HELP ME FEED MY LEOPARD TORT!

SQuimby

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Oct 4, 2016
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I live in Indiana and the stores don't have great selection for food. He only willingly eats green leaf lettuce. Hates the spring mix, he won't touch it. I've tried Kale, Collard Greens, etc and he just doesn't eat it. Can I get away with just feeding green leaf lettuce if I supplement his calcium?
He's about 5 months old and he's a leopard tort. Help please :)
 

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JoesMum

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The first thing to understand is that torts know what they like and they like what they know. Introducing new food stuffs is frequently a struggle and some torts are very good at training their owners into only giving them the food they want to eat.

You have to be the tough parent here. Your tort will behave like a child that only wants to eat chips and chocolate unless you are strong!

A hungry tortoise will eat. If it goes on hunger strike, you must soak your tortoise, but don't give in.

The best method to introduce new foods is to:
- chop the stuff your tort will eat really small and wet it
- chop a tiny amount of the new food really small and mix it in. The wetness will make it stick together.
- if your tort eats the mixture increase the quantity of new food slightly at the next feed and decrease the amount of anything you need to eliminate
- if your tort refuses to eat it, leave it there all day and night and then next day replace it with fresh in exactly the same proportion

Write a list of all the greens you can buy and those that grow around you and look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability to feed:
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

I'll post a list of suggestions next
 

JoesMum

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Here's a list of suitable greens

Look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database if you're not sure what they look like.
http://thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plant_database_14.asp

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard
 

cmacusa3

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Great looking Leopard

find a sprouts or a whole foods. You can find dandelion greens, Radicchio, Endive, Escarole, edible flowers and tons of other good things.
 

wellington

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I second all the above. Feeding more calcium isn't the trick or the reason for all the different foods needed. Plus, too much calcium is as bad as too little. Whole foods and most ethic markets will carry a variety of good foods to feed. Just follow the suggestions that JoesMum gave and eventually he will be eating all kinds of things.
 

SQuimby

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OK thanks guys. Guess I need to find a whole food store in town then!
 

britsip

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My tortoise is a picky eater, but I've found that he LOVES carrots and prickly pear. I followed the above advice and mushed carrots into food and it worked. Find a Hispanic market and you'll not only find prickly pear and dandelion, but an assortment of greens at a much cheaper price than Whole Foods.
 

TerrapinStation

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+ 1 on finding an ethnic grocery store.... Hispanic & Asian will always have a great selection of stuff that your tort can & will eat.
 

Gillian M

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A very warm welcome to the forum.

That's an adorable tort! GOD bless.

I totally agree with @JoesMum as far as your tort's diet is concerned. I struggled like mad when I got Oli (my beloved Greek tort), as he would NOT eat anything but Roman lettuce. Moreover, I found no food for torts here in Jordan. @ZEROPILOT was generous enough to send me mazuri, calcium powder and ever cuttlefish. ( Thank you @ZEROPILOT ! ) It took me a real lot of time as well as effort to get Oli to eat all the "new" food. My advise is: do not get your cute tort used to lettuce.
 
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