new baby won't eat

[C&J]

Hello, I am brand new to the forum and I have just got a baby hatchling and it is my first experience with such a small baby. My last one was over a year when I got him and he had very bad diet habits. I'm trying to keep different things in her diet and make sure she's getting all the proper vitamins she needs as well......but its proven a chore My baby Sulcata hatchling will absolutely not touch any kind of pellets or grassy foods...I have tried Grassland Tortoise foods from Zoo-Meds- wont even look at 'em....Also have tried National Geographic Tortoise Entrée fortified diet, it smells great...but I'm gonna end up eating it myself, cause its expensive and she won't touch it either....I don't know how to get her to try it, she'd probably like it if she would but...Do u have any tricks to try to get her to try the stuff cause as it stands now all she will do is Baby Spring Mix and Strawberry..... its frustrating..........

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetingd C&J and welcome to the forum.

For starters, id say stop feeding the strawberries since fruit is not part of their normal diet, can't properly digest sugars and could easily cause issues with your baby.

You have to work hard, but need to gradually trick your tort into eating the right stuff. Keep the Spring Mix for now, but sprinkle in other more appropriate foods, grasses, weeds, and a small half nugget or two of very moist Regular Mazuri tortoise pellets. Day by day cut back on the spring mix. Problem for you now is that Winter in Ohio isnt very weed or grass friendly. But I'm sure that you can find some pesticide free grasses. It's 10 degrees here today in Md, but i know i can find some weeds or grass.

Good luck and remember to be strong, u know what's good for your tort, and stop the fruit. Get and introduce Mazuri as well!

Lastly, check out some international food stores if you have any nearby. We have a Grand Mart around the corner that has all kinds of good, leafy greens including dandelion greens!

I'm sure @Tom can jump in here too. Plus, read allll the info on owning and caring for sulcatas. Lots tips n tricks.

 

[Tom]

Hello, I am brand new to the forum and I have just got a baby hatchling and it is my first experience with such a small baby. My last one was over a year when I got him and he had very bad diet habits. I'm trying to keep different things in her diet and make sure she's getting all the proper vitamins she needs as well......but its proven a chore My baby Sulcata hatchling will absolutely not touch any kind of pellets or grassy foods...I have tried Grassland Tortoise foods from Zoo-Meds- wont even look at 'em....Also have tried National Geographic Tortoise Entrée fortified diet, it smells great...but I'm gonna end up eating it myself, cause its expensive and she won't touch it either....I don't know how to get her to try it, she'd probably like it if she would but...Do u have any tricks to try to get her to try the stuff cause as it stands now all she will do is Baby Spring Mix and Strawberry..... its frustrating..........

I've never seen a single tortoise of any species that would just walk up and eat ZooMed Grassland food the first time it sees it. The way to introduce it is to get a tiny broken piece of it and soak it in a little water. Once it turns to mush, mix it all up with the spring mix. Just use a tiny piece the first few times, and gradually add more over weeks and months.

Same procedure for just about any other new food too. Many breeders start their babies all wrong and one of the problems is they don't introduce enough variety into the baby tortoises diet early on. Many of them just toss in some romaine and walk away because its easy. This makes the new keepers job very difficult. No one should buy from these types of breeders.

 

[C&J]

Greetingd C&J and welcome to the forum.

For starters, id say stop feeding the strawberries since fruit is not part of their normal diet, can't properly digest sugars and could easily cause issues with your baby.

You have to work hard, but need to gradually trick your tort into eating the right stuff. Keep the Spring Mix for now, but sprinkle in other more appropriate foods, grasses, weeds, and a small half nugget or two of very moist Regular Mazuri tortoise pellets. Day by day cut back on the spring mix. Problem for you now is that Winter in Ohio isnt very weed or grass friendly. But I'm sure that you can find some pesticide free grasses. It's 10 degrees here today in Md, but i know i can find some weeds or grass.

Good luck and remember to be strong, u know what's good for your tort, and stop the fruit. Get and introduce Mazuri as well!

Lastly, check out some international food stores if you have any nearby. We have a Grand Mart around the corner that has all kinds of good, leafy greens including dandelion greens!

I'm sure @Tom can jump in here too. Plus, read allll the info on owning and caring for sulcatas. Lots tips n tricks.

Thank you very much Maro2bear, for all your tips!!!! I know that strawberries are not part of a regular diet and I do not just regularly feed them to her, but I have tried them and its the only thing I can get her to even try!!!! Her favorite is definitely the dandelion greens but you can definitely tell that her breeder was one that didn't use any variety in their diets. I am learning all kinds of things I had not even really thought about on here. Its very cool!!!! I must had read care instructions from out of date web sites cause apparently many things I have learned are wrong....Before I get her I called around to a couple smaller pet stores that I know for a fact have torts of their own and asked on proper living and they are all wrong as well!!! I have recently learned sand is wrong as well, what do you prefer for your substrate? I have wondered on this myself because I knew that you want to keep it humid and I don't know how to do that in sand, right? But more than one told me to use a heating pad under one side of the enclosure and use sand so that they can burrow down to as warm as they like- I guess....
I am new to using forums of any kind and I keep getting told that it is better to open your own thread to ask questions......is there anyway you could possibly help me with that??? How exactly would I do that? I thought I was but...I guess I was wrong, lol!!! Sometimes I can be a lil dingy

