Help! Tortoise food

[Charlotteandherbert]

Ok, so Iv tried my 9 month tort on everything.
List of food he won’t eat
Pellets
Any good with sprinkle of vitamin and calcium powder
Carrots
Strawberry
Kale
Spinach
Cauliflower
Broccoli

only food he will eat
Lettuce (with no vitamin powder or calcium powder)
Cucumber ( with no vitamin powder or calcium powder)

I have left the food and not given in, he won’t eat. As soon as I put lettuce down he runs to it.

I bought cucumber scented pellets, he wouldn’t touch them.

I put lettuce with the pellets and made the pellets into a pasta, he picked the lettuce out.

tonight, I blended the lettuce, and mixed with the pellets, he won’t go anywhere near them.

he’s not getting his nutrients just eating plain lettuce.

I really need some help with what to do ?

 

[DoubleD1996!]

Ok, so Iv tried my 9 month tort on everything.
List of food he won’t eat
Pellets
Any good with sprinkle of vitamin and calcium powder
Carrots
Strawberry
Kale
Spinach
Cauliflower
Broccoli

only food he will eat
Lettuce (with no vitamin powder or calcium powder)
Cucumber ( with no vitamin powder or calcium powder)

I have left the food and not given in, he won’t eat. As soon as I put lettuce down he runs to it.

I bought cucumber scented pellets, he wouldn’t touch them.

I put lettuce with the pellets and made the pellets into a pasta, he picked the lettuce out.

tonight, I blended the lettuce, and mixed with the pellets, he won’t go anywhere near them.

he’s not getting his nutrients just eating plain lettuce.

I really need some help with what to do ?

Don't fret. I noticed my russian tortoises are really picky as well. I have 50lb bag of mazuri tortoise chow and they won't even eat it, but one thing they go nuts for is weeds, especially dandelion greens. Some tortoises don't like everything I feed as well. They all have a different favorite. Some like rose of sharon, some don't. Some like cactus, some will pass on it. And so on and so forth. I recommend trying weeds. If you can source them from an area that has no pesticides that would be great. I get mine from the woods. Not all weeds are safe however. Before collecting, I use a website called https://identify.plantnet.org/. Simply take a picture.. Once I've ID the plant I make sure it is non-toxic to torts. There are also other veggies you can try such as, collard greens, arugula, mustard greens and spring mix without the Spinach. Hope this helps

 

[Tom]

Ok, so Iv tried my 9 month tort on everything.
List of food he won’t eat
Pellets
Any good with sprinkle of vitamin and calcium powder
Carrots
Strawberry
Kale
Spinach
Cauliflower
Broccoli

only food he will eat
Lettuce (with no vitamin powder or calcium powder)
Cucumber ( with no vitamin powder or calcium powder)

I have left the food and not given in, he won’t eat. As soon as I put lettuce down he runs to it.

I bought cucumber scented pellets, he wouldn’t touch them.

I put lettuce with the pellets and made the pellets into a pasta, he picked the lettuce out.

tonight, I blended the lettuce, and mixed with the pellets, he won’t go anywhere near them.

he’s not getting his nutrients just eating plain lettuce.

I really need some help with what to do ?

Carrots, broccoli and cauliflower are not great tortoise foods. Strawberries and other sugary fruits should never be fed. Kale and spinach are okay in moderation.

What did the breeder feed this tortoise? Why was lettuce offered in the first place? What type of lettuce? What type/brand of pellets? Are you soaking the pellets?

1. Their appetite is lowest in fall and winter. This can be a hard time to get them onto new foods. You'll likely have more success and move faster when spring time rolls around.
2. If the tort is rejecting mixtures of lettuce with other stuff then you are mixing too much of the new stuff to start with. It should be a tiny tiny amount of the new stuff. Just a few flecks stuck to the lettuce leaves. It can take weeks to be able to mix in larger quantities. Torts are creatures of habit. They eat what they are used to eating and introducing new foods takes time and effort.

 

[Lyn W]

Cucumber and most pale lettuce like iceberg have little nutritional value and can have a laxative effect, so unfortunately it's just a case of persevering with the better foods as Tom suggested.
I have used cucumber juice sprinkled on food to encourage my tort to eat something new - usually works but not always.
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide.

