How much should Harry the tortoise eat

[Mnash0915]

Harry the tortoise is new to our house. I don't know how old he is but he is between 4-5" on diameter. When we brought him home he had a bit of a hard time adjusting to his new surroundings and he didn't eat for almost two weeks. Now he is a very hearty eater. I give him a mixture of greens from a spring mix (because it is winter here and I can't get anything from my garden yet) and I throw in something different every day like turnip greens, kale, endive etc. I also have a cuttle bone for him to nibble on. I have some pellets for him since that is what they fed him at the pet store but he isn't interested now that he is getting the good stuff
So my question is, how much show he be eating and how often? I don't want over feed him. I am filling a small bowl every day and offering it to him at lunch time. He almost empties the entire thing. There are a few pieces left and he eats those before he goes to sleep.
Then he is ready for that bowl again the next day. He already lets me feed him from my hand. He is a sweet boy.
Thanks for your help!!
Michelle

 

[JoesMum]

You won't over-feed. He'll fill up and lose interest and wander off. He may or may not come back for more.

Some days Joe eats so much I have visions of his shell exploding and on others he'll eat very little.

Try putting some supermarket 'living lettuce' in the enclosure and let him graze it when he wants.

I start the day with a pile of green stuff and some pellets. he often ignores the pellets first thing, but comes to them later in the day if he's hungry. joe also has access to living lettuce.... though in his case he can clear a tray in 10 minutes rather than nibbling genteely at it!

 

[tyler0912]

Tiago....i give him as much as i can fill his dish and he snacks throughout the day on it...there is ALWAYS leftovers except pellet day!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

It sounds to me like you are giving him the correct amount. He's leaving a little bit and eating it later is a good thing, so I would continue doing what you are doing and stop worrying about it. You are feeding him a great diet and a good amount...I think it's all fine!

 

[Madkins007]

in the wild, they are programmed to graze much of the year, and gorge when there is a lot of food- usually associated with nice summery weather. When it is hot, dry, cool, etc. then they cut back and either graze on what little is available, or go into some form of dormancy. This slower period is why the growth rings on a wild tort are so clear.

In captivity, we tend to both offer nice summery conditions all year and about the same amount of food. To make things worse, the food we offer is pretty rich compared to what they eat.

I think we should be looking at creating a Summer and Winter diet, with different goals for each. However, having said that, I have no clue how to make it work or what to do about temps, daylight length, etc. to coordinate with that.

Those musings side- it sounds like you are doing well.

 

[Tony the tank]

If there not eating more than you think is possible...there not eating enough

 

[Mnash0915]

Thank you all so much! He is such a good eater!! I read that it isn't good to feed a captive tort that lives indoors most of the time too much but sometimes I think I read too much
I'm just glad he finally seems to be settling in and happy. He must be comfortable or he wouldn't eat from my hand. He is such a sweet dude!!
Thanks again for all the input
Michelle (& Harry)