picky tort

[chase thorn]

so my little Russian has favored lettuces of all kinds! i have tried multiple times to get him to eat some dandelions and some other weeds, i have even tried to hide them under some romaine (his favorite). should i try some tough love and only offer weeds and only limit his lettuce intake? or is it ok for him to just eat a wide variety of lettuce greens from the store? i got him to eat a dandelion leaf once, he made an awful face and gagged it down... what should i do? he loves red & green leaf lettuce, romaine, kale, mustard & collards, and much more.

 

[Claireabbo]

i am having the same issue. and i was going to post something

 

[Missy]

You can try chopping it all up real small so that he gets a mixture.

 

[GBtortoises]

Eliminate the foods that your tortoise favors and only feed the others. Once he begins eating the larger variety of foods a few of the favorites can be re-introduced in small quantities and monitored. Even the grocery store greens are fine as long as a wide enough variety is fed. But a diet for Russians that is heavy in high water content lettuces such green & red leaf and romaine is not only going to eventually cause loose and undigested stool but is also very nutrient deficient. How often is your tortoise getting access to water? I am asking because I have often seen Testudo species favor foods that are softer and not as dry when water is readily available to them.