Squeaking rubber noise?

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Hello all!
Recently I've been hearing noodles make this weird squeak noise, like cartoon rubber shoes, whenever he's eating. He is around 8-9 months old. I keep his ambient temp at ~80 degrees f, and I re-moisturize his enclosure once a week. He has a humidity box with wet substrate, and he uses coco coir substrate. He is soaked every other day. He eats spring salad mix--occasionally with peeled carrots--and I sprinkle vitamins on his food every other day. Is his food too big for him? Not moist enough?

Thank you all,
Lou and Noodles.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Hello all!
Recently I've been hearing noodles make this weird squeak noise, like cartoon rubber shoes, whenever he's eating. He is around 8-9 months old. I keep his ambient temp at ~80 degrees f, and I re-moisturize his enclosure once a week. He has a humidity box with wet substrate, and he uses coco coir substrate. He is soaked every other day. He eats spring salad mix--occasionally with peeled carrots--and I sprinkle vitamins on his food every other day. Is his food too big for him? Not moist enough?

Thank you all,
Lou and Noodles.
What is the night temp? Over night low, I mean?

Spring mix is not a good tortoise diet. I wouldn't feed carrots very often or in any quantity.

Read this for feeding info:
 
Joined
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What is the night temp? Over night low, I mean?

Spring mix is not a good tortoise diet. I wouldn't feed carrots very often or in any quantity.

Read this for feeding info:
The temperature at night is around 70-80 degrees f. I have just ordered some tortoise seeds so I can grow noodles' food. I thought carrots were good for them? Also, how bad is the spring mix? I read that it's recommended.
 

Tom

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The temperature at night is around 70-80 degrees f. I have just ordered some tortoise seeds so I can grow noodles' food. I thought carrots were good for them? Also, how bad is the spring mix? I read that it's recommended.
70ish is good for a baby Russian over night.

Carrots are too high in sugar. Tortoise GI tracts don't handle sugars well.

Spring mix is lacking in fiber, lacking in calcium, lacking variety, and lacking in nutrients. Its okay to feed it sometimes, but not as a main part of the diet, and not without adding supplemental fiber and variety to it. The care sheet I linked will explain it further.
 
Joined
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Location (City and/or State)
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70ish is good for a baby Russian over night.

Carrots are too high in sugar. Tortoise GI tracts don't handle sugars well.

Spring mix is lacking in fiber, lacking in calcium, lacking variety, and lacking in nutrients. Its okay to feed it sometimes, but not as a main part of the diet, and not without adding supplemental fiber and variety to it. The care sheet I linked will explain it further.

70ish is good for a baby Russian over night.

Carrots are too high in sugar. Tortoise GI tracts don't handle sugars well.

Spring mix is lacking in fiber, lacking in calcium, lacking variety, and lacking in nutrients. Its okay to feed it sometimes, but not as a main part of the diet, and not without adding supplemental fiber and variety to it. The care sheet I linked will explain it further.
Until I can get those seeds and use them, is it okay to use that vitamin powder I was talking about? or I have Mazuri, but my vet said not to use them everyday because they can cause weight issues. What do you recommend?
 

Lyn W

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In the UK and colder climates we have to use things like shop bought salad mixes as a base for feeding in the winter. It's OK but not ideal. and needs variety and added fibre with a pinch of calcium and vitamins a couple of times a week and some people use dried foods occasionally.
When the weeds and flowers etc grow back again that should be the main diet.
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to tort safe plants and will help you ID them (easier if you have names to check in their database).
Carrots can be a choking hazard even for the bigger species. It would be safer grated into food but I don't feed it now because of the sugars. Carrot leaves are ok but my tort isn't actually that keen on either.
 

Tom

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Until I can get those seeds and use them, is it okay to use that vitamin powder I was talking about? or I have Mazuri, but my vet said not to use them everyday because they can cause weight issues. What do you recommend?
Vitamins once a week are great. Mazuri as a supplement once or twice a week is great.

You can begin using different greens from the market now. Favor endive and escarole. Add in cilantro, arugula, collards, mustard and turns greens, kale occasionally, and more. You can also start using soaked horse hay pellets or ZooMed pellets right now to add much needed fiber.

Then go to KapidoloFarms.com and order up some dried leaves to mix in to the store bought greens. Tortoisesupply.com offers an excellent "Herbal Hay" to mix in for even more variety and some fiber.

The bulk of the diet should be weeds, leaves and flowers from all around you. Growing your own food is excellent, but there is lots of good free food all around you too. Not so much in winter, but the rest of the year.

Also know that your tortoise will resist all of these new additions. It will take time to get the tortoise used to any new food. Start very slowly with tiny amounts of the new stuff mixed in with the old stuff. I mean just a few crumbs at first. It will take weeks or months to get the tortoise used to eating new and better things. Don't give up. Your tortoises long term health depends on it.
 
Joined
Mar 20, 2020
Messages
89
Location (City and/or State)
Denver, Colorado
Vitamins once a week are great. Mazuri as a supplement once or twice a week is great.

You can begin using different greens from the market now. Favor endive and escarole. Add in cilantro, arugula, collards, mustard and turns greens, kale occasionally, and more. You can also start using soaked horse hay pellets or ZooMed pellets right now to add much needed fiber.

Then go to KapidoloFarms.com and order up some dried leaves to mix in to the store bought greens. Tortoisesupply.com offers an excellent "Herbal Hay" to mix in for even more variety and some fiber.

The bulk of the diet should be weeds, leaves and flowers from all around you. Growing your own food is excellent, but there is lots of good free food all around you too. Not so much in winter, but the rest of the year.

Also know that your tortoise will resist all of these new additions. It will take time to get the tortoise used to any new food. Start very slowly with tiny amounts of the new stuff mixed in with the old stuff. I mean just a few crumbs at first. It will take weeks or months to get the tortoise used to eating new and better things. Don't give up. Your tortoises long term health depends on it.
Update on noodles' food: he loves endive!! we got curly endive, and he seems to really enjoy any curly greens.
 

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