New tortoise owner here. I brought my red foot home about a week ago. He is two years old, and his old owner gave him banana every day. He will eat that, and pretty much any fruit if I hand feed him while he is soaking- I have been soaking everyday, just placing him in his water dish with fresh warm water, because he was not getting fresh water before and his humidity was terrible. My question is, should I cut out fruit altogether for a while to force him to eat what he is supposed to? I offer spring mix and veggies every day and so far he refuses to eat it, only takes a few bites of whatever fruit.
Spoiled RF
- Thread starter Jegotting
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Hello and welcome
There is a really good care guide here for you to read in the Tortoise Library for Red Foots http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/species-information-2/chelonoidis/
I also recommend our Beginner Mistakes Guide http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Your tort needs more variety in his diet , banana should only be fed occasionally. They love it and will hold out stubbornly for it like a child will hold out for candy. You have to apply some tough love - a hungry tort will eat,
If yoou post pictures of your tort, the enclosure and the lighting we can help you perfect it for your new friend.
There is a really good care guide here for you to read in the Tortoise Library for Red Foots http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/species-information-2/chelonoidis/
I also recommend our Beginner Mistakes Guide http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Your tort needs more variety in his diet , banana should only be fed occasionally. They love it and will hold out stubbornly for it like a child will hold out for candy. You have to apply some tough love - a hungry tort will eat,
If yoou post pictures of your tort, the enclosure and the lighting we can help you perfect it for your new friend.
Sometimes torts can be stubborn like human toddlers. You have to stand your ground and keep offering greens. The greens are very important.
I like the food list provided by The Tortoise Library as well. It's a great list.
Greens, veggies, and fruit need to be his diet. Mine gets fruit very regularly, but not banana. That's a once a month treat. Try berries, chopped apple, occassionally kiwi, cantalope and other melons are good, strawberries.. He needs the greens and veggies as well though.
Try fresh dandilion(leaves and flowers), if he doesn't eat it try it with romaine lettuce mixed in. Keep replacing with fresh if not eaten. Eventually when he does eat it start adding fruit back in to the diet. As a guide for fruit portion, work on equivalent to head size. If he only eats the fruit again, leave fruit out again or reduce fruit amount until he has to eat weeds/greens to fill up. If you don't pile the fruit mountain high he will eat fruit and weeds/greens.
This is exactly what I do. A small amount of fruit sprinkled over the top of his greens, everyday.
I add veggies as well. Squash, zucchini, grated carrots.....
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I had a Redfoot years ago that would only eat Mazuri and it took about a month and a half of mixing and cutting back to win the battle.
Now that tortoise will eat anything.
Now that tortoise will eat anything.
Mine only ate those rainbow pellets from the pet store when I got him (a bowl filled with it came with him and there was a thick film of mold on it. He was still eating it...) and tomatoes were the only fresh foods he would eat. I smashed them up and spread them on leafy greens, then went to just dripping tomato juice on them, then he finally transitioned to eating food normally.
