Tort not growing.
- Thread starter Turbotort
- Start date
That is what I use. Don't know if its the best or only though.
Yay on the slight gain!!! I bought the mazuri LS and T-rex tortoise food. I soak the mazuri and crumble it in with their finely chopped spring mix, grass and weed clippings. I figure some is better than none. They won't touch it otherwise. The T-rex however, they love it. I give it as a treat once a week. Maybe try it if you haven't already.
I have tried t rex. The stuff that looks like fruity pebbles lol. He didn't touch it by itself. I only recently started chopping up things together. So I should continue to do that. My brother just told me about an organic food store that I may find dandelion greens at so ill be stopping by there today after work.
Well you can't say you haven't tried your best! You are doing awesome! Keep trying things over and over. He/she might eventually catch on. One thing that I have not seen discussed is bacteria. Hatchling spend most of their time in the hide, often eating parents poop. I bet their digestion gets a Jumpstart from the gut bacteria left in the poo from the parents. (Probiotics of sorts) it would be interesting to find out what the main gut bacteria is in a tortoise and see if we could supplement the failure to thrive hatchling for a short time to see if that helps.
I read that torts will eat poo but I hadn't though of something like that haha. Wouldn't be suprised if that actually helps haha.
I was able to find dandelion greens at the store tonight and some wheat grass that I can replant.
Sooo I'm going to continue to mix the romaine, green leaf, mustard greens, dandelion, and wheat grass together. Chop it up really small and just do that day after day. I'm assuming he'll eventually start eating it all. At least I hope. That should be a nice variety. Ontop of the testudo outside while getting sun.
I was able to find dandelion greens at the store tonight and some wheat grass that I can replant.
Sooo I'm going to continue to mix the romaine, green leaf, mustard greens, dandelion, and wheat grass together. Chop it up really small and just do that day after day. I'm assuming he'll eventually start eating it all. At least I hope. That should be a nice variety. Ontop of the testudo outside while getting sun.
Cool!
DGerr
New Member
I'm pretty sure Mazuri LS is made for omnivorous tortoises. You would need the regular Mazuri Tortoise diet.
DGerr
New Member
Never mind. Just double checked. It's the herbivorous reptile diet that is made for omnivorous torts and reptiles.
The tortoise LS is for herbivore torts.
Sorry.
The tortoise LS is for herbivore torts.
Sorry.
I sprinkle TNT (from Carolinapetsupply.com) on Romaine lettuce before giving it to my tortoises. TNT is dried ground up weeds and is very healthy. You can order it with or without probotics. 
I started chopping up a mixture of different greens and he's being quite picky and spending all day picking through the pile. I didnt do a good job before and would put whole leafs in there and left him choose what to eat.
I certainly hope he'll start eating all the stuff I give him. I was thinking of Romaine, Green Leaf, Dandelion Greens, and Escrole? I want to keep it consistent now so he gets a proper varied diet. Assuming he will actually eat it all.
When I put him outside he eats the testudo thats growing in the kiddie pool but won't eat the stuff im growing in his enclosure. Not really sure why. Maybe natural uv and artificial make the plants taste slightly different?
I thiiiiiink I see possible shell growth. I'll weigh him monday and see if it's true.
I certainly hope he'll start eating all the stuff I give him. I was thinking of Romaine, Green Leaf, Dandelion Greens, and Escrole? I want to keep it consistent now so he gets a proper varied diet. Assuming he will actually eat it all.
When I put him outside he eats the testudo thats growing in the kiddie pool but won't eat the stuff im growing in his enclosure. Not really sure why. Maybe natural uv and artificial make the plants taste slightly different?
I thiiiiiink I see possible shell growth. I'll weigh him monday and see if it's true.
I don't have the answer here, but I can tell you that many people share similar experiences. Some tortoises are just pickier than others, but I see things like this from time to time. I have 11 leopard tortoises. 10 of them will devour mallow on sight. I have this one that just marches around his enclosure weaving around, under and over clumps of fresh growing mallow looking for something to eat. He just doesn't seem to get it. I can mix mallow in with a handful of clover, plantain and dandelion and he eats it all up, but he doesn't seem to realize that mallow growing in the ground is food.
Weird, I tell ya'.
Yeah im just trying really hard to make sure there is a varied diet. I'm guilty of not doing a good job for a while. Mainly because he wouldn't eat hardly anything I gave him besidea romaine or other low nutrition lettuces. I'm sticking to my guns now with the variety. I would like to try mazuri LS sense he won't eat the normal stuff.
@Turbotort the LS tastes worse. I have some, mine only get part of it when I mix it with finely chopped greens. I soak it then crumble it in the greens. If you pm me your address I can send you a small amount to give it a try before you spend more $$ on something your tort won't eat.
Ah, probably not even worth trying lol.
Alright so I went and got more Escrole and I found belgium endive. I will be mixing that in now as well.
So Romain, green leaf lettuce, dandelion, belgium endive, and Escrole.
I think thats a good variety. But now that my tort is unbelievably picky. Should I dice all of this into very small pieces so he can't pick through it? Or would that possibly be bad if he chooses not to eat any of it at all assuming he doesn't like something in the mix? I'm just trying not to lose any ground here. I feel im so close to getting of this stunted growth. Meh
Alright so I went and got more Escrole and I found belgium endive. I will be mixing that in now as well.
So Romain, green leaf lettuce, dandelion, belgium endive, and Escrole.
I think thats a good variety. But now that my tort is unbelievably picky. Should I dice all of this into very small pieces so he can't pick through it? Or would that possibly be bad if he chooses not to eat any of it at all assuming he doesn't like something in the mix? I'm just trying not to lose any ground here. I feel im so close to getting of this stunted growth. Meh
Chop it all small.
Yeah, I'd start by small chopping. But I agree, you don't want him to lose any ground. Have you tried the herbal tortoise hay from tortoisesupply? That is a really good way to supplement a grocery store greens diet and it would help add nutrients/fiber to his diet. My guys eat mostly weeds now but I still sprinkle it on their food most days because they like it.
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