 

[Big Charlie]

Thank you very much Maro2bear, for all your tips!!!! I know that strawberries are not part of a regular diet and I do not just regularly feed them to her, but I have tried them and its the only thing I can get her to even try!!!! Her favorite is definitely the dandelion greens but you can definitely tell that her breeder was one that didn't use any variety in their diets. I am learning all kinds of things I had not even really thought about on here. Its very cool!!!! I must had read care instructions from out of date web sites cause apparently many things I have learned are wrong....Before I get her I called around to a couple smaller pet stores that I know for a fact have torts of their own and asked on proper living and they are all wrong as well!!! I have recently learned sand is wrong as well, what do you prefer for your substrate? I have wondered on this myself because I knew that you want to keep it humid and I don't know how to do that in sand, right? But more than one told me to use a heating pad under one side of the enclosure and use sand so that they can burrow down to as warm as they like- I guess....
I am new to using forums of any kind and I keep getting told that it is better to open your own thread to ask questions......is there anyway you could possibly help me with that??? How exactly would I do that? I thought I was but...I guess I was wrong, lol!!! Sometimes I can be a lil dingy

Don't worry. You have your own thread here.

There are several threads pinned at the top of the Sulcata section of the forum that will answer most of your questions. Start here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/sulcata-tortoises.88/

 

[C&J]

I've never seen a single tortoise of any species that would just walk up and eat ZooMed Grassland food the first time it sees it. The way to introduce it is to get a tiny broken piece of it and soak it in a little water. Once it turns to mush, mix it all up with the spring mix. Just use a tiny piece the first few times, and gradually add more over weeks and months.

Same procedure for just about any other new food too. Many breeders start their babies all wrong and one of the problems is they don't introduce enough variety into the baby tortoises diet early on. Many of them just toss in some romaine and walk away because its easy. This makes the new keepers job very difficult. No one should buy from these types of breeders.

Thank you Tom.... :-D
I am glad to be part of the forum now because I do not believe I will ever be without having a tort in my life again!!!
I am currently trying this method with her in her spring mix with a small amount of moistened Zoomed. So we will see what happens, I suppose. I am very happy to be able to learn and converse with ppl that are more educated in Sulcatas. Because I have been reading some of your threads and it has become very clear that the facts I found originally are not the best- it is very important to me to keep her as healthy as possible and as happy as I can!!! And I will always hold value to information others have learnt before me!!! How long have you had Sulcatas? If you don't mind me asking?

 

[C&J]

Don't worry. You have your own thread here.

There are several threads pinned at the top of the Sulcata section of the forum that will answer most of your questions. Start here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/sulcata-tortoises.88/

Thank you very much Big Charlie!!! Like I said its pretty new to me, but I love being part of this now to talk to people that have more knowledge about torts....because around here its hard to find anyone that know proper tort knowledge!!! There is like one other big tort in this area but the man was the owner of a pet store for awhile and will not listen to anyone elses suggestions and I know for sure his tort is miserable!!!! He is kept in a plexiglass box without a house or substrate- even!!!! I feel terrible for the poor thing...needless to say I wouldn't think of asking him....so I have had to go else where for advice!!! I am excited about the forum!!!
Do you own Sulcatas as well??? If you don't mind me asking how long have you had torts in your life??? :-D

 

[Tom]

How long have you had Sulcatas? If you don't mind me asking?

I got my first one in the early 90's when they first started becoming available to the public.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum @C&J .

Do not worry: torts do not like change, so they need a lot of time to get used to it: a new place, environment, climate, owner, enclosure and so on.

Please post pics of your tort and his enclosure, and make sure he's warm enough: torts do not eat if it's cold.

 

[Big Charlie]

Thank you very much Big Charlie!!! Like I said its pretty new to me, but I love being part of this now to talk to people that have more knowledge about torts....because around here its hard to find anyone that know proper tort knowledge!!! There is like one other big tort in this area but the man was the owner of a pet store for awhile and will not listen to anyone elses suggestions and I know for sure his tort is miserable!!!! He is kept in a plexiglass box without a house or substrate- even!!!! I feel terrible for the poor thing...needless to say I wouldn't think of asking him....so I have had to go else where for advice!!! I am excited about the forum!!!
Do you own Sulcatas as well??? If you don't mind me asking how long have you had torts in your life??? :-D

I've only had one tort in my life. Charlie is a 17 year old sulcata and I've had him since he was a baby. When I got him, there was a lot of misinformation about sulcatas and resources were limited. I accidentally did a lot of things right, like feeding him weeds rather than lettuce because they were free.

