Green tortoise only eating one thing

[Rupert88]

I don’t really know what to do, my tortoise will only eat green zucchini, he will starve himself if I give him anything else. I’ve tried cactus paddles, prickly pear, kale, mustard greens, bok choy, endive, dandelion greens, apple, pumpkin, strawberries, a mixture of it all. He walks over to his plate, sniffs at it and walks away, then I feel bad after a couple days, give him zucchini, and he eats like he’s starving. Can I give him zucchini but sprinkle vitamins on it?

 

[Rupert88]

I don’t really know what to do, my tortoise will only eat green zucchini, he will starve himself if I give him anything else. I’ve tried cactus paddles, prickly pear, kale, mustard greens, bok choy, endive, dandelion greens, apple, pumpkin, strawberries, a mixture of it all. He walks over to his plate, sniffs at it and walks away, then I feel bad after a couple days, give him zucchini, and he eats like he’s starving. Can I give him zucchini but sprinkle vitamins on it?

He also refuses the dried food for reptiles

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi and welcome!

What kind of tortoise are we talking about? And maybe if you load a couple pictures of the tortoise and his enclosure it will help us to help you better

 

[Rupert88]

Hi and welcome!

What kind of tortoise are we talking about? And maybe if you load a couple pictures of the tortoise and his enclosure it will help us to help you better

He is a 8 year old Greek tortoise. His enclosure is 60” long, temporary, I just purchased a 80” long enclosure. Uvb and heat lamp/basking spot. Playsand/soil mixture

 

[Rupert88]

He is a 8 year old Greek tortoise. His enclosure is 60” long, temporary, I just purchased a 80” long enclosure. Uvb and heat lamp/basking spot. Playsand/soil mixture

He’s super active, and everything is great with him, just won’t eat anything else

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
1. He won't starve himself to death. But yes, they can be very stubborn
2. Try to introduce new food little by a little. Chop tiny pinch of something new and mix with chopped zucchini. Then slowly increase new food's proportion. Hopefully, he will get an idea of edible greens and will eat more variety without trickery.
3. Unfortunately, feeding only one food type with vitamin supplements is not good.
4. Don't feed him fruit, it's not a healthy food for Greeks (he is totally right to ignore them).

Playsand is a risky substrate for tortoises. It can cause irritations (eyes, cloaka) and if eaten - lethal impaction (it easily sticks to food).

 

[Rupert88]

Hello!
1. He won't starve himself to death. But yes, they can be very stubborn
2. Try to introduce new food little by a little. Chop tiny pinch of something new and mix with chopped zucchini. Then slowly increase new food's proportion. Hopefully, he will get an idea of edible greens and will eat more variety without trickery.
3. Unfortunately, feeding only one food type with vitamin supplements is not good.
4. Don't feed him fruit, it's not a healthy food for Greeks (he is totally right to ignore them).

Playsand is a risky substrate for tortoises. It can cause irritations (eyes, cloaka) and if eaten - lethal impaction (it easily sticks to food).

Okay, thank you!! Should I use the wood chip substrate?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Orchid (fir) bark is a fine option, not messy, doesn't mold and holds humidity. Sometimes can be found in HomeDepot or plant nurseries. And there was an inexpensive offer at Chewy some time ago.

Coco coir works too, but it's more messy and bit more prone to mold.

Aspen bedding, peat moss, wood shavings and such should not be used. Plain dirt from the yard could be used as a last resort, however it should be guaranteed to be free of fertilizers, pesticides and composted toxic plant leftovers.

 

[Yvonne G]

Put some zucchini in a blender and blend it until it turns to juicy mush. Then chop up some edible leaves and weeds from your yard into bite sized pieces and mix it together with the zucchini mush.

 

[Tom]

I don’t really know what to do, my tortoise will only eat green zucchini, he will starve himself if I give him anything else. I’ve tried cactus paddles, prickly pear, kale, mustard greens, bok choy, endive, dandelion greens, apple, pumpkin, strawberries, a mixture of it all. He walks over to his plate, sniffs at it and walks away, then I feel bad after a couple days, give him zucchini, and he eats like he’s starving. Can I give him zucchini but sprinkle vitamins on it?

The indoor enclosure needs to be 48x96 inches minimum and bigger would be better. The outdoor enclosure for fair weather should be even larger.

What are your four temperatures? Warm side, cool side, basking area, and overnight low? How are you achieving those temps? What heating and lighting equipment?

At this time of year they want to brumate, so appetite will be at a minimum. How long have you had him? If you don't want him to brumate, you will need to take some steps and make some adjustments to try and convince him to stay up instead. Its not easy sometimes.

All of these threads will help you. Pics of the enclosure and tortoise will help us.

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[Cathie G]

He’s super active, and everything is great with him, just won’t eat anything else

Hello and welcome. My Russian loves zucchini too. I use a little chunk now and then just to get something in him he normally wouldn't even try. So like every one said keep trying to introduce other foods maybe minced up on top of it. My Russian doesn't eat well after he gets some zucchini because it fills his gut too much. But I will use it if I need to. At least you know your torts acheles heel 🤗