My Cherry Heads are picky eaters. What can I do?

[ZEROPILOT]

I've fed Darwin hard boiled eggs ... he loves them, but they should make up only a small portion of a redfoot's diet.

J

I feed my adults hard boiled whole eggs. Smashed up very fine with the shells on.

 

[TammyJ]

It seems that redfoots will eat more variety than any other tortoise?
Offer the babies a varied diet and keep giving them a bit of everything that is good for them, mixed up sometimes with what they do not seem to like.
If you give them, say, boiled egg, mango and mustard greens one day, give them some other stuff the next day, and so on. If they really go for one particular item, don't keep giving it to them just because they love it and leave all the other stuff. This is what I have learned from others on this site.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

It seems that redfoots will eat more variety than any other tortoise?
Offer the babies a varied diet and keep giving them a bit of everything that is good for them, mixed up sometimes with what they do not seem to like.
If you give them, say, boiled egg, mango and mustard greens one day, give them some other stuff the next day, and so on. If they really go for one particular item, don't keep giving it to them just because they love it and leave all the other stuff. This is what I have learned from others on this site.

Usually an adult Redfoot will just eat anything you offer it.
They seem to outgrow the picky part to some extent.
Mine come out. Eat and disappear back into the bushes.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Yikes! Nasty lil fellas!

I found my Redfoot eating a dead bird one day

 

[selviester]

I've fed Darwin hard boiled eggs ... he loves them, but they should make up only a small portion of a redfoot's diet.

J

I have yet given them boiled egg. Was gonna try it. Maybe once a week should be enough?

 

[selviester]

Usually an adult Redfoot will just eat anything you offer it.
They seem to outgrow the picky part to some extent.
Mine come out. Eat and disappear back into the bushes.

Mine always hide inside their cave and only come out when hungry and thirsty. Is this typical? Unlike my sulcata that likes to roam around.

 

[selviester]

I found my Redfoot eating a dead bird one day [/

I found my Redfoot eating a dead bird one day

ewwww is that okay?

 

[selviester]

It seems that redfoots will eat more variety than any other tortoise?
Offer the babies a varied diet and keep giving them a bit of everything that is good for them, mixed up sometimes with what they do not seem to like.
If you give them, say, boiled egg, mango and mustard greens one day, give them some other stuff the next day, and so on. If they really go for one particular item, don't keep giving it to them just because they love it and leave all the other stuff. This is what I have learned from others on this site.

Yes. Today Im going to crush and mix everything all up! Because if i give them like one plate with mango then next to mango is cactus, etc they will only eat the mango. So Im gonna start grind everything together so they can eat everything lol

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Mine always hide inside their cave and only come out when hungry and thirsty. Is this typical? Unlike my sulcata that likes to roam around.

Yes
When the sun is out

 

[William Lee Kohler]

View attachment 257842 View attachment 257843 Hi all,

So I decided to adopt one more baby CH because I figured the first one was having problem eating and would only want to eat with my Sulcata. I dont want to mix them together.

When I got the second CH, everything was fine. But now they are very picky. All they want to eat is grass, weeds, mango, banana and cactus. The breeder said to try give them Repcal, because thats what he had been feeding them. So I tried that and they only took few bites. They refused other types of leafy greens or fruits. Whereas my friend’s eat pretty much everything.

I am wondering why mine are so picky I would love to offer lots of variety.
How often can you feed them fruits?

Is this what CH normally like? Being picky?

Pictures attached

That's a lot more variety than mine will eat so count your blessings.

 

[AprilOneilTurtle]

when i brought my box turtle home about a month ago, (she's prob over 10yrs old) she was also a picky eater, I would still think she's still picky and only like crunchy leafy greens. Example: Bok Choy & Lettuce, everything other greens so far she would reject.

Recently I did another research that turtles like bright colors, so I tried chopping up carrots, and this time she ate them! (the first time wasn't chopped up and she refused) My turtle also loves Strawberries a lot! I also feed mine superworms & her first cricket this morning, also some days I will mix it with her turtle nutrients. I am still learning what her other favorite food would be though, would be great if she ate so much more varieties.

Maybe give your turtle some more time to adjust as well. I was also told from the worker at the Reptile store that it is winter and that turtles like to hide out a lot and could go days/weeks without eating.

 

[selviester]

when i brought my box turtle home about a month ago, (she's prob over 10yrs old) she was also a picky eater, I would still think she's still picky and only like crunchy leafy greens. Example: Bok Choy & Lettuce, everything other greens so far she would reject.

Recently I did another research that turtles like bright colors, so I tried chopping up carrots, and this time she ate them! (the first time wasn't chopped up and she refused) My turtle also loves Strawberries a lot! I also feed mine superworms & her first cricket this morning, also some days I will mix it with her turtle nutrients. I am still learning what her other favorite food would be though, would be great if she ate so much more varieties.

Maybe give your turtle some more time to adjust as well. I was also told from the worker at the Reptile store that it is winter and that turtles like to hide out a lot and could go days/weeks without eating.

Thanks! My cherries are eating fine now. It is my baby yellow foot that im worrying about. He doesnt want to eat. Only drinks

 

[AprilOneilTurtle]

Thanks! My cherries are eating fine now. It is my baby yellow foot that im worrying about. He doesnt want to eat. Only drinks

I'm happy to hear! I have yet to see my turtle drink, i'd love to see that!

 

[William Lee Kohler]

Usually an adult Redfoot will just eat anything you offer it.
They seem to outgrow the picky part to some extent.
Mine come out. Eat and disappear back into the bushes.[/QUOTE

Not mine. I've tried all kinds of colorful and good things and there's only Romaine, bananas, canned cat food and sometimes tomato that they'll eat. Sprinkle with vitamins abt 3 times a week to help give what they miss out on. the 2 younger ones(21 years old)have been that way since the beginning and my older one 44 years I didn't know any better when he was little and he's not about to change now.

 

[buglady]

One of my torts started being picky a while ago. He refused to try anything new. He was housed with another female. Instead of feeding them apart I fed them facing each other so he could see her eat. The second he saw her start (she's not picky at all) he started eating as well. I think seeing another tortoise kind of showed him that the food was edible and if he didn't eat it she would! Of course I don't let her do that, but it worked!
If you want to try this, just make sure you're there in case they start fighting over the food.

 

[Blackdog1714]

Use like a glass baking dish-so they can see each other but not touch. I feed my dogs side by side for just that!