 

[C&J]

Thank all of you for your information.....These are things I have not heard but all make perfect sense. I am going out this week and changing everything in her enclosure, Thank u for all your links- I appr the help

 

[C&J]

Ok guys- so I have been doing what we talked about and it seems to be working. I am taking about half a Zoomed pellet and soaking it in warm water, breaking it up and putting it on top of her spring mix. I make sure it sticks and don't overwhelm it with it. She seems it not mind as long as its her greens lol!!! So that's awesome, thank you all!!! Now I have an additional question- I have a huge jar of pellets as well as a huge jar of Zoomed pellets I also have a full bag of national geographic tort entre. It smells like berries but she won't try it for nothing....In your opinion which is best to start her on? I can only introduce one at a time and I'd like your opinion on this? and apparently I also got false information on my substrate, I was told to use sand! Now I am learning sand is very bad...I am going to farm and fleet or TSC tomorrow to get different stuff....What do you feel is the best thing to use??? I was thinking possible just soil, and then I can plant some grass or weeds or some other editable plants....What do you think?
I wantta thank you all very much for your help in keeping her healthy and happy!!!!

 

[C&J]

I've only had one tort in my life. Charlie is a 17 year old sulcata and I've had him since he was a baby. When I got him, there was a lot of misinformation about sulcatas and resources were limited. I accidentally did a lot of things right, like feeding him weeds rather than lettuce because they were free.

Wow- 17yrs!!! I'd say you did something right, lol!!! That's amazing that you had him from a baby and got to watch him grow up! That's what I am praying for....At 17- how big has he gotten? I would imagin hes pretty big! Do you let him run around in your house? Or do you just have a designated area for him?

 

[C&J]

A very warm welcome to the forum @C&J .

Do not worry: torts do not like change, so they need a lot of time to get used to it: a new place, environment, climate, owner, enclosure and so on.

Please post pics of your tort and his enclosure, and make sure he's warm enough: torts do not eat if it's cold.

I am trying to get this thing all set up correctly....I am not very experienced with all this...Also my enclosure is apparently ALL wrong!!! Tomorrow I am going out and try to find something, soil or something else for her substrate! What in your opinion works the best???

 

[Stuart S.]

This is what I use for my hatchling. I buy it from Petco for about $11. Be sure to make it good and moisture, throughout.

https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/su... | Reptile,utm_campaign:GSC - PLA - Specialty

 

[Stuart S.]

Others may have better solutions, but this has worked great for me thus far.

 

[Stuart S.]

 

[Big Charlie]

Wow- 17yrs!!! I'd say you did something right, lol!!! That's amazing that you had him from a baby and got to watch him grow up! That's what I am praying for....At 17- how big has he gotten? I would imagin hes pretty big! Do you let him run around in your house? Or do you just have a designated area for him?

He's over 100 pounds. I've never weighed him but he is too big for me to move. I can't imagine letting him run around my house. The poops are the size of a horse's, smelly and gooey. No way would I want that inside my house! On top of that, sulcatas are living bulldozers. They don't understand the concept of walking around something. If something is in their way, they push right through it. We have some heavy duty teak lounge chairs on our patio that he often drags out onto the lawn. I'm sure he would have no trouble moving our couch and maybe even the refrigerator if he wanted. It is not a good idea to let any tortoise, even a small one, have the run of a house. They can get stepped on, chew on cords, eat carpet fuzz and other things that are bad for them, and it is generally too cold on the floor of most houses.

Charlie lives outside in our back yard. He has the run of the entire yard, and his own heated house for cold nights like these. I'm in California so the weather is pretty good, but it is still too cold for him to survive without heat this time of year.

I love looking back at his baby pictures. When they are that small, it is hard to imagine they can really get that big. Now that he is big, it is like having my own dinosaur, almost.

 

[C&J]

Lmao.....Ill bet!!! I have heard that they bull doze furniture- That's why I asked. Sometime I let Scute crawl around but its not for long periods of time and I watch everything and everywhere she goes. If I just let her go I would definitely loose her cause shes small enough to climb under anything, and I don't want her getting ahold of anything. I think and have compared them to modern day dinosaurs also....especially when they grow up. I cant wait til my lil Scute gets big!!!! I just want her to be happy...I plan on setting up a whole environment in our spare room for her and in the summer it will be outside!

 

[C&J]

This is what I use for my hatchling. I buy it from Petco for about $11. Be sure to make it good and moisture, throughout.

https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/supplies/substrate-and-bedding/zoo-medandtrade-eco-earth-loose-reptile-substrate-5210906.html?gclid=CLaBh5na_9ACFZCcfgodgMIPng&lsft=utm_source:google,utm_term:5210906,utm_mediumLA,utm_content:GSC - PLA - Specialty | Reptile,utm_campaign:GSC - PLA - Specialty

Thats awesome!!! I am ordering the Zoomed ReptiBark- But I have a question....Do I just use that by its self or can I put it on top of the Soil that I am using now? I went out today to buy something better for her but as I said in my new Thread winters in this part of Ohio I was unable to find anything ya'll were talking about.....So I just started looking for untreated soil and was only able to find untreated Earthworm Castings. Its fine and its moist. I think it will be god for her to burrow in and keep humidity up. I am changing out her environment now to put this in. I hope its ok. But right now I'm thinking anything would be better than the san I had her in......