Red Footed Tortoise Diet

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I've had my red footed tortoise for quite some time now, and I'm worried about her diet. She's very very picky. I always give her fresh greens and veggies with some fruits, but over time she stopped eating the veggies and only picks what she wants. As we speak, she's eating some ZOO MED pellets and eating around the kale and spring mix, and if she happens to take a bite out of a leaf, she'll spit it out and continue to eat the food pellets. I think this makes her poop runny, the last time she had a solid healthy looking stool was when she was very very little, when I first got her. I take her to vets and pay $75 again and again just to hear "I dunno man sorry". What do you guys think? I also hear that a bad diet causes "pyramiding", is this what it looks like? Her shell is still strong and solid, but I've heard people say "tortoises should never have bumps" and I don't know how true that is.

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newCH

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My guess is too much fruit makes the runny poop. Maybe try
changing the fruit for grated carrot or even chopped up green
bell pepper.
 
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I did try that :( she just won't eat it! Carrots, peppers, tomatoes, spring mix, kale, arugula, yellow squash, cucumber, radicchio, and grass. She won't eat any of it and she used to love to! I feel like she got tired of it. If I give it to her, she just won't eat it.
 

naturalman91

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pyramiding normally has to do with the condition's they're kept in up your humidity to the 80% range diet doesn't really effect smoothness i mean it could but not normally and redfoots are generally smooth and not bumpy

there are species that are naturally a little rougher and not completely smooth redfoots arent one of them in the wild they're smooth normally

try chopping up the stuff she loves into ity bity pieces and hiding it in the stuff she's not fond up and just keep doing it or if you you feedstuff that could be mashed up easily into a paste like mango or blue berry's and cover the stuff she doesn't like in the paste it might work
 

pfara

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That is a very beautiful tort! Her face is so sweet. However, wild (and ideally captive) redfoots are (should be) bowling ball smooth instead of "bumpy".

Runny stools could be many things: improper diet and/or lots of fruit and I've read that too much of the grocery store greens can cause it. I couldn't give you a definite answer.

And I don't believe that just an improper diet can cause pyramidal growth. Hydration is incredibly important during the beginning years when growth rate is most rapid.

My guys sometimes hold out for certain foods. They know when Mazuri is about to be served right when I enter the room. They come out from wherever they're hiding and circle the food slab until it's there. They seem disinterested the next day in whatever veggies I serve up. However, they eat it anyway cuz they're little piggies and tough love seems to win in the end :p
 

newCH

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Maybe try making the portion of fruit smaller, so that later on she will go back to eat the greens. My Sheldon does that, he will practically run out if he smells mango, gobble it up and leave. But if you watch him, later on in the day he wanders back to eat his greens. Possibly your portions of the yummy foods are too big and she is trying to survive off that.
 

Gillian M

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A warm welcome to the forum.

I think that fruits cause loose stools: after all they contain sugar.
 

mike taylor

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You will have to make your red foot eat better . Sounds bad but it is easy . Blending the fruits with the greens a little at a time slowly removing the fruit . This will take a little bit . Could be a week or a month but it will work . I also add mill worms to the mix and worms . Then slowly add bigger pieces of greens . Make sure you mix things up . Add safe weeds and grasses .
 

Yvonne G

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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Your tortoise looks perfectly bright-eyed and healthy. The bumpy shell, or pyramiding, was caused during the first year of her life, when she was being kept too dry. In order to grow smoothly, tortoises, when babies, need to be kept in humid/moist conditions.

If this were my tortoise, I would practice tough love, and cut out the fruit completely. She won't starve herself. She may not eat for a few days, but she will eventually break down and eat when she gets hungry enough.
 

