How Long to Chop Food?

[daniellenc]

Skurt is a year now and I thought could take on weeds like a big boy by now but can’t yet? My homegrown radish greens he can crush whole as well as flowers and grocery store greens but thicker weeds like plantain, hasta, dandelion, mulberry, lilac and most others he can’t break off and will ignore until I finely chop them. As I feed a mix of store bought and wild I worry about his beak if I keep babying him. He’s over 250 grams and 4 inches so when can I just throw homeboy a branch of rose of Sharon and mulberry and expect him to eat like a tort?

 

[wellington]

I started my last hatchlings without chopping their food at all. I think you probably will just have to try it once in awhile until you see they can rip it. Chop what you have too and don't chop what you don't have too and feed on a flat rock or tile and you shouldn't have too worry about the beak.

 

[daniellenc]

I always leave whole weeds and chopped. But he’s still going for chopped unless it’s store or home grown weeds. The wild weeds are thicker and more veiny so is he just being lazy?

 

[Tom]

My hatchlings of all species eat all these foods you asked about. I don't chop any of it. I throw in whole leaves. I think your tortoise is being picky, or there is some problem.

 

[katieandiggy]

My little tiny Russian doesn’t get any chopped food either, everything goes in as it is and I see him using his feet to try and rip the leaves up and he gets there eventually.

 

[daniellenc]

My hatchlings of all species eat all these foods you asked about. I don't chop any of it. I throw in whole leaves. I think your tortoise is being picky, or there is some problem.

What would I be looking for problem wise? All his store greens he demolishes whole as well as wild flowers. Actual weeds he does not but eats them all chopped with greens. Beak looks fine and no mouth injury. If it’s him being a picky brat I can just stop chopping and let him figure it out right?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Since he seems to be eating everything just fine.. sounds like you have a picky brat there. Maybe time for some tough love. No Chop!

Good luck.

 

[Tom]

What would I be looking for problem wise? All his store greens he demolishes whole as well as wild flowers. Actual weeds he does not but eats them all chopped with greens. Beak looks fine and no mouth injury. If it’s him being a picky brat I can just stop chopping and let him figure it out right?

Many tortoises have their favorites and ignore other stuff. Try mixing the favorites with the new stuff. Try simply not offering the softer grocery store stuff for a few days, and see how that goes. If my 18 gram 3 day old star hatchlings can eat whole mulberry, grape and giant plantain leaves, your yearling RF should be able to take them down too.

 

[Bee62]

Who chops food for tortoise hatchlings in the wild ????
No one.
So I never chopped food for my tortoises. They are born with a beak to eat and they know to use it.

 

[Tom]

Something that may be of interest to some and related to the OP's topic: I have never had any beak problems with any of my tortoises of any age or species. I even taken in a few rescues that were having beak issues, or had overgrown beaks, and after a couple few weeks with me, their beaks fixed themselves without me having to do anything. In each case I planned to let the tortoise settle in for a few weeks and then go through the rough process of grabbing their head and trimming the beak. In each case, the beak corrected itself before I could take action.

My conclusion from all of this has been that feeding the right foods maintains the beak for them. My tortoises eat a lot of grass, both fresh grown grass and dry hays, cactus pads, all sorts of leaves and lots of weeds. I don't chop or cut any of these foods for any age of tortoise. I never have beak problems.