We adopted a young Russian from Petsmart three days ago. We have been offering him a variety of green leafy items and plenty of water. He is in a Tortoise House from Zoo Med, complete with a heat lamp, basking rock (that he loves), UVB light, cuttlebone, and good size water and food dish. We noticed when he poops (which he does frequently, but it's not runny), it was all carrots. By the third day of him not eating, we offered a few small pieces of carrots and he gobbled them right up, picking through the leafy greens to get to them. He is active, happy to stroll around outside in the sun, doesn't mind being bathed, has good color, no indication of a cold or runny nose or eyes. So, what else can I offer this little picky eater? Can I buy timothy hay or orchard hay and try them? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!
New russian won't eat anything but carrots!
- Thread starter Kelli C
- Start date
Thrn you have to give tuff love and mix more other foods in with either finely chopped carrots or juice the carrot and soak the greens in the juice. You have to fake him out. Baby food carrot might work too. As he gets used to eating the other foods, use less and less carrot.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2013
- Messages
- 10,876
Hi Kelli
It will not starve itself... it will go on a hunger strike to see if it can outlast you.
Lots of people do the mixing and mincing of stuff to slowly get them to eat right but that takes months.
I'm more strict, lol
Cold turkey. Only stick the good stuff in there. If it doesn't eat it throw it away and put more of the good stuff in there the next day. It will eventually break down and eat but the more you cave in and give it want it wants the longer it's going to take.
If you go cold turkey I would make sure you're soaking everyday to keep it hydrated.
Lots of people do the mixing and mincing of stuff to slowly get them to eat right but that takes months.
I'm more strict, lol
Cold turkey. Only stick the good stuff in there. If it doesn't eat it throw it away and put more of the good stuff in there the next day. It will eventually break down and eat but the more you cave in and give it want it wants the longer it's going to take.
If you go cold turkey I would make sure you're soaking everyday to keep it hydrated.
That was my initial response to this matter... like dealing with a picky kid. But I am Italian... and well, we don't like for anyone to go hungry! And yes, I knew to give it a soak to keep it hydrated, so my gut wasn't too far off on this. Thanks.
Thank you
He can't eat them if you don't give them to him. Tortoises won't starve themselves.
Thank you. Makes sense to me.
Hello and welcome.
I'm glad you are here, but sad to let you know that Petsmart usually gives terrible advice and sells people useless, overpriced and sometimes dangerous products.
-The ZooMed tortoise house is too small for anything but a tiny hatchling. Four of those house put together would be too small.
-They typically sell spot bulbs. These aren't good for tortoises. They concentrate too much carapace desiccating heat into too small of an area.
-They often sell red or infra-red bulbs. These are no good either.
-They typically sell those double dome light fixtures. Yep. You guessed it. No good.
-They typical sell the coil type cfl UV bulbs. These sometimes burn tortoise eyes and should not be used.
-They typical sell ramped water bowls. These are dangerous. Several member have come home to find their tortoise upside down in these. They are good for lizards and snakes, but deadly for tortoises.
-The food bowls they sell are typically too steep and tall sided.
Any of this sound familiar?
Read this thread and you'll see why you ned to get out of the pet store and into the hardware store. This will also explain why you shouldn't let him run loose outside.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Here is the correct care info:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Russians are not grass eaters, so no on the hay.
Please come back and ask any and all questions. We're here to help.
Don't fell bad, happened to all of us
We have a terra cotta saucer for a water dish, a very low food dish, and are in the process of designing an outdoor enclosure too. We also have a low basking rock. This was a pet for my son, who researched and read all he could. He thought he had a good set up. I'd like to create a suitable indoor and outdoor enclosure without having this small tortoise take over my small house. Does this make sense? I'll have to check on the heat and light lamps.
I know its a bummer, but isn't it better to know before you run into major problems and vet bills?
Your plight is a common one. We try to do everything we can to catch people early, but most of the time we don't meet them until after they've already been throughout the pet store.
Anyhow, we aren't here to cause problems. We just want to help you and your family have a happy experience, and help your tortoise live a long happy life. We get nothing out of it, but the joy of success.
You and thousands of others!
A basic indoor enclosure that's quick and easy is a cheap bookcase with the shelves removed, lined with a plastic shower curtain.
Where do you live? That can help us suggest the best/easiest enclosure options for you and your tortoise.
