HELP! Tort only eats if hand fed

[Artemis the Tortoise]

Well, my tortoise Artemis only eats hand fed. This isn't good because if I not home and I leave some food in there he won't eat, what should I do?????


Artemis' Mommy🌿🌷🐢🌷🌿

 

[tyrs4u]

HELP!!!!!!!!!

Does he eat Mazuri. ?? If so; I used the crumbles to dust the Greens and after awhile voila

 

[wellington]

RE: HELP!!!!!!!!!

I would feed him some of his favorite put onto greens and let him eat when he will. Also, stop hand feeding.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

RE: HELP!!!!!!!!!

Could there be another issue/reason why he isn't eating unless you hand feed him? Are his temperatures where they need to be?

If everything is correct with his enclosure and he is simply refusing to eat without being hand fed, then you need to give some good old fashioned tough love. Put food in and DONT hand feed it to him. He will not starve. He will eventually eat.

 

[tortoise007]

RE: HELP!!!!!!!!!

Could there be another issue/reason why he isn't eating unless you hand feed him? Are his temperatures where they need to be?

If everything is correct with his enclosure and he is simply refusing to eat without being hand fed, then you need to give some good old fashioned tough love. Put food in and DONT hand feed it to him. He will not starve. He will eventually eat.

I sorta agree with gomberg. where do you put his food? depending on the temp in that location he may simply not like being there.

 

[Laura]

stop hand feeding and he will eat on his own...
He is healthy right?

 

[Artemis the Tortoise]

Ya he is healthy and his feeding temp I 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit


Artemis' Mommy🌿🌷🐢🌷🌿

 

[laney]

I fell into the hand feeding trap when I got my first tort, he then wouldn't eat on his own and when I tried not hand feeding he won on the 'who can wait the longest game' as he wouldn't eat for a couple of days then I'd panic and feed him.
I got out of it by hand feeding him next to his food plate getting the food closer to the plate, holding my hand at the food he couldn't tell I wasn't holding it and I would slowly remove my hand. Every time he would stop to look at me I put my finger down to his plate and kinda stirred round his food getting his attention again and reassuring him. I would take my hand away longer each time.
My tort now eats on his own no problem and still gets the odd hand fed treat. I think hand feeding is great for building a bond with torts but as you have found it can become problematic.
Good luck x