Eating Dirt

Crush da Baum

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One of my Russians has a taste for dirt. Every time I take him out to his outdoor enclosure, all he wants to do is eat dirt. He has a varied diet and I supplement him with miner-all so I do not know how he would have a mineral deficiency. Any ideas. I tried putting mulch down but he just digs it up and goes for the dirt.
 

Yvonne G

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Try putting a little saucer filled with either Miner-all or calcium powder in the enclosure.
 

Crush da Baum

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Try putting a little saucer filled with either Miner-all or calcium powder in the enclosure.
Just a quick question, I soak their Mazuri and mix the miner-all into that. They are still getting the calcium right? I was wondering about the whole calcium is water soluble.
 

jaizei

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How long have you had this tortoise?
 

Tom

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One of my Russians has a taste for dirt. Every time I take him out to his outdoor enclosure, all he wants to do is eat dirt. He has a varied diet and I supplement him with miner-all so I do not know how he would have a mineral deficiency. Any ideas. I tried putting mulch down but he just digs it up and goes for the dirt.
Mineral deficiency is one potential cause of this. There are others.

What are you feeding him?

Hav you run a fecal to check for parasites?
 

Crush da Baum

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Mineral deficiency is one potential cause of this. There are others.

What are you feeding him?

Hav you run a fecal to check for parasites?
I feed him mulberry leaves, grape vine leaves, weeds from the Testudo seed mix, Florida pusley and hibiscus/cactus pads every once in a while. No I have not gotten a fecal test for parasites. It has been more of a persistent thing and now that I am trying to get him outside permanently it is becoming a serious problem.
 

Maro2Bear

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You might have said this earlier, but how much “dirt” is your tortoise eating? Can you post a pix of your outdoor enclosure area where this “dirt eating crime” is occurring. Maybe some rearranging of tge enclosure is needed, or throw down a few bags of cypress mulch....etc.
 

Crush da Baum

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You might have said this earlier, but how much “dirt” is your tortoise eating? Can you post a pix of your outdoor enclosure area where this “dirt eating crime” is occurring. Maybe some rearranging of tge enclosure is needed, or throw down a few bags of cypress mulch....etc.
Well, I put him down and the second he sees one of those little clumps of sand/dirt he bites at it. I pick him up and move him but I can’t really keep him outside without watching him. Here are some pics. I tried putting down a few bags of cypress mulch, but he just dug in spots with less mulch. I am thinking of trying organic top soil.
 

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Maro2Bear

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Well, I put him down and the second he sees one of those little clumps of sand/dirt he bites at it. I pick him up and move him but I can’t really keep him outside without watching him. Here are some pics. I tried putting down a few bags of cypress mulch, but he just dug in spots with less mulch. I am thinking of trying organic top soil.

Id stay away from putting down “organic top soil”. Garden soil is meant for growing plants/vegg, and the producers add in all kinds of “organic” but not necessarily good tort stuff. Don’t add the topsoil. If anythinh, id add more cypress mulch which is benign. Your enclosure looks pretty good. I dunno...add a few more cuttlebones and mineral blocks. Torts in the wild eat things....maybe it’s just a phase.
 

Pastel Tortie

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Have you tried giving your tortoise pieces of cuttlebone? My boxie would ignore hers unless she was going through an active growth spurt, and then it would disappear.
 

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