 

[Charlotteandherbert]

Don't fret. I noticed my russian tortoises are really picky as well. I have 50lb bag of mazuri tortoise chow and they won't even eat it, but one thing they go nuts for is weeds, especially dandelion greens. Some tortoises don't like everything I feed as well. They all have a different favorite. Some like rose of sharon, some don't. Some like cactus, some will pass on it. And so on and so forth. I recommend trying weeds. If you can source them from an area that has no pesticides that would be great. I get mine from the woods. Not all weeds are safe however. Before collecting, I use a website called https://identify.plantnet.org/. Simply take a picture.. Once I've ID the plant I make sure it is non-toxic to torts. There are also other veggies you can try such as, collard greens, arugula, mustard greens and spring mix without the Spinach. Hope this helps

Thank you very much

 

[Charlotteandherbert]

Carrots, broccoli and cauliflower are not great tortoise foods. Strawberries and other sugary fruits should never be fed. Kale and spinach are okay in moderation.

What did the breeder feed this tortoise? Why was lettuce offered in the first place? What type of lettuce? What type/brand of pellets? Are you soaking the pellets?

1. Their appetite is lowest in fall and winter. This can be a hard time to get them onto new foods. You'll likely have more success and move faster when spring time rolls around.
2. If the tort is rejecting mixtures of lettuce with other stuff then you are mixing too much of the new stuff to start with. It should be a tiny tiny amount of the new stuff. Just a few flecks stuck to the lettuce leaves. It can take weeks to be able to mix in larger quantities. Torts are creatures of habit. They eat what they are used to eating and introducing new foods takes time and effort.

Hey Tom,
What did the breeder feed this tortoise?
Pellets I believe, it was from a very unfriendly reptile shop

Why was lettuce offered in the first place?
Because I’m stupid and he loved it.. it’s completely my fault.

What type of lettuce? What type/brand of pellets? Are you soaking the pellets?

Ice burg lettuce (I know really bad move)

yes soaking pellets in warm water, they are Komodo complete holistic tortoise diet, cucumber

​

. Their appetite is lowest in fall and winter. This can be a hard time to get them onto new foods. You'll likely have more success and move faster when spring time rolls around.
He is under a heat lamp, unless is natural instinct for their appetite to change?

2. If the tort is rejecting mixtures of lettuce with other stuff then you are mixing too much of the new stuff to start with. It should be a tiny tiny amount of the new stuff. Just a few flecks stuck to the lettuce leaves
He won’t touch the food at all, and if I put flecks, he seems to pick them out

 

[Charlotteandherbert]

Thank you very mu

Maybe it is just the breed then, what pellets could you recommend that I try? I’ll go hunting for some dandelion this weekend, I’ve also planted some dandelion seeds in a miniature trough in his table so hopefully they will grow soon. I’m just concerned he’s not getting the nutrients he needs. To start with he would eat anything. It’s completely my fault for feeding him lettuce. I could kick myself ??‍♀️

 

[Charlotteandherbert]

This evening, pellets. I blended so tiny and liquid form lettuce, tiny bit of carrot and stired in with the pellets and water….

he’s picked out all the tiny bits of carrot and lettuce and left the pellets.

 

[DoubleD1996!]

This evening, pellets. I blended so tiny and liquid form lettuce, tiny bit of carrot and stired in with the pellets and water….

he’s picked out all the tiny bits of carrot and lettuce and left the pellets.

Difficult little guy, but he looks great.

 

[Tom]

This evening, pellets. I blended so tiny and liquid form lettuce, tiny bit of carrot and stired in with the pellets and water….

he’s picked out all the tiny bits of carrot and lettuce and left the pellets.

We can fix this!

First, switch from iceberg to romaine. Don't give in. He won't starve. They can go weeks with no food at all. As mammals, 95% of the food energy we take in goes to maintaining body heat. Reptiles use zero energy maintaining body heat, other than what is necessary to crawl into or out of the sun.

