Eating Substrate

[KarenSoCal]

I've made a discovery.

If I don't have Sulafat's meal in his enclosure when he wakes up and wants it, he eats his cypress mulch! I know this because not only have I caught him chomping on it, I have found multiple 1/2 inch "sticks" floating in his soak water. He does not break them up at all...he swallows them whole, and that's how they come out as well.

He is a 2.5 y/o Burmese Star, and nowhere have I seen cypress mulch on a recommended food list.

He chooses to dine any time between 3PM and 6 PM. If I'm out for the day and leave early, I don't like putting his food in because it's pretty disgusting by 4:00. But if it's not there, he snacks on cypress.

So my ???'s are...is there any way to stop him from doing this? How high risk is eating small sticks? Should I just switch to orchid bark and hope he won't eat that? Or put the food in in the morning so he eats wilted, warm greens?

I should add that I'm at home most days, being good and obeying stay-at-home decrees issued by malevalent King Newsom. ?

 

[Tom]

I'd switch to o bark. And maybe leave some food out, but not all of it.

Has he been eating mostly grocery store greens lately? Do you have MinerAll?

 

[KarenSoCal]

I'd switch to o bark. And maybe leave some food out, but not all of it.

Has he been eating mostly grocery store greens lately? Do you have MinerAll?

He eats grocery store greens amended with Will's dry foods and Mazuri and ZooMed Grassland. He gets Calcium and Reptivite as well. I do not have MinerAll.

I've only seen him do this when there's no food available.

 

[Tom]

He eats grocery store greens amended with Will's dry foods and Mazuri and ZooMed Grassland. He gets Calcium and Reptivite as well. I do not have MinerAll.

I've only seen him do this when there's no food available.

I'd try the MinerAll. It usually stops this sort of thing.

Also, what grocery store greens? Endive, escarole, arugula, dandelion greens and cilantro are my favorites, with kale, collards, turnip or mustard greens used occasionally for variety.

Come for that visit and I'll give you the MinerAll and some horse hay pellets to take and try. Cactus pads too, if you want them.

 

[KarenSoCal]

I'd try the MinerAll. It usually stops this sort of thing.

Also, what grocery store greens? Endive, escarole, arugula, dandelion greens and cilantro are my favorites, with kale, collards, turnip or mustard greens used occasionally for variety.

Come for that visit and I'll give you the MinerAll and some horse hay pellets to take and try. Cactus pads too, if you want them.

My greens list is exactly the same as yours, except I use a lot of radicchio too.

I sure look forward to setting up my grow tent and trying to grow stuff for him! It's certainly going to be an adventure!

I'm looking forward to visiting! Keep an eye out for that day off!

 

[JoesMum]

I've made a discovery.

If I don't have Sulafat's meal in his enclosure when he wakes up and wants it, he eats his cypress mulch! I know this because not only have I caught him chomping on it, I have found multiple 1/2 inch "sticks" floating in his soak water. He does not break them up at all...he swallows them whole, and that's how they come out as well.

He is a 2.5 y/o Burmese Star, and nowhere have I seen cypress mulch on a recommended food list.

He chooses to dine any time between 3PM and 6 PM. If I'm out for the day and leave early, I don't like putting his food in because it's pretty disgusting by 4:00. But if it's not there, he snacks on cypress.

So my ???'s are...is there any way to stop him from doing this? How high risk is eating small sticks? Should I just switch to orchid bark and hope he won't eat that? Or put the food in in the morning so he eats wilted, warm greens?

I should add that I'm at home most days, being good and obeying stay-at-home decrees issued by malevalent King Newsom. ?

Please leave food out during the day. A tortoise’s natural behaviour is to bask then browse for food on repeat. They’re not like a dog that copes with meals at set times.

The greens you leave out may go a little limp by the end of the day, but your tort won’t care and they certainly won’t harm him.

What will harm is eating the substrate. You are restricting natural behaviour and your tort is letting you kmow he is hungry.

You could also try adding some living edible plants to the enclosure (sink the pot into the substrate). Many supermarkets sell “living lettuce” intended for humans to pull odd leaves for salad. Your tort will enjoy a growing self service salad.