HELP! My tortoise dont eat much

Lifeoftorto

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I have a yellow foot tort. He is around 2.5 inch. He doesnt eat much unless we feed him. Whats wrong with him? Is there something wrong with his jaw or eyes? But he chews fine, i dont know about his eyes. Or he is just too lazy to eat from his feeding dish. I usually give him chopped mix veggie, he often missed his food (he bites to nothing)
 

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daniellenc

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You just got this tort and changed his enclosure this week correct? If so he is still adjusting and settling in which is perfectly normal behavior. Leave his food out and leave him alone......he'll eat given space and some time. If you post a picture of his enclosure it may be helpful to identify anything that may be bothering him.
 

wellington

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A lot of little ones do the "air biting" missing the food. It helps if you put the small chopped food in a pile and keep piling it up as he eats through it and flattens it. Eventually they stop the air biting.
 

Lifeoftorto

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You just got this tort and changed his enclosure this week correct? If so he is still adjusting and settling in which is perfectly normal behavior. Leave his food out and leave him alone......he'll eat given space and some time. If you post a picture of his enclosure it may be helpful to identify anything that may be bothering him.

Here is it :) almost the same as my other torts’. I use coconut coir and a few chips to climb onto. It has a flower pot as the hiding cave and i took out the feeding and water dish after they finished eating and the water is way too muddy. I keep his enclosure around 88F and around 85-90 humidity. I spray the enclosure up to 3 times daily.

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Lifeoftorto

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A lot of little ones do the "air biting" missing the food. It helps if you put the small chopped food in a pile and keep piling it up as he eats through it and flattens it. Eventually they stop the air biting.

Ok i will try to pile it up higher.. its just so depressing to watch him air bitting. I always end up hand feeding him because im afraid he doesnt eat enough..
 

ascott

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I have a yellow foot tort. He is around 2.5 inch. He doesnt eat much unless we feed him. Whats wrong with him? Is there something wrong with his jaw or eyes? But he chews fine, i dont know about his eyes. Or he is just too lazy to eat from his feeding dish. I usually give him chopped mix veggie, he often missed his food (he bites to nothing)

Air biting is not normal....it is common but not normal....I would pile as suggested....I would also make sure that the tort has access to MVB to help with those needs I also would offer foods high in Vitamin A.....
 

TammyJ

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I don't see the point of the wood chips, what type of wood is it, and I hope you put back his water dish. It also seems to me that the substrate may be too deep and makes him have to really struggle through it??? A piece or two of rough tile in some spots and to put the food on would be fine and give him something different to walk on.
 

TammyJ

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And can we see some closer pics of him?
 

Madkins007

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More details about the diet would help- 'chopped mix veggies' does not tell us much. A few other thoughts...

  1. Lots of reports of 'not eating' are actually animals that are actually eating but not as much as the keeper thinks they should. Remember- a tort's stomach is only about the size of its head.
  2. Other reasons for not eating include environment (too bright, too active, too many vibrations, giants watching too closely or disturbing them, too hot or cold, too wet or dry, too many stressful changes, etc.)
  3. HOW you feed is almost as important as WHAT you feed. The feed dish should be easy to clean, flat or slightly recessed in the substrate (for younger torts), allow easy access (corners or tight spaces may be awkward for the tort to maneuver). I used plastic lids from cans or 'plates' made of folded newspaper most of the time
  4. I am personally not a big fan of coconut coir as a substrate. I think it is hard to walk on, hard to keep properly humid, and hard to keep clean. I much prefer hardwood mulch or chips.
 

Tort Gardener

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I have a one year old so quite small. Regarding feeding dishes and hard surfaces, I use a slate coaster for food and have aquarium stones from Petco around his water bowl. Also I hand feed him quite a bit but hand him the food until he has a good grip and then let go. He usually carries on without me.
 

Tort Gardener

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To clarify - the aquarium stones are flat and about 3”. Just didn’t want you thinking to use small stones. Don’t! Your little baby will probably eat them.
 

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