Tortoise not eating

legan52

Active Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2016
Messages
93
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago
Haven’t been on here in a while but our guy doesn’t seem interested in food and I’m getting concerned. He’s about 1400grams and normally runs to his food and eats like a pig. The past three days he’s completely disinterested. He gets baths 3-4x a week and his enclosure never drops below 75 on the cool side. During the day it’s 80-95 basking. Enclosure is 6ft by 2ft (larger one being built, I know). He’s been getting a lot more outdoor time lately in a makeshift enclosure. New house, nothing permanent ready yet. He’s pooped twice since he stopped eating and seems to have plenty of energy outdoors, although I haven’t seen him graze and he ignores mazuri. Is he grumpy about not being outside full time? I can’t think of anything else that could be wrong. IMG_7483.jpg
 

Hutsie B

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
471
Location (City and/or State)
NC
Are you sure he hasn't been grazing? His temps can go up some more. basking 90-100 cool side no lower than 80
 

legan52

Active Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2016
Messages
93
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago
Are you sure he hasn't been grazing? His temps can go up some more. basking 90-100 cool side no lower than 80

I’m pretty sure he hasn’t, and he normally eats a ton every day. He didn’t go outside for two days (rainy/cold) and both days he boycotted food inside. I watch him closely outside and I haven’t seen him nibble at anything, even when I put goodies out to tempt him.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Get the temps raised as already mentioned. Not below 80 day and night and basking 95-100. Humidity 80%
Feed him his regular food when he is outside. Put it in the grass and weeds. Be sure he has plenty of shade and water too.
 

legan52

Active Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2016
Messages
93
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago
Get the temps raised as already mentioned. Not below 80 day and night and basking 95-100. Humidity 80%
Feed him his regular food when he is outside. Put it in the grass and weeds. Be sure he has plenty of shade and water too.

I’ve been trying to tempt him with food that’s fresher and tastier than normal grass but he just won’t eat. How many days should this go on before I try something different? He seems alert otherwise when he’s outside. In his indoor enclosure he just lays around mostly.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Mix the other foods in with the grass. Chop it all including grass to same size and spritz with water so it sticks together. He will have to eat the other stuff in order to eat the grass. Smear the soaked mazuri on the food too.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
He has to be able to warm up under a basking spot that reads 95-100 in order to properly digest his food. If he can't he won't eat. Keep him well hydrated.
 

legan52

Active Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2016
Messages
93
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago
He has to be able to warm up under a basking spot that reads 95-100 in order to properly digest his food. If he can't he won't eat. Keep him well hydrated.

He’s been in the same enclosure with the same heating system for over a year. Nothing has changed except that the enclosure is in our new house. The temps are all the same. The only factor that has changed is that he’s been outside a lot more than before. Those tricks to mix his food up are good but he’s not eating at all. He’s disinterested in food in general. I’ve offered treats like strawberries and aloe but no luck. When I take him outside he walks around his pen but doesn’t eat. In his enclosure he mostly lays and basks or sleeps, but doesn’t eat. He’s normal in the bath. Walks around a bit, drinks, poops. He’s less active in his enclosure but most importantly isn’t eating. He’s pooped regularly but I don’t really get how since he’s not consuming anything that I can see. Small poops in comparison though. Anything I can do to encourage eating other than offering treats? Or any other foods that are irresistible? How long can they go before it’s a huge problem?
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Hmmm, try feeding romaine or regular head lettuce. Most torts can't resist those. You can also try some piedialyte and baby food purée of carrots or even a squash in his soak water just too try and entice him to want too eat.
He must be eating something if he's still pooping though, even if it's a little bit.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Once you can find something he likes and wants too eat, then slowly start adding other better foods in, in small amounts and be sure too chop all up finely so he can't pick through the foods. But first let's just try to get him too eat.
 

legan52

Active Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2016
Messages
93
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago
I’ll try the baby food and see if that helps at all. He would normally run full speed to his dish for wet mazuri and he barely sniffed it when i put it on a spoon under his nose. He still walks around and seems perfectly fine otherwise so it’s just so strange. We moved about a month ago and he was fine at first but for almost a week now it’s been this boycott.
 

New Posts

Top