Russian tortoise really likes spinach

sailarx

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I have a juvenile RT and he really likes eating spinach and at one point ate that alone for 3days back to back. When ever I look up what his diet should consist of I always see either no spinach or in moderation. Should I be worried?
 

Yossarian

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spinach is ok, but should be in moderation. For a leafy green it is really high in protein. It is contains oxalic acid which binds with calcium in the digestive tract and can reduce availability of calcium, that said, dandelions are also high in oxalic acid and they can eat them for days. The main takeaway is it wont hurt your tort once in a while, but it shouldnt be an every day food.
 

Thomasstortoise

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I had the same problem with my tortoise, he only ate lettuce, but included more foods to his diet i excluded lettuce for a while and now when i offer lettuce he doesn’t want to eat it, so in conclusion dont feed spinach for a while your tort will not starve itself introduce new foods to him!
 

Lyn W

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You could just give better foods mixed in with the spinach and gradually reduce it, if he is refusing other foods.
 

Tom

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I have a juvenile RT and he really likes eating spinach and at one point ate that alone for 3days back to back. When ever I look up what his diet should consist of I always see either no spinach or in moderation. Should I be worried?
I agree with the other posters here. Its okay to feed a little spinach once in a while, but not whole meals every day for multiple days in a row.
 
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