I put him outside every now and then, and since I live in Las Vegas, I figured this is good tortoise weather. I put him in this big desert area next to my house, and he eats rocks. Is this normal?

Probably for fiber. Do you give him fibrous foods?

I give him these pellets from petsmart. The woman said they're a good source of necessary vitamins, but I also give him veggies.

Rocks contain minerals, not fiber! Plants contain fiber, which should be the basis of a tortoises diet. While some of the better pellets do contain some valuable vitamins and minerals, some also contain high percentages of protein. A few also have a very poor calcium to phosphorus ratio.

Please don't listen to people at Petsmart. They mean well...but they really don't know specifics of what each animal needs. Make sure to double check your info on here!

The rock eating is most often due to a mineral deficiency. A better diet will help, but so will a good mineral supplement. Do a google search for "Miner-all" and order yourself some. Then, you need to start soaking that tortoise ever day for at least a couple of weeks to make sure the already ingested rocks pass through.

Miner-all is the best thing for rock eaters. Mine was eating rocks too. I bought miner all. In about a week, she was no longer eating rocks and no longer pooping out rocks. If you think about it rocks contain minerals. They are searching for them. They are missing minerals in their diet. It was the best money I spent, saved me a vet trip. Trust me it works....

GBtortoises Wrote:Rocks contain minerals, not fiber! Plants contain fiber, which should be the basis of a tortoises diet. While some of the better pellets do contain some valuable vitamins and minerals, some also contain high percentages of protein. A few also have a very poor calcium to phosphorus ratio.

You know as I was typing that out I was like: "I actually think that's for minerals not fiber" woops! Sorry megoon!

Oh gosh! Well, I can't really do online ordering, but I can look for a store that sells Miner-all! Thank you!