Sprouted-ish tortoise seeds..

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Sorry about the title. I have no clue how to name this. But im wondering if anyone else has had this problem.
I bought tortoise seed mix awhile back and they've began sprouting or pass the sprouting stage now actually.
Like that size. And ive been feeding Max and Khaleesi them but they dont seem very interested. Especially Khaleesi.
Max will eat most of it but Khaleesi doesnt eat much of it at all.
And at the end of the day they have leftovers. No matter how much i put in.
But with store bought endive, radicchio, escarole, arugula, the bigger leafed veggies, flowers, dandelion leaves and broadleaf plantain they gobble up. Im wondering if it has anything to do with the size of the leaf? Im thinking of buying endive & radicchio seeds to see how it goes.
But does anyone have any ideas or thoughts?
The temps are 98 under basking . 80 hot end, 76 cool end, water provided daily. Soil and coco coir substrate. They have a tube uvb, but do get outside sun time at least once a week. They are Russians. Usually eat A LOT. I soak them twice daily. Separated.
The only new thing is i put some worms and pill bugs in their enclosure last week but that shouldnt change anything (though Khaleesi did look like "WHAT ARE THOSE ?!?! (O.O) for the first 2 days. Lol)

 

[JoesMum]

It's new. It's every tort's right to refuse anything.

"What's wrong with what you usually feed me? What's this rubbish?"

Just because you know it's great food doesn't mean your tort will accept it unfortunately. Hopefully he will change his mind!

Usual advice. Chop it small and mix it with wet food that he does like. The water will stick it together so he can't pick it out.

 

[JoesMum]

At least that's the advice for greens- maybe not for the bugs

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

It's new. It's every tort's right to refuse anything.

"What's wrong with what you usually feed me? What's this rubbish?"

Just because you know it's great food doesn't mean your tort will accept it unfortunately. Hopefully he will change his mind!

Usual advice. Chop it small and mix it with wet food that he does like. The water will stick it together so he can't pick it out.

Ill try that. I havent bought store greens since the seeds started growing. But ill buy some and do the mix and spray.
Thank you

 

[Tom]

Tortoises are creatures of habit. They eat what they are used to eating. It can take weeks or months for them to accept new foods and like them. Grocery store greens are like McDonalds cheeseburgers and chocolate sundaes. Every kid likes it, but its not the best diet. Put an organic arugula salad drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and topped with sesame seeds in front of a kid and what percentage of kids do you think will just eat it all up like a cheeseburger or sundae?

It can take a while to foster good eating habits in a tortoise that was not started from birth with good eating habits, but it can be done.

 

[Yvonne G]

Greens grown to sell for human consumption are much tastier than wild plant foods. Your tortoises have become accustomed to the sweet tasting store bought greens and prefer them. You're going to have to chop up the new weeds into tiny pieces and mix it in with the store bought food. You gradually add more of the sprouted greens and less of the store bought until you have them eating all the sprouted food.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Tortoises are creatures of habit. They eat what they are used to eating. It can take weeks or months for them to accept new foods and like them. Grocery store greens are like McDonalds cheeseburgers and chocolate sundaes. Every kid likes it, but its not the best diet. Put an organic arugula salad drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and topped with sesame seeds in front of a kid and what percentage of kids do you think will just eat it all up like a cheeseburger or sundae?

It can take a while to foster good eating habits in a tortoise that was not started from birth with good eating habits, but it can be done.

I wont give up on the new food.

Right now im looking at the 2 of them like : "I PLANTED THESE TO BE EATEN , SO YOU BOTH WILL EAT THEM!!"

 

[JoesMum]

I wont give up on the new food.

Right now im looking at the 2 of them like : "I PLANTED THESE TO BE EATEN , SO YOU BOTH WILL EAT THEM!!"

And so many on this forum have been there. We really do understand. We're here to support you while you point out who's in charge

 

[RosemaryDW]

Right now im looking at the 2 of them like : "I PLANTED THESE TO BE EATEN , SO YOU BOTH WILL EAT THEM!!"

I feel your pain.

My tortoise has gotten much better at eating "safe" foods and weeds but that hasn't stopped her from turning up her nose at evey other plant. I just tell myself it's not personal.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

@RosemaryDW Lol i dont know. If i take it personal it will help me and the babies get through this.
@JoesMum thank you! everyone in this apartment knows I'm in charge these cute ones will be no different ! Before i throw some more pill bugs in there to scare them , haha.

 

[naturalman91]

tough love has alway's been what won with my tort. keep putting it in front of them with no alternative and eventually it will be eaten

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

tough love has alway's been what won with my tort. keep putting it in front of them with no alternative and eventually it will be eaten

I sure will

 

[leigti]

Do you feed and house them separately? You said that you soak them separately With two tortoises one might be dominating the other and keeping it from eating. Separate enclosures is the way to go in my opinion.
In the summer my tortoises stay outside and I have planted tortoise seed mixes in their pens. It is the only food they have so they eat it.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Do you feed and house them separately? You said that you soak them separately With two tortoises one might be dominating the other and keeping it from eating. Separate enclosures is the way to go in my opinion.
In the summer my tortoises stay outside and I have planted tortoise seed mixes in their pens. It is the only food they have so they eat it.

Yes they are housed separate. And the home grown food is also all ive been providing them to eat aswell.

 

[leigti]

Yes they are housed separate. And the home grown food is also all ive been providing them to eat aswell.

It won't be long before both tortoises are eating it up just fine.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Update: they've been devouring the seed mix ive planted BUT now i have a problem if the plants not regrowing. Usually when you prune them, it will keep growing. But for some reason thats not happening with my seed mix. The grass keeps growing, but none of the others.
I water every 2-3 days when the soil looks like its starting to dry, they get sunshine from noon til sunset. But theyre not growing. The soil has "3 months worth of fertilizer" in it. I leave it out on the balcony... I dont know. I dont want to pull it all out and then plant some more seeds then have this problem again.