Picky Eater

[HannahP]

Hi everyone,
Lately I've been noticing how my tortoise only seems to want to eat romaine lettuce or Boston lettuce. I offer him a wide variety of different vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, dandelions, other weeds, different grasses, cactus pads, squash, kale, and more. I even give him strawberries and raspberries as treats but he will still only eat lettuce. I've tried everything!
I sprinkle calcium on his food every day but I'm beginning to worry that he is not getting enough nutrition from his limited diet. Or that something could be wrong with him.

 

[ascott]

If you are sprinkling calcium powder onto his food this may be the problem....he knows it is not the food---also, calcium has a gross taste...maybe try to offer the greens to him without the calcium for a few times and see what happens....

Do you allow him any outside time to get natural sun exposure and/or do you offer a uva/uvb bulb indoors if that is where he is housed?

---

you could replace the sprinkling with a cuddle bone so he can partake of the additional calcium when he finds it necessary...

 

[HannahP]

If you are sprinkling calcium powder onto his food this may be the problem....he knows it is not the food---also, calcium has a gross taste...maybe try to offer the greens to him without the calcium for a few times and see what happens....

Do you allow him any outside time to get natural sun exposure and/or do you offer a uva/uvb bulb indoors if that is where he is housed?

---

you could replace the sprinkling with a cuddle bone so he can partake of the additional calcium when he finds it necessary...

---

I've tried the calcium on his food both ways. He'll eat the lettuces with or without the calcium supplement but he won't eat the other veggies even when I tried giving them to him without the calcium. Its so strange!
Also, I do have a uva/uvb bulb for his enclosure and I try to get him outside as much as possible.

 

[lkwagner]

Me toooo leo only eats iceberg lettuce. ..I dont sprinkle calcium....I tried everything...cucumberz...strawberries...nothing works

Sent from my GT-I9300 using TortForum mobile app

Have you tried grass, mazuri, escarole, endive, dandelion, kale, collard, mustard greens. Only feeding iceberg lettuce is a death sentence.

 

[nanoon]

Help!!!!
Leo's urine is white and creamy

He just started eating basil leaves and and erucula
Am I killing him? :'(

 

[laclone]

Hi nanoon,

This might be the cause of the white stuff.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-14782.html

I don't think you're killing him.
L.

Help!!!!
Leo's urine is white and creamy

He just started eating basil leaves and and erucula
Am I killing him? :'(

 

[Jlant85]

First things first, Iceburg lettuce has little to almost no nutritional value whatsoever. Something i would try is feeding him something that is similar to iceburg lettuce like, red, green, and romaine lettuce to start things off. Tortoises can go weeks w/ out getting fed but you'll want to start soaking him everyday. As long as they are hydrated then you sould be fine. If you can get a hold of baby food such as carrots, you can add that to his water when you are soaking him so he can get at least some nutrients. when it comes to feeding time, try warming his saucer or what ever you place his food in, this sometimes helps, then place the selected food you have for him. This is going to be a tough week for you but stick to it! Remember, your the one who knows better. So you'll have to just man it out and let him know that this is the food that he's going to be fed and stick w/ it. They will eventually get hungry and eat whats ever on the table. here is website to check out other food alternative that might be accessible in your area.

thetortoisetable.org.uk

Good luck!

 

[biochemnerd808]

I am honestly not trying to be a smart alec when I say that the solution is just not to offer romaine any more. I've had one heck of a time weaning rescued tortoises off of romaine after that was all they were fed. They could pick it out of a pile of chopped up greens. I finally decided that it was time to out-stubborn my tortoise, and just didn't offer romaine any more. The tortoise went on a hunger strike for more than 6 weeks, and then finally started eating whatever I offered.

I really like the TNT supplement by Carolina Pet Supply. It seems to smell 'yummy' to the torts, and it's made of ground up weeds and flowers. If you sprinkle it on your tort's food, you don't have to sprinkle calcium - just have a cuttlefish bone in the enclosure.

I hope this helps!

Hi everyone,
Lately I've been noticing how my tortoise only seems to want to eat romaine lettuce or Boston lettuce. I offer him a wide variety of different vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, dandelions, other weeds, different grasses, cactus pads, squash, kale, and more. I even give him strawberries and raspberries as treats but he will still only eat lettuce. I've tried everything!
I sprinkle calcium on his food every day but I'm beginning to worry that he is not getting enough nutrition from his limited diet. Or that something could be wrong with him.