Weeds

[cpl1307]

Why is it my little girl will not eat Any weeds, appart from dandelion flowers, which she can't get them down fast enough, also Ragwort flowers. I've tried everything and she won't entertain them! 😔

 

[TammyJ]

Sometimes you have to get sneaky and really mix up the weeds with things you know she loves.

 

[Tom]

Why is it my little girl will not eat Any weeds, appart from dandelion flowers, which she can't get them down fast enough, also Ragwort flowers. I've tried everything and she won't entertain them! 😔

Because the breeder did not introduce those items as "food" when the tortoise hatched.

Tortoises eat what they've eaten before. New items are not seen as food. Since the breeder didn't do this, you have to. Start by mincing up a big pile of an old favorite and spraying it with water. Then mince up a tiny tiny amount of the new stuff. Just a few little flecks to start with. Mix it all together and feed it to the tortoise. If the tortoise won't eat it, you used wayyyyy too much of the new item. Imagine you dropped a leaf of lettuce on the floor and when you picked it up there were two or three pieces of "dirt" stuck to it. That is the amount of "new" stuff we are talking about. Hardly any at all. Over a period of weeks or months, you gradually, repeat GRADUALLY, up the amount of new stuff.

Adding in favorite things like the dandelion flowers, or Mazuri, or a favorite lettuce can speed up the process.

If the tortoise refuses to eat, or just nibbles on some days, let it get hungry. Don't cave in and feed it what it wants. Let it learn what hunger is, and DO NOT feel bad because there is a giant pile of good food right there in front of the tortoise and it can eat its fill anytime it wants. The tortoise is choosing to be hungry or picky in this case. You are NOT starving your tortoise. Favorite Tom quote: "A hungry tortoise is not a picky tortoise."

 

[cpl1307]

Sometimes you have to get sneaky and really mix up the weeds with things you know she loves.

Good idea! I will give it a go. Thank you Tammy 😊

 

[cpl1307]

Because the breeder did not introduce those items as "food" when the tortoise hatched.

Tortoises eat what they've eaten before. New items are not seen as food. Since the breeder didn't do this, you have to. Start by mincing up a big pile of an old favorite and spraying it with water. Then mince up a tiny tiny amount of the new stuff. Just a few little flecks to start with. Mix it all together and feed it to the tortoise. If the tortoise won't eat it, you used wayyyyy too much of the new item. Imagine you dropped a leaf of lettuce on the floor and when you picked it up there were two or three pieces of "dirt" stuck to it. That is the amount of "new" stuff we are talking about. Hardly any at all. Over a period of weeks or months, you gradually, repeat GRADUALLY, up the amount of new stuff.

Adding in favorite things like the dandelion flowers, or Mazuri, or a favorite lettuce can speed up the process.

If the tortoise refuses to eat, or just nibbles on some days, let it get hungry. Don't cave in and feed it what it wants. Let it learn what hunger is, and DO NOT feel bad because there is a giant pile of good food right there in front of the tortoise and it can eat its fill anytime it wants. The tortoise is choosing to be hungry or picky in this case. You are NOT starving your tortoise. Favorite Tom quote: "A hungry tortoise is not a picky tortoise."

Ok. I'm doing it. I will start tiny and build up. Like you say, if she's hungry enough she will eat it. I find that if im late feeding her, she eats the plants I have in there, all safe plants of course, but she will climb to get them, So I guess it might just work.
Yet again! Thank you Tom 😊

 

[Tom]

Ok. I'm doing it. I will start tiny and build up. Like you say, if she's hungry enough she will eat it. I find that if im late feeding her, she eats the plants I have in there, all safe plants of course, but she will climb to get them, So I guess it might just work.
Yet again! Thank you Tom 😊

You are welcome. Be more stubborn than the tortoise!

Weigh weekly to make sure the tortoise isn't losing too much.

 

[cpl1307]

You are welcome. Be more stubborn than the tortoise!

Weigh weekly to make sure the tortoise isn't losing too much.

Omg Tom, she won't stop putting weight on and has grown in 2 years ridiculously fast. 56g when I got her and now 503g. You can constantly see new shell transparent almost growing right round and then turning dark brown, then repeats. I give her some dandelion flowers today and wrapped dandelion leaves in 1, Sowthistle in another and some clover in another. She are them that fast, she didn't even notice thanks to your advice. You can see the new growth of the shell on the close up pictures hopefully

You are welcome. Be more stubborn than the tortoise!

Weigh weekly to make sure the tortoise isn't losing too much.

 

[Tom]

Omg Tom, she won't stop putting weight on and has grown in 2 years ridiculously fast. 56g when I got her and now 503g. You can constantly see new shell transparent almost growing right round and then turning dark brown, then repeats. I give her some dandelion flowers today and wrapped dandelion leaves in 1, Sowthistle in another and some clover in another. She are them that fast, she didn't even notice thanks to your advice. You can see the new growth of the shell on the close up pictures hopefully

This is a very attractive Russian tortoise.

 

[cpl1307]

This is a very attractive Russian tortoise.

Thank you