Fussy eating Russian baby tortoise

Hi everyone

I have a baby Russian (horsfield) tortoise that’s less than a year old. He/she is a very fussy eater.

so far will eat:
Lettuce
Cucumber
Carrot

will not eat:
Strawberry
Tomatoe
Dried tortoise flowers from reptile shop
Tortoise food
Broccoli
Cauliflower

I have bought calcium powder and vitamin powder which I sprinkle over the food, it then won’t touch it. From a previous thread someone mentioned I was putting too much. This has improved, so I’m pleased herbie getting what he needs.

I have left the food and not changed it thinking he will go back to it when hungry, but doesn’t.

not sure what to do?

None of the things you have listed are healthful for a Russian tortoise.

Others have linked you the forum care sheet, but here it is again:

Take a new leaf of a plant listed in the care sheet, chop it into very tiny bits, and offer it sprinkled on a leaf of lettuce. Slowly increase the amount of new, healthful foods over time.

Vitamin and mineral powders can be helpful in rounding out a diet, but they can be harmful in large amounts. Use a tiny, tiny pinch of each powder. If you can see it on the food, it is too much.

ZenHerper said:

None of the things you have listed are healthful for a Russian tortoise.

Others have linked you the forum care sheet, but here it is again:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Take a new leaf of a plant listed in the care sheet, chop it into very tiny bits, and offer it sprinkled on a leaf of lettuce. Slowly increase the amount of new, healthful foods over time.

Vitamin and mineral powders can be helpful in rounding out a diet, but they can be harmful in large amounts. Use a tiny, tiny pinch of each powder. If you can see it on the food, it is too much.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much, I will try this

Hi and welcome
Have you looked at www.thetortoisetable.org.uk for safe food ideas?
This caresheet will also help you

Introduce new foods gradually ,,,, chop them up small and mix with what he likes - if you soak the food he likes and new food they will stick together. Then gradually reduce the old 'bad' foods OR squeeze cucumber juice over the new foods.
They shouldn't have any fruit as they can't handle sugars, Carrots can be a choking hazard.
Aldi sell a mixed crispy leaf salad about 45p a bag which has some of the better leaves in them, I use that as a base and add things like lambs lettuce, pak choi, kale (Florette Classic Crispy is the best mix but can be expensive, Morrisons also has a good mix as does Lidl, Sainsbury and Asda,) Get to know which salad leaves are better than the others and check the ingredients on the packs.

Avoid fruits at all costs. You want to incorporate leafy greens, herbs, flowers, weeds

look at the tortoisetable.com

Fruits have too much sugar for tort's, After learning this, I stopped feeding mine any.