I was asked to babysit a Russian tort and...

[Sakmeht]

I was asked to babysit a Russian tort and...
when she took me to the fridge to show me his food she pulled out a head of iceberg lettuce. Ummm...... I asked, 'does he get any other treats?' and she said, 'this is all he'll eat'.

Okay, so I kept red-eared sliders back in the day and I know that iceberg is crap nutrient-wise and they need a varied diet. They do take him out to the backyard in the summer to let him get some sun and she says he'll eat weeds from the yard (good!) but other than that and the lettuce, I don't think he gets any other food! He's in a 20 gallon fish tank with pine shavings and no light, uvb or otherwise. Just what filters into the hallway.

She has mentioned wanting to get bigger quarters for him with some dirt to dig in so I know she's interested in bettering his living conditions, but I'm curious as to how I might broach the subject of his diet. Any tips? Maybe tell her to try red or green leaf lettuce or romaine and wait him out. I know torts can be stubborn when it comes to changes in diet. I've just become good friends with this gal and don't want to offend her with my advice.

Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Sakmeht:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

What would you like us to call you?

and may we know appx. where in the world you are?

You can be diplomatic when you talk to her. One idea would be to say something about wanting to give the tortoise the best care while you had it so you looked online and found this really neat care sheet all about how to care for a Russian tortoise, and it says that iceburg lettuce is mostly water and not much on nutrition. Then you can show her the care sheet from russiantortoise.org.

 

[Sakmeht]

Thanks Yvonne,

Maybe I'll go ahead and try that!

Sarita

Hi Sakmeht:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

What would you like us to call you?

and may we know appx. where in the world you are?

You can be diplomatic when you talk to her. One idea would be to say something about wanting to give the tortoise the best care while you had it so you looked online and found this really neat care sheet all about how to care for a Russian tortoise, and it says that iceburg lettuce is mostly water and not much on nutrition. Then you can show her the care sheet from russiantortoise.org.

 

[Laura]

while you are babysitting.. see if you can get him to eat other things.. and get extra, when she picks him up, give it to her.. a long with a care sheet or diet print out..