Redfoot not eating his greens

[Crodfits]

I recently bought a cherryhead redfoot tortoise (my first tortoise). I've been a long time reptile owner but never had any sort of tortoise or turtle.

it seems like everythign is fine with him/her ? but I'm not 100% sure as his diet has been strange lately. I give him mostly fresh greens and every few days i toss in some fresh fruit. I also have some Mazuri tortoise diet that I've given him maybe twice a month. He seems to absolutely eat every last bit of mazuri (i drop a little water on the pellets and smash them up a little and he goes nuts)

Now i've had him for a couple of months and it seems like the only thing he wants is the mazuri, he has fresh greens available almost all the time and he seems to never touch it, he does eat the fruit but its nothing compared to what he does to the mazuri. When i put the mazuri in he runs to his food like he's been starved.

Is there something I could be doing wrong? is it alright to feed him the mazuri more ? or am i doing my tortoise more harm than good that way ?

any insight would be great as i would like my little guy or girl to be as healthy as possible

 

[ColorfulTortoise]

What kind if greens are you offering? Maybe you could try widening the variety. You could also mix the mazuri in with the greens and chip them up fine. It is fine to offer mazuri more often then twice a month, some keepers offer it weekly, it depends on your judgement. Good luck getting your redfoot to eat the greens!

 

[mightymizz]

Sometimes torts act just like little kids. They only want the sweet stuff or the stuff they like. If all other parameters are spot on, Try sprinkling some Mazuri onto the green leaf you are offering him.

This might help to wean him back onto green leaf foods. Or, you could also try the "offer him nothing but green leaf foods" until he gets hungry enough to eat them.

All of this is under the assumption that there are no other issues with your tort or your environment. This wouldn't be the first time a tort just wants his Mazuri!

 

[mattgrizzlybear]

hope he eats his greens!

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

My red foot also stopped eating her greens after she tasted the Mazuri. She would wait for it to come back on rotation to eat. So now I mix everything together so she has no choice. She's resigned herself to it now ;-)

 

[Watsonpartyof4]

My red foot also stopped eating her greens after she tasted the Mazuri. She would wait for it to come back on rotation to eat. So now I mix everything together so she has no choice. She's resigned herself to it now ;-)

My Tyrone is the same way! That Mazuri is tortoise crack I tell ya ! I chop the greens and mix it also!

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

My Tyrone is the same way! That Mazuri is tortoise crack I tell ya ! I chop the greens and mix it also!

It's the only thing that works! I also just " planted" one of those organic live lettuce head, right in the coco coir. Not sure if it'll survive but hey, for $2, it's well worth the admission price for the show! It's so cute to see her roaming and stopping for a nibble :-D It hasn't curbed her appetite, just a handy snack.

 

[Watsonpartyof4]

It's the only thing that works! I also just " planted" one of those organic live lettuce head, right in the coco coir. Not sure if it'll survive but hey, for $2, it's well worth the admission price for the show! It's so cute to see her roaming and stopping for a nibble :-D It hasn't curbed her appetite, just a handy snack.

Where do I get me one of those?! I would love to be able to watch that show.

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

Where do I get me one of those?! I would love to be able to watch that show.

I got it in the produce aisle at the grocery store. I've never actually fed her lettuce before, I knew it wasn't all that nutritious, but she seems to like it, a nice refreshing snack.

 

[IowaGuy28]

Correct me if I'm wrong but lettuce is mostly water, almost defeats the purpose using a water bowl to me...

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

Correct me if I'm wrong but lettuce is mostly water, almost defeats the purpose using a water bowl to me...

Absolutely. That lettuce head has little, if any, nutritional value. I only planted it so she could have a fresh snack when she wants. It hasn't affected her appetite at meal time. The entertainment value is priceless, though ;-)

 

[RedfootsRule]

Thats the danger of using mazuri- at all. They add molasses to it (tell me, why should a tortoise have molasses to begin with?) as a sweetener, and it quickly becomes addictive to tortoises. I would honestly cut it from his diet completely, and keep him on greens, fruits and squashes.

 

[diaboliqueturtle]

Thats the danger of using mazuri- at all. They add molasses to it (tell me, why should a tortoise have molasses to begin with?) as a sweetener, and it quickly becomes addictive to tortoises. I would honestly cut it from his diet completely, and keep him on greens, fruits and squashes.

I agree. If the Mazuri is causing fussiness you can stop giving it. I raised my red foot on fresh foods for the first 3 years of her life without ANY problems whatsoever but since I introduced the Mazuri in the spring, she's been really picky, skipping meals to wait for the "Mazuri day". Now I have to mix everything together to get her to eat. I'm actually considering not getting any more once I finish the bag.