8 Year Old Leopard Diet

[Reggie]

Reggie, our 8 year old Leopard, lives in a 10 x 11 bedroom here in Northeast Indiana. The Forum was great help to set it up. Every day we feed him moistened ZooMed Desert Tortoise pellets mixed with either Kapidolo Farms dried grasses, or Tortoise Supply Herbal tortoise hay, and wheat grass from the grocery. He also eats cactus, zucchini, green leaf, collards, turnip greens, endive and escarole (harder to find). When it warms up outside, he grazes in our backyard every day. Is it normal for his poop to be the consistency of pudding? There are a few lumps but it is mostly very moist.

Thank you for your help!

 

[Reggie]

Reggie, our 8 year old Leopard, lives in a 10 x 11 bedroom here in Northeast Indiana. The Forum was great help to set it up. Every day we feed him moistened ZooMed Desert Tortoise pellets mixed with either Kapidolo Farms dried grasses, or Tortoise Supply Herbal tortoise hay, and wheat grass from the grocery. He also eats cactus, zucchini, green leaf, collards, turnip greens, endive and escarole (harder to find). When it warms up outside, he grazes in our backyard every day. Is it normal for his poop to be the consistency of pudding? There are a few lumps but it is mostly very moist.

Thank you for your help!

Just want to add this question: Is Timothy hay a good option and something that would help? Thanks!

 

[TammyJ]

I don't know but it doesn't sound normal for his poop to be that soft. Is it runny? How long has it been like that and how long have you had him? @zovick

 

[Reggie]

I don't know but it doesn't sound normal for his poop to be that soft. Is it runny? How long has it been like that and how long have you had him? @zovick

Thank you for your reply, Tammy. It is runny. It is not sudden. It's been like this for several months. I forgot to add that he also eats Mazuri. We adopted him 4 years ago when his original owner, our grandson, lost interest. We had by that time formed a bond with Reggie from 'babysitting' with him.

 

[TammyJ]

I am calling some people here with more experience than me. @Tom @Yvonne G @wellington

 

[wellington]

I have found that my torts poop is more soft/mush when they get their greens. Greens are filled with water. You can have the poop checked for parasites. But I'm thinking it's more the greens
Try adding grass/hay horse pellets soaked to his diet. You can also try orchard grass hay, not Timothy hay, it's too woody. Cut the hay into small bites and mix with the soaked pellet foods.

 

[Tom]

Reggie, our 8 year old Leopard, lives in a 10 x 11 bedroom here in Northeast Indiana. The Forum was great help to set it up. Every day we feed him moistened ZooMed Desert Tortoise pellets mixed with either Kapidolo Farms dried grasses, or Tortoise Supply Herbal tortoise hay, and wheat grass from the grocery. He also eats cactus, zucchini, green leaf, collards, turnip greens, endive and escarole (harder to find). When it warms up outside, he grazes in our backyard every day. Is it normal for his poop to be the consistency of pudding? There are a few lumps but it is mostly very moist.

Thank you for your help!

It sounds like you are feeding an excellent diet with lots of fiber. You could always try adding more fiber. Hand chopped orchard grass hay or Bermuda hay, not Timothy, in 1-2 inch size pieces can be rehydrated and added to the mix of foods. Start with just a tiny amount at first and gradually add more. You can probably source a year's worth for free if you ask your local feed store for a couple handfuls of the leavings on the floor at the bottom of the hay stacks.

I also use orchard grass hay or Bermuda hay horse pellets that I soak and mix in, but I think the longer strands of chopped hay might serve your purposes better.

It would also be a good idea to run a fecal sample through a local tortoise vet, just to eliminate other possibilities.

 

[Reggie]

Thank you all so much for your quick help!! You are the best! I will be getting some hay for Reggie this week. He is pretty agreeable to trying new things. Sometimes he is just in a mood and he actually shakes his head no and walks away. HaHa!!! Often he eats it the next day.