New Diet, New Behavior

[SlowMcClouskey]

A while ago I made this thread. I did the starve out technique and everyone kept saying "just don't break" 10 days later, I only got a couple bites out of him! It's been so long. He needs to eat. I give him this pellet food (the pellets are very very small, smaller than the tortoise's eyes) he likes, but he doesn't eat the purple pellets! He eats around it! Are you kidding me?? My tort's behavior changed a lot too since I cut out fruit. His eyes are all buggy, he's starting to bite, and he's more aggressive Since I cut the fruit out completely, his stool has become more solid which is a good sign, but it's a different animal now. He used to love getting pets on the head, but now he just tries to bite my finger. In all my life of having him, he only bit me once when I was a toddler. Now he's trying to bite all the time. He's bucking a lot too. He's so cranky and I think he's more unhealthy than before. Should I just give him back the fruit, and have a runny stool?

 

[G-stars]

It's not just because of the runny stool, that we recommend not feeding fruit exclusively. It's also not healthy. What kind of tortoise is it? As far as the behavior change, it could be related to less sugar and therefore detoxing. Just a possibility. I would hold of the fruit a little bit longer.

 

[wellington]

Looks like a Redfoot in the avatar, is that correct? As far as I know, Redfoots are fed some fruit. Maybe you were feeding too much fruit? Take a look at the tortoiselibrary.com. Good info for RF owners

 

[wellington]

Btw, how old is he? He may be entering adulthood and the aggression may be a part of it?

 

[SlowMcClouskey]

It's not just because of the runny stool, that we recommend not feeding fruit exclusively. It's also not healthy. What kind of tortoise is it? As far as the behavior change, it could be related to less sugar and therefore detoxing. Just a possibility. I would hold of the fruit a little bit longer.

Okay, but what will he eat? He hasn't been eating at all. (Red foot tortoise)

 

[SlowMcClouskey]

Btw, how old is he? He may be entering adulthood and the aggression may be a part of it?

I was thinking maybe, but the behavior was a drastic change since I took him to the vet. Thats the day I changed the diet as well. He's 10 years old

 

[G-stars]

Okay, but what will he eat? He hasn't been eating at all. (Red foot tortoise)

What's your diet look like now? I don't know if you have tried mixing small amounts of finely chopped fruit with the food you want him to eat now?

 

[SlowMcClouskey]

What's your diet look like now? I don't know if you have tried mixing small amounts of finely chopped fruit with the food you want him to eat now?

Arugula, radicchio, a small amount of bok choy, spring mix, corn, mashed potato, ZOOMED natural forest tortoise food and Rep-Cal Tortoise Food (the pellet food is all she likes to eat but makes her stool blue because artificial coloring and I don't like that). He eats the food pellets, and I have to mix it with the all natural forest food because he doesn't like the natural stuff. He doesn't eat much of it. I do try to mix it finely chopped, he usually just doesn't go for it at all. There used to be this cantaloupe flavored "tortoise salad dressing with vitamis" he loved but they stopped making it I think. It was the only thing that made him really go for the veggies!

 

[Odin's Gma]

There used to be this cantaloupe flavored "tortoise salad dressing with vitamis" he loved but they stopped making it I think. It was the only thing that made him really go for the veggies!

This should be an easy fix then! Get a slice of cantaloupe and another piece of fruit that he really liked, throw them in a blender adding just enough water to turn them into a thick mushy-liquid consistency, add a dose of liquid reptile vitamins and toss his veggies in it or drizzle it over them. You could also trying diluting some fruit baby food as a dressing if you can find the types of fruit he liked.

 

[HLogic]

You might also try tempting it with something like mushrooms..just to get it feeding on something. Ten days is not terribly long for an otherwise healthy tort to go without food. Be sure to provide ample water.