Baby redfoot losing appetite in winter?

[StudentoftheReptile]

Probably something that gets asked a million times, but...

Is it unusual for redfoots to have an appetite decrease during the cold months? I have little Toby indoors right now (he's still under a yr old), and he typically gets fed every morning. Past couple weeks, he's been very disinterested in hs food and when I place him in front of it, he'll just walk right through it instead of chowing down like usual.

Nothing really hasn't changed in his habitat (temps, humidity, diet, etc). SHould I be worried?

 

[jackrat]

I've never had this happen,but have heard of it. Are you sure of your temps? If he hasn't eaten in two weeks,you should be concerned. Although they are capable of going without food for good while,they don't normally do it. Redfoots love eating. Is he still drinking? Offer some banana,if you haven't already.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

Yeah, I check the temps daily. Our house does fluctuate some but typically here are the specs:
Basking spot: 95-100'F
Warm end: upper 80's
Cool end: low-mid 70s

And he hasn't flat out refused food altogether for the past 2 weeks. He'll still nibble some, but he doesn't clean the plate like he was, and he may skip a day or two. Basically, he's getting the 50/50 diet, which is Mazuri one day and mixd veggies/fruits the next. Where he used to eat both pretty routinely, he's kinda snubbing the veggies now, and only eating part of his Mazuri. He is still drinking water, and I still soak him once or twice a week.

Guess I could try banana. Been holding off on it because everyone seems to advise against it usually. But I suppose now is the time for exception.

 

[bobbymoore]

I had that problem befour I fed boiled chicken and mazuri not he thinks under all he's greens there's some chicken for him but there isnt

 

[Madkins007]

Assuming good habitat and diet- yes, I hear this a lot from keepers in the cooler parts of the country. Mine did it a lot last year, not so much this year (but it has been a much more mild winter so far). It may have to do with things like barometric pressure, light length (from the sun in a window), etc.

Eating something makes me much less worried than if it ate nothing. The other question is how are the weights? If he is holding weight, great! Less activity means they don't need to eat much to hold steady. If losing weight, I would be more concerned and be thinking soaks, bananas, etc.

There is a phenomena that I have always called the 'Midwinter Blues'- animals that just don't do all that great in the middle of winter. You can find the article I wrote about it in the Library linked below, but the basic gist is that winter is hard on indoor torts. You might find something there that will help.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

I haven't weighed him recently, but he certainly doesn't feel like he's getting lighter. He has definitely put on weight since I got him on the right track a few months back.

 

[bobbymoore]

Im in a very cold part of the country I've up'ed my temps from 100 watt to 125 watt because they slowed down a lot but I upped everything and they sped back up

 

[bigred]

You might change the food hes eating once and awhile. Maybe some different kinds of fruit

 

[Madkins007]

Actually, if he is less active and holding weight, I would go with low calorie, slow growth foods.

Part of the thing here may be philosophical- many tortoises go through slow-down periods due to food availability, climate, season, temps, etc. and it may be good for them to do so to allow for a steadier growth. Do you want to support what is happening or prevent/reverse it?

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

Actually, if he is less active and holding weight, I would go with low calorie, slow growth foods.

Part of the thing here may be philosophical- many tortoises go through slow-down periods due to food availability, climate, season, temps, etc. and it may be good for them to do so to allow for a steadier growth. Do you want to support what is happening or prevent/reverse it?

I don't know...I just want the little guy to be healthy and not die!

What are some low calorie, slow-growth foods? Obviously, Mazuri diet isn't in that category.

 

[Laura]

mazuri is a good food IF they will eat it..
does your tort hide? like the lights are too bright> hurting his eyes?

 

[Pond_Lilly]

Probably something that gets asked a million times, but...

Is it unusual for redfoots to have an appetite decrease during the cold months? I have little Toby indoors right now (he's still under a yr old), and he typically gets fed every morning. Past couple weeks, he's been very disinterested in hs food and when I place him in front of it, he'll just walk right through it instead of chowing down like usual.

Nothing really hasn't changed in his habitat (temps, humidity, diet, etc). SHould I be worried?

I have one tort (the Dude) he is now probably 14-15 months old. He slowed down this year in terms of eating just like he did last year roughly at the same time. My other torts have been eating last year during the winter just like they eat this year. So it seems to only affect Dude for some reason. He still nibbles on this and that but not nearly as interested in food as my other torts now. Here in Florida we have relatively mild winter and if it is warm they are outside during the day. So maybe he is just different, coming from some area where they slow down in winter? All things equal 3 torts are chowing down everything I give them but Dude is not nearly as interested. I expect it to go away in a month or so, just like it did last year.

 

[Madkins007]

Actually, if he is less active and holding weight, I would go with low calorie, slow growth foods.

Part of the thing here may be philosophical- many tortoises go through slow-down periods due to food availability, climate, season, temps, etc. and it may be good for them to do so to allow for a steadier growth. Do you want to support what is happening or prevent/reverse it?

I don't know...I just want the little guy to be healthy and not die!

What are some low calorie, slow-growth foods? Obviously, Mazuri diet isn't in that category.

Things like leaves, stems, flowers, mushrooms, 'bland' veggies (cauliflower, etc.) lettuce, greens, etc.

I don't have years of personal experience with dozens of animals, but from what I have learned for others who have is that these are tough little guys and if you take care of their basic needs, they can survive a lot of stuff.

By the low-cal options, I do not mean to starve or deprive them at all, just reduce the calorie load to better match what they are doing.

The basic calorie formula is 'weight in kilograms to the 0.75th power times 36' gives you the calorie needs for a typical tortoise. You increase it for growing, active, breeding, and laying torts; and cut it back for inactive torts. If your torts weigh 250gr, it would only need about 10 calories a day at a low activity level, and 20 calories a day at a moderate activity level.

As an example, Mazuri is 2.9 calories per gram (each pellet is a bit over a gram), so only about 3-4 pellets a day for the low-activity level 250gr tort.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. I'll just cut back a little on what he typically gets (I probably offer him too much anyway). He's only 110 grams.

This morning I offered a bit of mushed banana for the first time (mixed with calcium powder and some greens). He nibbled a little of it, but didn't gobble it all up.

 

[bobbymoore]

Well it depends on how much you feed him I have read that if you feed bigger amounts then he is he will be scared of it not sure if it's true