Tortoise Eating Rocks

[Scollins17]

Hi I have a marginated tortoise about 3 years old and looks large enough to be moved outside. Spent a couple weeks making a good outdoor enclosure.

Every time I move him outside, first thing he does is sit there and eat rocks until I put him back inside. First time was 2 mos ago and the couple rocks he ate didn't seem to bother him. Been acting, eating and defacting normally since. Tried again today and first thing he did was eat 2 rocks. Put him back inside.

Since then started giving him more calcium, about a week ago put a cuttlebone in his indoor enclosure. He eats the calcium on the food and munches on his cuttlebone. Tried putting outside again and he went straight back to eating rocks. Not sure what to do about this. Can't "remove all the rocks" since I live in a desert and our dirt is full of them, no matter how far you dig.

Any help and advice would be much appreciated. You guys are awesome here and I would really appreciate the help.

 

[Tom]

Hi I have a marginated tortoise about 3 years old and looks large enough to be moved outside. Spent a couple weeks making a good outdoor enclosure.

Every time I move him outside, first thing he does is sit there and eat rocks until I put him back inside. First time was 2 mos ago and the couple rocks he ate didn't seem to bother him. Been acting, eating and defacting normally since. Tried again today and first thing he did was eat 2 rocks. Put him back inside.

Since then started giving him more calcium, about a week ago put a cuttlebone in his indoor enclosure. He eats the calcium on the food and munches on his cuttlebone. Tried putting outside again and he went straight back to eating rocks. Not sure what to do about this. Can't "remove all the rocks" since I live in a desert and our dirt is full of them, no matter how far you dig.

Any help and advice would be much appreciated. You guys are awesome here and I would really appreciate the help.

This is most common in tortoises fed a lot of grocery store greens. Does that sound like you?

This is typically caused by a mineral imbalance. Adding calcium causes further mineral imbalance and makes it worse.

The solution is twofold:
1. Make sure your diet is mostly weeds, leaves, flowers, and natural stuff. Only use grocery store greens when there is nothing else available. Grow your own weeds, or scavenge them. If you must use grocery store greens, amend them with multiple items to add variety and fiber.
2. Order up some "MinerAll" from a company called "Sticky Tongue Farms". Put is on the food every other day for a couple of weeks, then taper down to twice a week. This usually stops the rock eating behavior in time.

Read this for more feeding ideas and explanation:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Yes and Yes.
From time to time I also see Redfoot eat rocks if there is no access to CUTTLEBONE. Especially if they are egg laying females.
"Rocks" here are pretty much 100% Coral which is pure calcium.

 

[TammyJ]

Can you post some pictures of his outdoor enclosure? What size is it? Do you give him opuntia cactus?

 

[Scollins17]

This is most common in tortoises fed a lot of grocery store greens. Does that sound like you?

This is typically caused by a mineral imbalance. Adding calcium causes further mineral imbalance and makes it worse.

The solution is twofold:
1. Make sure your diet is mostly weeds, leaves, flowers, and natural stuff. Only use grocery store greens when there is nothing else available. Grow your own weeds, or scavenge them. If you must use grocery store greens, amend them with multiple items to add variety and fiber.
2. Order up some "MinerAll" from a company called "Sticky Tongue Farms". Put is on the food every other day for a couple of weeks, then taper down to twice a week. This usually stops the rock eating behavior in time.

Read this for more feeding ideas and explanation:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

I've always fed a mix of various grocery store greens + a lot of seasonal weeds from outside. Such as dandelion. I also feed matzuri tortoise food as recommended from what I saw on this website.
1) Why does calcium make this condition worse? I was told to use calcium for this. But I quit after reading your initial post.
2) I bought MinerAll after reading your reply. And been adding to food as mentioned. Along with a lot more dandelion from outside. There isn't many options as I live in a suburban desert and everything has died off by the heat in this time of the year...
3) Tried moving outside again today after following MinerAll instructions. Still trying to eat rocks. I read this is somewhat normal. After 2 small rocks I relocate back inside. If I left him out there would he know when to stop? I've read this is somewhat normal. They are fairly smart animals, I would imagine they would be able to guage how to live in an larger enclosure outside, but I could be wrong...

I've used your instructions for this breed of tortoise over the years raising this one. Thank you for the reply and hope you can help me figure this issue out.

 

[Sarah2020]

Just an idea and I have no idea how big your inside enclosure is, but can you put in orchid bark substrate to ocover the area for it to snuggle into and have a barrier against the stones. Also add outermost in the enclosure a couple of low logs and rocks help add enrichment and interest. My outside enclosure has a layer of orchid bark as I put the waste bark from inside to outside. Also provide a dish for food and water that your tortoise can walk in and sit in.

 

[Tom]

I've always fed a mix of various grocery store greens + a lot of seasonal weeds from outside. Such as dandelion. I also feed matzuri tortoise food as recommended from what I saw on this website.
1) Why does calcium make this condition worse? I was told to use calcium for this. But I quit after reading your initial post.
2) I bought MinerAll after reading your reply. And been adding to food as mentioned. Along with a lot more dandelion from outside. There isn't many options as I live in a suburban desert and everything has died off by the heat in this time of the year...
3) Tried moving outside again today after following MinerAll instructions. Still trying to eat rocks. I read this is somewhat normal. After 2 small rocks I relocate back inside. If I left him out there would he know when to stop? I've read this is somewhat normal. They are fairly smart animals, I would imagine they would be able to guage how to live in an larger enclosure outside, but I could be wrong...

I've used your instructions for this breed of tortoise over the years raising this one. Thank you for the reply and hope you can help me figure this issue out.

1. This is usually do to a mineral imbalance, or lack of fiber. Adding more calcium imbalances the minerals further. Its not a lack of calcium, its a calcium imbalance. Most people see the rock and erroneously conclude that the tortoise is seeking more calcium and that is why it is eating rocks. This is usually not the case. Lack of fiber can be corrected by adding soaked horse hay pellets, ZooMed Grassland, or higher fiber foods.
2. What about mulberry leaves, grape leaves, opuntia pads, weeds growing in places with enough water, etc...?
3. Its not "normal", but it is relatively common. Tortoises are NOT smart animals, and they will find many ways to kill themselves if you don't stop them. Ask me how I know this...