I have two Questions........

[ShannonC]

1) Is Coleus plant a yes or no?? I have found conflicting information about it and would love to know if any of you guys feed it to your Leopards or Russians? Or if it's even safe enough to use in their enclosures? I know some things are not good for feeding but are ok if the plants are present and get nibbled on here and there.

2) My little Leopards all love to bite on and chew my landscape blocks that surround my flower bed. Is this just a normal behavioral thing, or are they looking to find some type of minerals that are missing in their diet? These are not natural stones....they are the formed concrete retaining wall type.

 

[mike taylor]

Question 1 I have no idea.
Question 2 yes they are looking for minerals . You can buy miner-all it will fix this .

 

[ShannonC]

I was thinking that might be the case. I know it is when other reptiles eat certain things, so thought it might be the same.

Thanks Mike!!

 

[christinaland128]

Coleus is safe.. http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp?st=true&mode=main&catID=383 I use it often.

 

[ShannonC]

@christinaland128

I knew it was on TTT, but I have read in other places that it's not good to feed, but don't remember exactly where. That's why I wanted to know if anyone uses it. Is it something that's safe for all torts? What kind do you have? Because I would really love to use it in my enclosures!! I love that you never know what color each plant will be when you plant the seeds.....lol....silly I know, but what an I say!!

 

[tortdad]

I was thinking that might be the case. I know it is when other reptiles eat certain things, so thought it might be the same.

Thanks Mike!!

Do you have a cuttle fish bone?

 

[ShannonC]

Yes....they all have cuttle fish in their enclosures. Nobody pays them much attention....lol..... It's really only the three little hatchling Leopards chewing on the bricks.

 

[Yvonne G]

Some tortoises scrape their beaks on rough surfaces to keep them trimmed.

 

[ShannonC]

LOL......I have a hard time seeing them as real tortoises just yet......they are so tiny!!

Do you think they could need an increase in their calcium supplements??

 

[Prairie Mom]

@christinaland128

I knew it was on TTT, but I have read in other places that it's not good to feed, but don't remember exactly where. That's why I wanted to know if anyone uses it. Is it something that's safe for all torts? What kind do you have? Because I would really love to use it in my enclosures!! I love that you never know what color each plant will be when you plant the seeds.....lol....silly I know, but what an I say!!

Thanks for asking these questions! I had run into conflicting info on the coleus as well. Now that I see it on the tortoise table, I'm going to get some. They are so overly cautious that it must really be okay if they're willing to call it "safe."

Also, my tortoise used to gnaw at pavers and our patio edges just like you're mentioning. I wasn't sure why and assumed she was maintaining her beak. I didn't think to ask about it here. She seems to have grown out of this behavior. It was ridiculous at first and now she doesn't do it at all, so either her diet has improved enough or she feels her beak is good to go...either way...it's done now

 

[ShannonC]

I have wondered a lot about why they do it. I wonder if something is missing from their diet.......I wonder if it's just curiosity........I wonder if it's a natural behavior, like beak trimming. (although I KNOW at this point no trimming is needed, but maybe they are just practicing.....lol)

I guess I won't worry too much about it right now....they seem to be thriving!!

Yeah, the Coleus thing has had me going back and forth.......I was wondering if it may be ok for certain torts and not others, or if it's ok for all. I have been working and searching diligently for all the plants that the tortoises can eat that our other reptiles can also eat. Now, I just need to find me some Hibiscus, and I think I will have to be finished for this year!!! I think I'm in over my head already!! LOL

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

I have wondered a lot about why they do it. I wonder if something is missing from their diet.......I wonder if it's just curiosity........I wonder if it's a natural behavior, like beak trimming. (although I KNOW at this point no trimming is needed, but maybe they are just practicing.....lol)

I guess I won't worry too much about it right now....they seem to be thriving!!

Yeah, the Coleus thing has had me going back and forth.......I was wondering if it may be ok for certain torts and not others, or if it's ok for all. I have been working and searching diligently for all the plants that the tortoises can eat that our other reptiles can also eat. Now, I just need to find me some Hibiscus, and I think I will have to be finished for this year!!! I think I'm in over my head already!! LOL

The beak grows all the time, so a constant wearing down is necessary. It could be this or a deficiency of something, or indeed curiosity in little ones learning about the world.
Sprinkle a little calcium( you can scrape the cuttlefish with a knife), onto the food just in case.

