Minor Eating problems (not appetite loss)

[Pure Tortoise Power]

This is a rather minor issue, but can be annoying. Lucky doesn't like to finish it's food all at once. The problem is that Lucky loves to walk on the food bowl, and whenever it does, it leaves the soil on the food. And when it comes back for more, seeing/smelling the soil on the food, it refuses to eat the dirty food. I tried placing the food bowl elsewhere, but it changes nothing. Some may say that I can just keep replenishing clean food for it, but first I can't do that the entire day as I'm not too available, and second I don't want to produce too much waste (because of environment and the government will implement a law about extra taxes for excessive trash).
So my question is... How do I quench that?

 

[JoesMum]

Tortoises are grazers. Their day consists of browsing, basking, snoozing, browsing some more, snoozing...

They don’t eat a meal all in one go. They will also only eat when they’re hungry.

The general rule of thumb is to put out a mound of food roughly the size of your tortoise’s shell first thing in the morning. Serve it wet which helps the food stay fresh longer and helps hydrate your tortoise. Leave it in place for 24 hours and then clear anything left over away.

If all of it is eaten then add some more food before the 24 hours is up.

Just like growing humans, growing torts will go through periods when you feed them loads and a growth spurt is happening... other days when they eat very little. With time, you will learn to recognise the signs.

 

[Lyn W]

This is a rather minor issue, but can be annoying. Lucky doesn't like to finish it's food all at once. The problem is that Lucky loves to walk on the food bowl, and whenever it does, it leaves the soil on the food. And when it comes back for more, seeing/smelling the soil on the food, it refuses to eat the dirty food. I tried placing the food bowl elsewhere, but it changes nothing. Some may say that I can just keep replenishing clean food for it, but first I can't do that the entire day as I'm not too available, and second I don't want to produce too much waste (because of environment and the government will implement a law about extra taxes for excessive trash).
So my question is... How do I quench that?

I split the food up and put it in different areas so that my tort has to look for it as if in the wild.
As for walking in the food, they all do that - you may have prepared a lovely looking tort meal only for him to come and lie on it or walk straight through it!
If there is food left over, you could possibly use it later if you put it into cold water and let it rehydrate - it will soon bounce back.

 

[Pure Tortoise Power]

Tortoises are grazers. Their day consists of browsing, basking, snoozing, browsing some more, snoozing...

They don’t eat a meal all in one go. They will also only eat when they’re hungry.

The general rule of thumb is to put out a mound of food roughly the size of your tortoise’s shell first thing in the morning. Serve it wet which helps the food stay fresh longer and helps hydrate your tortoise. Leave it in place for 24 hours and then clear anything left over away.

If all of it is eaten then add some more food before the 24 hours is up.

Just like growing humans, growing torts will go through periods when you feed them loads and a growth spurt is happening... other days when they eat very little. With time, you will learn to recognise the signs.

That's what I've been doing. I put the food in with the size of the shell and whatnot, but it would just walk over the food, making it all dirty, and then lose interest in eating the food. At first, my paranoid self thought it had lost appetite and had had some infection. But changing out all the food, I was surprised to see it consume a lot of the newly put in food.
So now I have put in the food little by little, and wash the food dish every so often.

 

[Pure Tortoise Power]

I split the food up and put it in different areas so that my tort has to look for it as if in the wild.
As for walking in the food, they all do that - you may have prepared a lovely looking tort meal only for him to come and lie on it or walk straight through it!
If there is food left over, you could possibly use it later if you put it into cold water and let it rehydrate - it will soon bounce back.

Aw man. Lucky is a real naughty boy/girl.
Interesting idea. But I do have grasses planted in the terrarium, but it's just that it hasn't recognised that the grass is food. Alright I think I can deal the leftovers issue. Thx for your suggestions.

 

[JoesMum]

That's what I've been doing. I put the food in with the size of the shell and whatnot, but it would just walk over the food, making it all dirty, and then lose interest in eating the food. At first, my paranoid self thought it had lost appetite and had had some infection. But changing out all the food, I was surprised to see it consume a lot of the newly put in food.
So now I have put in the food little by little, and wash the food dish every so often.

Don’t put the food plate or water dish at the edge or in the corner of an enclosure. Put them in the middle. Tortoises like to patrol boundaries to check for intruders, so anything that’s along a boundary will be walked through.

Do have a large flat slate, flat rock, or the rough side of a wall tile for a food plate. This will reduce the chance of food being dragged off it.

And finally, don’t get too neurotic about “dirt”. Tortoises survive in the wild without people washing every scrap of soil off their food. As long as the substrate is not toxic, it will simply add fibre to the diet and pass through the digestive system.

 

[Pure Tortoise Power]

Don’t put the food plate or water dish at the edge or in the corner of an enclosure. Put them in the middle. Tortoises like to patrol boundaries to check for intruders, so anything that’s along a boundary will be walked through.

Do have a large flat slate, flat rock, or the rough side of a wall tile for a food plate. This will reduce the chance of food being dragged off it.

And finally, don’t get too neurotic about “dirt”. Tortoises survive in the wild without people washing every scrap of soil off their food. As long as the substrate is not toxic, it will simply add fibre to the diet and pass through the digestive system.

Yeah you're right. I've noticed it like to walk at around the edge of the enclosure.

I have this as the food dish. Do you think it's good enough?

It's not the toxicity or anything of the substrate that worries me since I'm using coco coir. It's that my tort refuses to eat the food when it gets dirty.

 

[JoesMum]

Yeah you're right. I've noticed it like to walk at around the edge of the enclosure.

I have this as the food dish. Do you think it's good enough? View attachment 269240

It's not the toxicity or anything of the substrate that worries me since I'm using coco coir. It's that my tort refuses to eat the food when it gets dirty.

Torts refuse to eat for all sorts of reasons. They can be very picky indeed. It is important that they don’t train you. A hungry tortoise will eat and if it ignores food it isn’t hungry.

Obviously if the food is truly awful it needs to be taken out, but a few bits of dirt won’t matter.

A few days without food do no harm. I doubt there is anyone on TFO who hasn’t had their tortoise refuse food and sometimes it can go for weeks. Just make sure you soak your tort for a good 30 minutes on days when he refuses to eat so that he stays hydrated.

 

[Pure Tortoise Power]

Torts refuse to eat for all sorts of reasons. They can be very picky indeed. It is important that they don’t train you. A hungry tortoise will eat and if it ignores food it isn’t hungry.

Obviously if the food is truly awful it needs to be taken out, but a few bits of dirt won’t matter.

A few days without food do no harm. I doubt there is anyone on TFO who hasn’t had their tortoise refuse food and sometimes it can go for weeks. Just make sure you soak your tort for a good 30 minutes on days when he refuses to eat so that he stays hydrated.

OK. So basically I just need to be too soft. When it refuses food it always worries me that it's sick. But sigh... I guess torts being a picky brat isn't uncommon...

 

[JoesMum]

They are master manipulators. Picky brat about sums it up

 

[Reptilony]

OK. So basically I just need to be too soft. When it refuses food it always worries me that it's sick. But sigh... I guess torts being a picky brat isn't uncommon...

Yes...I never feed mazuri first because then grass is not good enough!!