Anyfoot

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I had the same problem with some of mine, they ate all the grapes,strawberries,melon,kiwi and plums and left there greens. If given the chance they will eat fruit every time. Feed a variety of greens ONLY for lets say 5 days, when she starts eating the greens for a couple of days give her a treat of a few grapes or half a plum every day,but only if she eats the greens that morning. It will work, stool will become solid and moist. Lots will disagree but I mixed in a little spinach with the greens. They love spinach but too much of that will give runny stool too. A little bit every 3rd day mixed with other greens won't hurt her. I've done this with 3 of my redfoots because of runny stool. It is definitely too much fruit. Does she urinate a lot. As for pyramiding, all you can do is make sure she has correct humidity levels from here on in. 80% and above. How big is she?
We now only feed them fruit every 3rd day, however we do give them a spot treats of lets say a couple of grapes or strawberry's every day. We also give them meal worms, but we only feed them by hand with these and make sure that they rip them in half before we let go of the worms. We've notice that they come out in there stool whole. Which we think is pointless. Maybe wrong but that's our thoughts.

Bye

Craig
 
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She's pretty big, "14.5! It really makes me doubt she's a girl, but so far nobody has said anything about it... I'll keep trying giving her only veggies. Sometimes she won't touch it for a few days, even tho I always give her fresh greens. It's kind of a waste. I don't want her to not eat anything but I'll keep being persistent if you're certain it'll work!
 

Anyfoot

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She's pretty big, "14.5! It really makes me doubt she's a girl, but so far nobody has said anything about it... I'll keep trying giving her only veggies. Sometimes she won't touch it for a few days, even tho I always give her fresh greens. It's kind of a waste. I don't want her to not eat anything but I'll keep being persistent if you're certain it'll work!
You have too be tough, she/he will eat eventually. Can you post a picture of her plastron and tail area. How long is the plastron.
 

Kathy Coles

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Her legs look very thick and strong so she could "miss a meal" or two and be fine. It's all about tough love. My red foot also loves worms. So skip the fruit, add some mazuri and veggies.
 

Anyfoot

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Her legs look very thick and strong so she could "miss a meal" or two and be fine. It's all about tough love. My red foot also loves worms. So skip the fruit, add some mazuri and veggies.
How often and how much do you feed mazuri. What is its benefit as oppose to natural diet. I don't use it but sometimes feel as though I may be doing the wrong thing not using it.
 

pfara

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How often and how much do you feed mazuri. What is its benefit as oppose to natural diet. I don't use it but sometimes feel as though I may be doing the wrong thing not using it.

Frequency of feeding mazuri varies from person to person. Some people feel comfortable feeding mazuri daily with normal, healthy greens, others feed twice a week, others once a week and some people don't use it at all. All are acceptable.

I use it 1-2 times a week as added variety to their regular foods. Mazuri is also a great way to add calcium to a tortoise's diet if they won't eat it on their greens. This also depends on if a tortoise likes Mazuri. If they seem to like it a whole lot, I'd go easy with the serving size and frequency as tortoises can hold out for their favorites (read as "brats" :p).
 

Geochelone_Carbonaria

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Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Your tortoise looks perfectly bright-eyed and healthy. The bumpy shell, or pyramiding, was caused during the first year of her life, when she was being kept too dry. In order to grow smoothly, tortoises, when babies, need to be kept in humid/moist conditions.

If this were my tortoise, I would practice tough love, and cut out the fruit completely. She won't starve herself. She may not eat for a few days, but she will eventually break down and eat when she gets hungry enough.

I couldn't agree more ! Please follow Yvonne's advice, and don't worry too much, she will eat when she gets hungry...

Good luck :)
 
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Thanks all of you! Right now she's giving me the stink look, but I'm sure soon enough she'll eat. She was nibbling a little bit last night!
 

tortdad

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Hunger is your friend. Just don't cave in and give her what she wants. She'll eat once she's hungry.
 

newCH

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Is there a green that she likes more than others ? Sheldon has a preference for arugula, so if he strays from eating greens, I mix some in.
 
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So far nothing really. She loves radicchio the most, but she hasn't been eating it lately either
 
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