Baby Hates Food Dish- Eats from soil

[John R.]

Hey All,

I just discovered something I found odd 2 days ago about my new 3 month old hermanni hatchling. I usually put his greens on a plastic lid...he'd been eating small amounts, but only when I'd move him to the lid. I figured he was just getting used to his enclosure and hadn't oriented himself yet.

Then I noticed him on the far end of his enclosure chowing down on the sprouts of some seeds I'd planted days earlier....and he never goes over in that area usually......so I figured he must be hungry. So then I got took all the greens off the plastic lid and he found them himself and went to town.

Does anyone else's tortoise refuse food in a dish? He likes to eat it off the dirt and I am using organic potting soil. It is packed well enough he ingests negligible amounts...but I was wondering if I need to worry about the bacteria/organisms in the organic soil....can it make him sick?

Thanks,
John

 

[Heather H]

Hi John. Try feeding him on a rough tile.

 

[dmmj]

You could have a soil eater, or he may just like it better that way. Maybe try different feeding dishes perhaps? If he tuirns into a soil eater you may have to invest in some miner-all.

 

[John R.]

I am going to try the tile. I've not heard of soil eating...but he's not trying to eat the soil and gets calcium supplement (and mazuri)....he spits it out or scrapes at it if the greens are dirty. Not worried about compaction or anything.

 

[newCH]

For my little guy, I had one of those fake rock dishes, I just turn it upside down and theres the flat surface I was looking for. He's been using it that way ever since.

 

[HLogic]

Try the tile or anything heavier. The ground shifting under their feet is unsettling and may be what is dissuading it from eating from its 'plate'.