Next, stop with the carrots. Too high in sugar and it wreaks havoc on their intestinal flora and fauna, which gives them an upset tummy, which lessens appetite.

Third step: Take one single pellet, or even a broken piece of one pellet, and soak it in a bottle cap until it turns to mush. While its soaking, get a large romaine leaf, rinse it off to wet it, and mince it up super fine. Don't blend it. Cut it with a knife. Use the mincing motion like you would when chopping an onion or something. Put this wet minced romaine into a bowl or tub of some sort. When your single pellet is all mushy, smash it into pieces with your fingers and then slosh your fingers around in the minced lettuce. Mix it all up so you almost can't even tell there is anything but lettuce. It should be like you eating a sandwich that was dropped and there is a tiny pice of lint or something stuck to it. Almost unnoticeable. If one soaked pellet is too much, use only part of a soaked pellet.

Now comes the hard part: Put it in his food bowl, and walk away. If he chooses not to eat it, remove it and clean the bowl at the end of the day, and put out the same thing the next day. Keep repeating until the little cuss gets hungry and eats. DON'T give in. If he doesn't eat for two months, he will not die of starvation.

When he start eating reliably, you start adding more of the pellets, and more of the other greens you want him to eat. Don't try to jump to the next stage too fast. Slowly, gradually add more of the new stuff over a period of weeks. If this all goes well, you'll have him eating all sorts of new stuff by spring.

For this to work, you MUST have the correct lighting and temperatures. It can't be too cold, it can't be lit all night or dim during the day. You can't be using red bulbs for heat, etc... Also realize that their appetite and willingness to try new foods is at its lowest point during this time of year. This will be easier in spring time, but it is necessary now.

 

[Charlotteandherbert]

Thank you SO much Tom! First thing I’ll do after work!! Can’t thank you enough for your advice!

 

[Tom]

Thank you SO much Tom! First thing I’ll do after work!! Can’t thank you enough for your advice!

You are most welcome. Please feel free to ask lots of questions along the way. Share your observations and worries. Most of us have done this before, and we are happy to lend a hand.

 

[Charlotteandherbert]

You are most welcome. Please feel free to ask lots of questions along the way. Share your observations and worries. Most of us have done this before, and we are happy to lend a hand.

Day two, eating pellets! Can’t thank you enough

 

[Lyn W]

Day two, eating pellets! Can’t thank you enough

That's great!
He will need more variety, so persevere with introducing new good foods now.

 

[Tom]

Day two, eating pellets! Can’t thank you enough

That's good news. Sometimes they move faster than we think they will, and that's great. If he starts liking the pellets, you can start mixing in the other good green with the pellets to get him eating those too.

 

[fergusaur]

Carrots, broccoli and cauliflower are not great tortoise foods. Strawberries and other sugary fruits should never be fed. Kale and spinach are okay in moderation.

What did the breeder feed this tortoise? Why was lettuce offered in the first place? What type of lettuce? What type/brand of pellets? Are you soaking the pellets?

1. Their appetite is lowest in fall and winter. This can be a hard time to get them onto new foods. You'll likely have more success and move faster when spring time rolls around.
2. If the tort is rejecting mixtures of lettuce with other stuff then you are mixing too much of the new stuff to start with. It should be a tiny tiny amount of the new stuff. Just a few flecks stuck to the lettuce leaves. It can take weeks to be able to mix in larger quantities. Torts are creatures of habit. They eat what they are used to eating and introducing new foods takes time and effort.

Their appetite is lowest in the winter? That would explain why my tort has been eating less since when he was in the summer. Does the winter and fall seasons also cause tortoises to sleep earlier? Ever since daylights savings time I’ve notice that my tortoise goes to sleep way earlier than he use to during the summer when I first got him

 

[Tom]

Their appetite is lowest in the winter? That would explain why my tort has been eating less since when he was in the summer. Does the winter and fall seasons also cause tortoises to sleep earlier? Ever since daylights savings time I’ve notice that my tortoise goes to sleep way earlier than he use to during the summer when I first got him

Yes. All the temperate species "know" that winter is coming outside even when they live inside with heated and lit enclosures.