 😂

Thank you, yes there is a lot of grass in the confined garden but not a lot of the other food you mentioned so we supplement it in their diet of mostly mixed greens, cherry tomatoes and strawberrys (which I'll mention are Scooter's favourite).

 

[TortieMoonshade]

Hello and welcome! What part of the RSA are you in? I spent months there in George, and all over the whole Cape Town area. Prior to that, on a different trip, I'd spent a couple of weeks up in Johannesburg.

They should never live in pairs. You need separate enclosures, or a dividing wall. Male South African leopards can be particularly aggressive. I had to house my two males separately and alone because not only would they try to kill each other, they were both very aggressive with the girls too. I watched one male walk over and flip a female while she was in the middle of digging a nest. In some cases groups can work, but never pairs. You are already seeing the problems, and it will get worse. Even without the overt aggression you are seeing, the chronic stress of living as a pair will hamper the immune system and sickness is likely as your colder weather depends.

The tortoises should never have access to curtains or be loose in the house. This is dangerous and cannot be made safe. They need to be in their own large enclosures.

You need to build a double night box or two singles for these guys to sleep in and protect them from nocturnal predators and pests, and to keep them warm as you move into fall soon. Here are two examples:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

They cannot over eat and get obese on the correct foods and in a large area to walk around in. Grasses, weeds, leaves, flowers and succulents or the right types are the correct foods, so your garden sounds ideal. A large percentage of the diet for South African leopards should be grass. Much more so than leopards from other parts of the range, or other species like Chersina.

We have another part of the garden that is equally as big as the other side that is seperated by a gate, only problem is that's where the swimming pool is and we aren't able to fence it off so I'm not sure how to make that safe in case we do need to seperate them and put one on that side. Any advice?

 

[TammyJ]

Thank you, although if a dog with food PTSD can get obese due to not stopping eating I'm sure a tortoise with the same might as well. A wild tortoise will stop eating when it's full, she does not. She ploughs through food like she's never gonna eat again and eats her buddy's food too till he chases her away.

And yes, I'm glad we got her out of that situation before it became a reality lmao.

You have described a stress scenario between these two tortoises which is well demonstrated at a time when each one should be able to enjoy his or her food without competition. For each one's sake, please try to find a way to separate them.

 

[TortieMoonshade]

You have described a stress scenario between these two tortoises which is well demonstrated at a time when each one should be able to enjoy his or her food without competition. For each one's sake, please try to find a way to separate them.

I already do now during feeding, don't worry I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.