We live in VT. The weather is extreme at times, the area is rural/remote. We are in the process of building a large outdoor enclosure that will give him/her plenty of room during the warmer months. It's a large rectangle shape with a safe, secure lid that permits sunshine to enter, while providing him/her with spaces to hide and burrow. I'm still concerned about his lack of appetite or perhaps he has a picky appetite. He did munch down on a few hosta leaves today, although we continue to offer a wide variety of spring mix greens, weeds, etc... (all from the suggested/safe list). The appetite is my biggest worry, as we are new to all of this. He/she is quite active and responsive. Sniffs the air around him, likes to burrow, bask on a rock in the sunshine, crawls through his water dish (a sunken, low sided, terra cotta saucer), and investigates anything new in his enclosure.
He's in a new place and he's adjusting to a new diet (Petco wasn't feeding him anything great, whatever it might have been). He is eating, however much it is, he's active, and he is doing normal things.
He's just fine, although I doubt that makes it any less worrisome for a new owner. It didn't for me!
My picky eater, one year later:
He's just fine, although I doubt that makes it any less worrisome for a new owner. It didn't for me!
My picky eater, one year later:
Thank you. This is helpful to know. Each day we offer different foods. He's not interested in his cuttlebone yet.
Can you recommend a nutritional supplement that we can add to his food to help offset his pickiness so he still gets nutrition?
Lovely picture, by the way!
Can you recommend a nutritional supplement that we can add to his food to help offset his pickiness so he still gets nutrition?
Lovely picture, by the way!
Honestly, wait a couple of weeks. Your tortoise can go a loooooong time without eating; it's not the same as say, a dog.
He'll eat his cuttlebone when he needs it; he doesn't need calcium every day. He'll also probably prefer it when it's "aged" a little bit.
I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but your tortoise is not particularly "young." If he came from Petco he's at least four to five years old and is just about to reach sexual maturity if he hasn't already. "He" may not even be a boy; it's hard to tell until they are reaching maturity.
An adult doesn't need a supplement unless they are unwell or an egg laying female. Read Tom's thread on Russians again and check the part on supplementation. You could add a tiny tiny pinch of calcium on occasion--like fairy dust. You can find advice on brands by doing a search here (I don't use supplementation so I'm not familar with brands).
Some owners mix in a food called "Mazuri" to make sure strictly indoor, young, or breeding tortoises get the things they need to grow or be healthy parents; you could look to find a small bag on the internet (it's usually sold in 25 pounds or something close). You can search this forum for Mazuri discussion quite easily.
But really, wait a few weeks. He's going to get hungry and try something. Our tortoise took five months to transition to a weed-based diet. I'm pretty sure she was being fed primarily romaine before we got her. But she was wild caught, just like yours, and she spent years eating whatever weeds were available. The first weed she tried was something very similar to what she'd eaten in her native habitat. He'll adjust.
He'll eat his cuttlebone when he needs it; he doesn't need calcium every day. He'll also probably prefer it when it's "aged" a little bit.
I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but your tortoise is not particularly "young." If he came from Petco he's at least four to five years old and is just about to reach sexual maturity if he hasn't already. "He" may not even be a boy; it's hard to tell until they are reaching maturity.
An adult doesn't need a supplement unless they are unwell or an egg laying female. Read Tom's thread on Russians again and check the part on supplementation. You could add a tiny tiny pinch of calcium on occasion--like fairy dust. You can find advice on brands by doing a search here (I don't use supplementation so I'm not familar with brands).
Some owners mix in a food called "Mazuri" to make sure strictly indoor, young, or breeding tortoises get the things they need to grow or be healthy parents; you could look to find a small bag on the internet (it's usually sold in 25 pounds or something close). You can search this forum for Mazuri discussion quite easily.
But really, wait a few weeks. He's going to get hungry and try something. Our tortoise took five months to transition to a weed-based diet. I'm pretty sure she was being fed primarily romaine before we got her. But she was wild caught, just like yours, and she spent years eating whatever weeds were available. The first weed she tried was something very similar to what she'd eaten in her native habitat. He'll adjust.
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P.S. If he's not eating, you're not going to get a supplement into him! You have to sprinkle them on his food.
You could try grating a tiny bit of cucumber over his food; they love cucumber. But just enough to get him biting on new foods. Then cut back and eventually stop adding it.
You could try grating a tiny bit of cucumber over his food; they love cucumber. But just enough to get him biting on new foods. Then cut back and eventually stop adding it.
Jason David
New Member
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- Jul 11, 2017
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- 14
Haha, I feel precisely the same!
