Gray Eyes?

[Markw84]

Maybe at least a contributor?

Picky eaters take a while to change. I finely chop the favorite with what I want them to eat. Mix it together so its almost impossible to just eat one. Have you Tried soaked Mazuri? Mine actually prefer it! I started by doing kind of the Tortoise Meatball thing by @dean . Finely chop a good mix of what they like with what you know is good for them or even blend it. Soak some Mazuri so it is almost like peanut butter consistency and mix the whole bunch together. Put a lump of that in and see if he'll eat it. Maybe on top of some very finely sliced romaine they do love.

The Mazuri has the A and calcium and D3 in measured quantities appropriate for the volume of food, so its a good safety net to ensure the vitamins and mineral they need. I like to get my Torts used to it ASAP. All of mine actually prefer it to other foods now, but I still try to limit it to 10% - 25% of their total diet. Try to always weight it towards more "natural" foods as much as possible.

 

[CarterEvan]

I'll have to try that! I have tried Mazuri LS and zoomed pellets. he doesn't care for either of those and I read that most like the original Mazuri better. I just ordered some so when it comes in I'll prepare it like that.

 

[CarterEvan]

ideally I'd like to get him to eat a lot of dandelion greens mixed with others because j hear they are very good for them. I'll probably start with a good bit of that in their diet?

 

[Markw84]

But don't weight diet towards ANYTHING too much. Variety is key. Look at @Tom care sheet for leopards and the list of good greens and weeds. I try to mix in 5-7 different ones in every feeding I do.

 

[CarterEvan]

alright I'll take a look at that and start working on improving his diet. thanks so much for all your help!

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

I would definitely raise that MVB immediately! What type? What wattage? That could definitely be your problem.
Here's a graph of the UVB output of a PowerSun 160 watt bulb. the distances are in cm and the chart shows the UV index produced at those distances. I personally believe and Ideal gradient for a Leopard tortoise is from 3-4 MAX! to 0 in their enclosure with some "under bush" type shade available. Never should UVB reading for any reptile exceed 6 or 7 and that's the high end. As you can see, at 9" the 160 watt is producing a UVI of 16!!!!!

I think we should pay more attention to how we are providing UV light in an enclosure. And I'm personally finding Leopard seem to be the most effected by this by an almost 9 to 1 margin with problem reported here on the forum. But there's just no info available for you, So it's not your fault, just trying to add a little insight for you...
View attachment 164531

Great image, Mark. Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but the units are in cm, not inches, right? So 9" = 22 cm or a UVI equivalent of 7-8 or so?

 

[Markw84]

Great image, Mark. Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but the units are in cm, not inches, right? So 9" = 22 cm or a UVI equivalent of 7-8 or so?

Nice catch, Sarah! I was wrong - off a line, but I was also trying to be brief as my postings seem to get too long. I did want to refer to "at 9", exposure considerations are closest top of shell distance which would be about 7". That would turn out to be about 11-12 UVI. Attached I superimposed a small tort at 9" and where it would have to be for the proper UVB gradient I shoot for. Hope that helps.