Only eating Hibiscus?

MaddieLynn

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I moved Doris into her outdoor enclosure a week ago and she pretty much just hid for a couple of days and didn’t want to eat which I kind of expected. I seeded the enclosure with all sorts of tort friendly plants and bought her a nice big hibiscus to go ahead and have an established plant. Now she’s come out and started eating but the problem is she ONLY wants to eat the hibiscus leaves! It’s a big plant and she’s a tiny tort so I’m not worried about her doing much damage but rather about her not getting enough variety? I’ll put her in front of her food dish and she’ll turn around and make a beeline back to the hibiscus.

Thoughts or suggestions?
 

Rachel337

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I believe they know what they need for the most part. I'd say keep offering her a variety of other food and let her pick what she eats.
 

Toddrickfl1

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Ya... Hibiscus is like tortoise crack! Once they try it they're hooked. The good news is it's a good staple good for them, both the leaves and flowers.
 

dmmj

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Only the leaves, not the flowers? Mine only likes the flowers. If your RF is chowing down on just the leaves let him, offer other foods. When there are no more leaves he will eat other foods.
 

TammyJ

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Yes, it's a bit odd about the leaves. Mine definitely prefer the flowers!
They can - maybe - get hooked and spoilt on one food item, and that's not good. If it was me I would let them go ahead for a few days with a mix of stuff including the hibiscus leaves, but if they continue to eat only the leaves, I would then remove the leaves, and offer everything else until they jolly well start eating other stuff - just so long as it's the "right stuff" for them. Then when they have "learned", I would re-introduce the hibiscus leaves as part of a mixture about twice per week. That would be my "Plan A".
 

ZEROPILOT

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What else are you offering?
Fruit will almost always get a Redfoot interested in eating.
Monitor it and be prepared to remove it if it isn't eaten quickly.
It might attract ants.
 

TammyJ

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When I give mine the flowers, they leave all else and run for them.
 

JodyK

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My Sulcata only wanted to eat broccoli. So I took the broccoli away and give only grasses and dandelion greens. I make sure the grasses are moistened and sprinkle on the greens so I know he’s at least getting a small bit of the grasses. Everything I’ve read says grasses are the most important. But I’m new at this as I got my Sulcata 2 months again and he is about a year old come August.
 

dmmj

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Mango is also RF crack. Let them eat it down to the seed great way to help keep the beak trimmed.
 

Donna Albu

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My Sulcata only wanted to eat broccoli. So I took the broccoli away and give only grasses and dandelion greens. I make sure the grasses are moistened and sprinkle on the greens so I know he’s at least getting a small bit of the grasses. Everything I’ve read says grasses are the most important. But I’m new at this as I got my Sulcata 2 months again and he is about a year old come August.
Broccoli isn't great for them, so as a little treat only!
 

JodyK

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Broccoli isn't great for them, so as a little treat only!
Thank you, I did read that somewhere lol, probably here. I cut out all broccoli from his diet. Tried the dandelion greens but he’s not really interested, he’s now only eating grasses with an occasional treat. And maybe a nibble or two of the dandelion greens.
 

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