Tort Temper Tantrum

[HuskyDaneMom]

I am trying to get Cruz to eat more variety and have started adding herbal hay.

Yesterday was the 4th day that I included it with his greens. He has been eating sparingly and trying to eat around it. He was eagerly waiting for his food dish so I mixed it with some grassland and mazuri and his greens.

Well he was Not happy and made his feelings known. For about 45 minutes he paced back and forth between his dish and basking spot, bumping the walls and tossing food out of the dish. He pulled clumps of moss down from over his hide, flung substrate and just kept bumping the glass but the doors use for access.

He'd nibble a bite and then fling more food out of the dish. He was unsettled the whole day.

But I didn't give in and gave him a similar mix today and he ate some. Still not as much as usual but no tantrum.

Who would have thought a tortoise could make his displeasure known so clearly?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

I am trying to get Cruz to eat more variety and have started adding herbal hay.

Yesterday was the 4th day that I included it with his greens. He has been eating sparingly and trying to eat around it. He was eagerly waiting for his food dish so I mixed it with some grassland and mazuri and his greens.

Well he was Not happy and made his feelings known. For about 45 minutes he paced back and forth between his dish and basking spot, bumping the walls and tossing food out of the dish. He pulled clumps of moss down from over his hide, flung substrate and just kept bumping the glass but the doors use for access.

He'd nibble a bite and then fling more food out of the dish. He was unsettled the whole day.

But I didn't give in and gave him a similar mix today and he ate some. Still not as much as usual but no tantrum.

Who would have thought a tortoise could make his displeasure known so clearly?

They can get terribly picky and fussy, can't they ?
Stick with the program, he'll cave when he's hungry enough.

 

[dmmj]

stand-your-ground tortoises are extremely strong-willed.

 

[Jodie]

Good for you. Way to stick it out. He will benefit in the long run. The more stuff he learns to eat, the easier it will be to introduce new stuff.
I have a leopard that throws fits too. I was amazed the first time. It was over an enclosure change. It is a riot to watch their personality develop and be known.

 

[Dosu]

Haha my tortoise did exactly the same when I tried to feed her zoomed pellets. She basically rearranged the whole enclosure and threw the food all over