Eating Cypress Mulch??

[mop08]

Hey you guys,
I have a baby russian tort who seems to have acquired a strange habit. I've caught her twice now munching on little bits of cypress mulch. I can't imagine this is good for her...so any advice at all is greatly appreciated.

There hasn't been any blood in her feces or urine, but is there a risk of impaction?

-Mariah

 

[dmmj]

A little bit won't hurt it, if it is hydrated it should pass. It could simply be exploring and trying to decide if the floor is yummy. Also they eat a bit of it when they eat. As long as it is not eating a lot and chowing down on it I would not worry. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Yvonne G]

When my kids were very young and into tasting everything that would fit into their mouths, my mother-in-law used to say they were lacking something in their systems. We never really paid any attention to her, but now, years later, I think there was probably a lot of truth in that statement.

Do you supplement your little guy's diet with vitamins and minerals?

 

[mop08]

Thanks for the welcomes!

I've been supplying her with Zoo Med's Reptivite without D3 on every meal. (once a day) I feed her a variety of greens including red and green leaf lettuce, romain lettuce, and turnip greens with the occasional carrot peeling. (Tried collard greens once and she refused to eat them! Same with Hibiscus leaves. haha)

 

[dmmj]

diet sounds good I would supplement with dandelions, hibiscus flowers (mine love them) grape leaves (if you can find or grow them) and or mulberry leaves.

 

[tortoises101]

Thanks for the welcomes!

I've been supplying her with Zoo Med's Reptivite without D3 on every meal. (once a day) I feed her a variety of greens including red and green leaf lettuce, romain lettuce, and turnip greens with the occasional carrot peeling. (Tried collard greens once and she refused to eat them! Same with Hibiscus leaves. haha)

Give her more weeds. Check out Tortoise Trust for some feeding articles. And no offence, but the diet your using isn't exactly the best. Lettuce isn't good, very little nutrition, no dietary fibre, and just basically water. Turnip greens are okay once in a while as a varietal item, and same goes for carrot peels. Ideally, give her weeds (lots of weeds), cactus pads, flowers, and greens (except for mulberry and grape leaves) should only be used as a supplement/varietal item. Tortoises fed on the latter diet will have an increased fibre intake, an important part of diet regime.