Sulcata baby will only eat spring mix

[Kage]

First off right now I'm glad to see him eating he has been sick and hes now getting better but he will only eat if i give him spring mix. He has growing grass in his habitat and he wont go near it. I've tried mustard greens collard greens and kale but he takes a few bites and walks away. I afraid to let him get too hungry and have his illness return but I know green leafy veggies are bad for him. I give him calcium every other day with his salad. I want him to have a healthy diet but I also just would like him to eat right now. Any suggestions? Also how often should I feed him? Before he wasn't eating now he eats a ton but only spring mix so I also don"t want to over feed him.

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

thre is usually some kale and mustard greens in spring mix, at least in mine... to be honest, spring mix is probably one of the best things to be addicted to. Whoever said leafy greans are bad? Spring mix is all that my baby is getting right now due to the weather killing off all my plants.

 

[Tom]

Tortoises are creatures of habit. If they are used to eating this stuff, it will take a while to wean them off.

In YOUR case with a small sick one, I would not worry too much about it for a little while. Spring mix is fine for a while. Mustard, collard and kale is often unpalatable to small tortoises. They can usually be made to eat it, but "tough love" is not what it sounds like your baby needs right now. My suggestions: Finely chop up your spring mix and other new foods and mix in just a small amount of the new stuff (like grass, weeds, cactus or leaves). Over time your tortoise will start to eat it all and you can gradually up the ratio of "good" stuff to grocery store food. Also, try some Mazuri. It is a good way to get some balanced nutrition and a little much needed protein into your recovering baby.

 

[Greg T]

Someone told you wrong about green leafy food. Unless you have your tort outside grazing on grass, spring mix or other green leafy veggies shoudl be your prime food, supplemented by other treats like mazuri and some fruits occasionally. I feed mine spring mix every day, combined with red or green leaf lettuce.