I finally have my little hermann's Walter. Oddly enough he refuses to eat anything that isn't torn to shreds and held by hand. It seems extra odd because he's almost 5 and hadn't been handled except when necessary. Is there some way to get him to eat from his bowl? It's always full of fresh greens but besides marching through it he barely pays it any attention. Walter does happily chow down on his cuttlefish bone wherever it is.
Picky Hermann's
- Thread starter Bow
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Don't give him the option. Put the food down, leave him alone and he'll go to it when he's hungry enough. Just make sure it's somewhere he can see easily. Emrys won't eat in the darker parts of his enclosure, so aim for somewhere very light.
Rather than using a bowl, get a flat rock or a slate tile...your tortoise can see the food better, plus it'll help in keeping his beak and nails trimmed.
Good advice above. Feed him on a flat slate or tile in bright place and don't pamper him.
Tortoises are experts at pushing anxious buttons on their owners. A healthy tortoise can easily go 3 weeks without eating and come to no harm as long as they are properly hydrated (soak daily for 20 mins).
He'll eat properly when he's hungry and he realises that hand-feeding is not going to be forthcoming!
Tortoises are experts at pushing anxious buttons on their owners. A healthy tortoise can easily go 3 weeks without eating and come to no harm as long as they are properly hydrated (soak daily for 20 mins).
He'll eat properly when he's hungry and he realises that hand-feeding is not going to be forthcoming!
Hi Bow:
After seeing Walter's picture in your Welcome Walter thread, I think he has a hard time biting food. His lower beak protrudes out beyond the upper and this would make it difficult for him to bite off pieces. He'll need to see the vet to have it ground down a bit, then feeding him on a rough surface will keep it in shape.
Walter is a beauty. Where did you have to drive to to get him?
After seeing Walter's picture in your Welcome Walter thread, I think he has a hard time biting food. His lower beak protrudes out beyond the upper and this would make it difficult for him to bite off pieces. He'll need to see the vet to have it ground down a bit, then feeding him on a rough surface will keep it in shape.
Walter is a beauty. Where did you have to drive to to get him?
I drove to Vernon to get him, it was about 10 hours both ways, with so much snow my poor pug sunk up to her neck. Don't worry I'm making a vet appointment for next week to get his underbite ground down, a couple days of coddling and no car rides won't hurt him.
Bow said:
Thus the "happily chowing down on his cuttlebone"...Walter knows what he needs!
Tortoises are pretty clever like that!
Terry Allan Hall said:
Will the cuttlebone make a big difference? It should keep it from growing more, but will it grind down his jaw enough that I don't have to see a vet try to grind it with a frightening dangerous looking drill bit?
Bow said:
No, but once the vet fixes the problem, between feeding him on a flat rock and his chewing on a cuttlebone, the problem will likely never resurface.
Walter will soon be fine!
Terry Allan Hall said:No, but once the vet fixes the problem, between feeding him on a flat rock and his chewing on a cuttlebone, the problem will likely never resurface.
Walter will soon be fine!
I ended up taking a soft emery board to her beak, about a week ago. Wholly man! She eats like a monster! Every little bit of food is GONE after 20 minutes. No more worrying about her not eating enough. She really likes arugula, the organic market I go to on lunch breaks has bags of baby arugula and kale. She can't get enough of it! Anything off organic nature that goes in with her doesn't come out. I even caught her stalking along after a little slug that snuck in on breakfast weeds.
Bow said:Terry Allan Hall said:No, but once the vet fixes the problem, between feeding him on a flat rock and his chewing on a cuttlebone, the problem will likely never resurface.
Walter will soon be fine!
I ended up taking a soft emery board to her beak, about a week ago. Wholly man! She eats like a monster! Every little bit of food is GONE after 20 minutes. No more worrying about her not eating enough. She really likes arugula, the organic market I go to on lunch breaks has bags of baby arugula and kale. She can't get enough of it! Anything off organic nature that goes in with her doesn't come out. I even caught her stalking along after a little slug that snuck in on breakfast weeds.
Excellent news!
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