Diet issues

[The_pixiecat]

hi there we have a rescue tortoise and he's a hermann
He's under weight and refuses point blank to eat his weeds except the flowers. From what we can tell he's had a lettuce diet and lived outside. His shell shows pyramidding and we aren't hivbernating him due to his weight. Been giving him some lettuces just to get some weight on him along with calcidust and tort vitamins. He was dangerously under weight but we have manaaged to get his weight up quite a lot
I know lettuces aren't ideal but from what I have been told he was owned by a elderly couple who have given him lettuce and cat food (how bad is that)
Does anyone have any advice for getting our hermann healthier
He's approx 50 so stuck in his torty ways....

 

[Yvonne G]

Will he eat cucumber? I've found shredded cucumber incorporated into chopped leafy greens and mixed all up so all the greens are coated in cucumber juice encourages them to eat the good greens. Here in the States we can use Mazuri tortoise Diet to help a tortoise gain weight, but I don't think it's available in Wales. Some folks in the UK use some sort of lizard diet to help their tortoises gain weight. Let's see if @JoesMum can refresh my memory about that.

I just found this on amazon.com/UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mazuri-Tortoise-Diet/dp/B004K00T6G

 

[JoesMum]

You live in Wales. He is an outdoor tort and his mind will be 100% on hibernation. It is very unlikely that you will be able to do much to boost his appetite until the spring.

Like Joe, I suspect his diet was primarily garden ... assorted weeds and garden plants grazed freely with supplemental lettuce (or greens in Joe's case). It looks like lettuce is the only thing fed, but actually it isn't.

I suggest you try Komodo fruit and flower pellets soaked in water which were Joe's thing in the winter months when weeds aren't widely available. They're easily bought in the UK.

You could try Mazuri too. I never used it. It's harder to come by, but can be bought online from the Shelled Warriors Shop
http://http://www.shelledwarriorssh...repaired-foods---mazuri-nutrazu-etc-261-c.asp

Daily 30 minute soaks are essential when appetite is suppressed. Use a large washing up bowl and warm water deep enough to come just up over the join between the shell and the plastron.

To eat your tort must be warm enough both day and night. You might find this helpful about UK outdoor kept torts
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/outdoor-accommodation-in-a-colder-uk-climate.140866/

It covers all the temperature problems these torts have

 

[JoesMum]

Can you post photos of where he lives now? We might be able to make suggestions to overcome his hibernation urge

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi

 

[jaizei]

Mazuri is sold as Nutrazu in Europe. I think its the exact same product different name because of trademarks, etc.