Red foot Tortoise Diet

[RedFootBuddy]

My Red Foot Tortoise has been eating well untill he was introduced too strawberries ??? now he gets mad and won't eat his greens if there are no strawberries. This is todays madness. He know he has food l, but he doesn't smell strawberries so he leaves small part if his body in hide and just sit (begging) then he goes to smell his food and keep corner eyeing me (mom where is my strawberries) doesn't get his way turns around goes back to hide. ???? he is so cute I just love him My little Buddy.
The Video was yesterday see whay he went for first! ? does anyone have this issue?

 

[tribebacker]

Hi, I have the same problem . My Redfoots love strawberries too. Because strawberries are so expensive right now, I have been offering cut up tomatoes mixed in with their regular food . I dont know if its the smell of the strawberries, or the red color, but it seems to work.

 

[jsheffield]

My kid likes gummy bears, but that doesn't mean I just feed him gummy bears.

All of my torts have favorite foods, but all of them start every day with a big handful of greens, followed by whatever else is on the menu that I've picked for them for the day.

Jamie

 

[ZEROPILOT]

My Red Foot Tortoise has been eating well untill he was introduced too strawberries ??? now he gets mad and won't eat his greens if there are no strawberries. This is todays madness. He know he has food l, but he doesn't smell strawberries so he leaves small part if his body in hide and just sit (begging) then he goes to smell his food and keep corner eyeing me (mom where is my strawberries) doesn't get his way turns around goes back to hide. ???? he is so cute I just love him My little Buddy.
The Video was yesterday see whay he went for first! ? does anyone have this issue?

Going on a hunger strike is common. Especially with younger tortoises.
They'll eat a new item and get hooked on it!
The good news is that a healthy tortoise can go a very long time without eating. As long as they're drinking.
They'll come around sooner than later. They won't starve.
Give them tough love and offer other things every day.
Eventually hunger will win.

 

[Mitch4]

Going on a hunger strike is common. Especially with younger tortoises.
They'll eat a new item and get hooked on it!
The good news is that a healthy tortoise can go a very long time without eating. As long as they're drinking.
They'll come around sooner than later. They won't starve.
Give them tough love and offer other things every day.
Eventually hunger will win.

I have the same problem with my yellow-foot. She will only eat fruit. I’ve tried adding fruit baby food as recommended here, but she still just walks away. It’s just soo frustrating!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I have the same problem with my yellow-foot. She will only eat fruit. I’ve tried adding fruit baby food as recommended here, but she still just walks away. It’s just soo frustrating!

Trust me.
They DO start eating other things after several days to a week of a hunger strike.
Once they're good and hungry, they'll forget all about treat foods.
(Not that fruit is just a treat for the "footeds")

 

[RedFootBuddy]

Going on a hunger strike is common. Especially with younger tortoises.
They'll eat a new item and get hooked on it!
The good news is that a healthy tortoise can go a very long time without eating. As long as they're drinking.
They'll come around sooner than later. They won't starve.
Give them tough love and offer other things every day.
Eventually hunger will win.

Yes, lol. I said I have to stand my ground. eventually he will eat his greens again. I only Had him going on 2 months. I give him a variety diet. waiting for spring to purchase 2 Hibiscus plants one indoors and one out. He has a worm farm for his protein. he's pretty spoiled! ????? I have created a monster. I love my Monster ?

 

[DJ Kirk]

RF's can be very stubborn when they enjoy a food.

Bananas are like crack cocaine to my guy.

Just keep offering greens everyday and eventually he'll get hungry enough to eat what is offered.

It took me months (like 6) to get mine onto a weekly schedule:
Sun - greens, Mon - mazuri, Tues - greens, Wed - veg mostly zucchini, Thurs - greens, Fri - fruit mostly mango, Sat - greens (every 4th Sat cat food for protein)
*greens always kale, radish tops, arugula - took me a while to figure out which greens he loved and hated

RF's are weird IMHO e.g. my guy won't eat romaine but will eat live pothos if it's in his area

 

[Dodge Mustang]

Mine was really fussy early on. I managed to work through it by making a food paste that was mostly greens but had a bit of the precious mango in it. That worked and after a while mine got a lot less picky.


During that stage he kept trying to eat the spoon I used for giving baths. plantain leaf? Garbage. Spoon? Food, apparently.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

As you're going to find out. The older they get, the less picky the seem to be.
Eventually they'll just eat whatever you offer and enjoy it.