 

[Tom]

Do you think they could need an increase in their calcium supplements??

Calcium interferes with the absorption of other trace elements and minerals. Adding more calcium could make this worse. Order some of the "MinerAll" that Mike mentioned. Its made by a company called Sticky Tongue Farms. Use a small amount three times a week for two weeks and then cut it back to once or twice a week depending on your results.

 

[Tom]

Calcium interferes with the absorption of other trace elements and minerals. Adding more calcium could make this worse. Order some of the "MinerAll" that Mike mentioned. Its made by a company called Sticky Tongue Farms. Use a small amount three times a week for two weeks and then cut it back to once or twice a week depending on your results.

Also, you didn't mention what you are feeding them, but sometimes we see this behavior with low fiber grocery store food diets. This may not be the case with yours since they are outside and hopefully grazing on weeds and grass, but it seemed worthy of a mention just in case.

 

[ShannonC]

@Tidgy's Dad .....They do get calcium supplements a couple of times a week and vitamin supplements once a week.

@Tom ......They are actually housed indoors right now since they are all hatchlings, but I do take them out in the sunshine when the temps permit. Outside, they munch on clover, chickweed, bittercress, violets and dandelion. Inside, they were getting home-grown mustard and turnip greens mixed with store-bought greens, which varies. Then I would add finely chopped orchard grass hay and chopped fresh rye grass. About once or twice a week, I would add some soaked Mazuri. Now that the weeds are growing outside, I have started using a lot of those for regular feedings inside. I have some seeds that I ordered for them that I have been trying to grow indoors, but having a slow time of it. Now it is getting warm enough to plant some outside, so hopefully it will grow faster. It's the Russian tort mix from Carolina Pet Supply, and also some dandelion and purslane. I also have seeds that I bought at a local feed and seed for some different flowers and plants that I have started indoors already, to be transplanted outdoors. Ok, I'm gonna stop writing now......I'm starting to sound like the crazy tortoise lady.....lol

 

[crimson_lotus]

I use some MinerAll mentioned above, because my tortoise had a thing for eating rocks about a year ago. I sprinkle a bit on her food once a week. It seems to help...but it's not like she has any rocks in her enclosure anymore to really test it out.

Don't worry about sounding like a crazy tortoise lady, we all love tortoises here

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Crazy tortoise ladies are cool!

 

[Tom]

[USER=3441]@Tom ......They are actually housed indoors right now since they are all hatchlings, but I do take them out in the sunshine when the temps permit. Outside, they munch on clover, chickweed, bittercress, violets and dandelion. Inside, they were getting home-grown mustard and turnip greens mixed with store-bought greens, which varies. Then I would add finely chopped orchard grass hay and chopped fresh rye grass. About once or twice a week, I would add some soaked Mazuri. Now that the weeds are growing outside, I have started using a lot of those for regular feedings inside. I have some seeds that I ordered for them that I have been trying to grow indoors, but having a slow time of it. Now it is getting warm enough to plant some outside, so hopefully it will grow faster. It's the Russian tort mix from Carolina Pet Supply, and also some dandelion and purslane. I also have seeds that I bought at a local feed and seed for some different flowers and plants that I have started indoors already, to be transplanted outdoors. Ok, I'm gonna stop writing now......I'm starting to sound like the crazy tortoise lady.....lol[/USER]

All of that sounds great. I'd try the MinerAll.

 

[ShannonC]

Of ALL the reptile supplies I have (which I have an entire cabinet dedicatd to), MinerAll is not one of them. I have been looking online for places to get it. Do you all have a good resource for it? I was gonna try to get it ordered before I went to bed. I am also gonna get the Repashy for grassland torts. I have about 6 different kinds of calcium supplements, all for one reason or another. My favorite is the Repashy Calcium Plus because fewer of our reptiles turn their noses up at that, and it's a one-shot calcium and vitamin supplement. Hopefully the torts will like their version of the Repashy!!

 

[Carol S]

My Desert Tortoises were eating dirt and I bought some MinerAll and sprinkled it on their food and they quit eating dirt.