- Joined
- Sep 26, 2011
- Messages
- 29
So Orrin has basically decided that he will only eat live plants. Since it's almost winter and I live in an apartment it's not exactly possible to let him free graze outside.
He went a week eating almost nothing--I noticed some tiny nibbles once or twice, but nothing I would call a meal. Then, recalling how he voraciously ate the two live plants I put in his enclosure last week I decided to try a live plant again. I gave him the plant yesterday and he immediately ate a hole leaf of it--in front of me! Today, more than half of the plant is gone, and of course his mixed greens are untouched.
So what should I do? I'm growing some dandelions, but they haven't even sprouted yet. Should I buy him a new live plant every other day? Have other people had experience with tortoises refusing fresh but torn-off-of-plants leaves? Is it possible that he is traumatized by the rotten food his previous owner left him with? I've heard that greens start accumulating iodine as soon as they're torn off of plants and continue to accumulate it as they go bad--so could he have gotten violently ill after eating some rotten romaine in the past and now the slight scent of iodine on torn leaves keeps him from eating?
What should I do now?
He went a week eating almost nothing--I noticed some tiny nibbles once or twice, but nothing I would call a meal. Then, recalling how he voraciously ate the two live plants I put in his enclosure last week I decided to try a live plant again. I gave him the plant yesterday and he immediately ate a hole leaf of it--in front of me! Today, more than half of the plant is gone, and of course his mixed greens are untouched.
So what should I do? I'm growing some dandelions, but they haven't even sprouted yet. Should I buy him a new live plant every other day? Have other people had experience with tortoises refusing fresh but torn-off-of-plants leaves? Is it possible that he is traumatized by the rotten food his previous owner left him with? I've heard that greens start accumulating iodine as soon as they're torn off of plants and continue to accumulate it as they go bad--so could he have gotten violently ill after eating some rotten romaine in the past and now the slight scent of iodine on torn leaves keeps him from eating?
What should I do now?