baby redfoot recovering from a cold is a picky eater any ideas

[Diane Berner]

My baby 5 month old re fooot is recovering from a respiratory infection and is turning into a very picky eater. He will eat nothing but squash and then nothing but a tomatoe piece and a sweet potato, etc. any ideas? He has stopped eating greens

 

[pfara]

I'm a firm believer in tough love when it comes to this topic. I know the little one is recovering, but I'd probably turn up the ambient temp to the mid-80s(F) and just keep leaving various greens in there.

You can attempt to chop favorites and greens into a very fine salad and slowly wean the favorites out over time. I've had to do that before but they seem to pick around the healthier stuff. It was very frustrating watching them find and happily eat a tiny chunk of Mazuri while wiping the strands of leafy greens off on their arm.

 

[Diane Berner]

I'm a firm believer in tough love when it comes to this topic. I know the little one is recovering, but I'd probably turn up the ambient temp to the mid-80s(F) and just keep leaving various greens in there.

You can attempt to chop favorites and greens into a very fine salad and slowly wean the favorites out over time. I've had to do that before but they seem to pick around the healthier stuff. It was very frustrating watching them find and happily eat a tiny chunk of Mazuri while wiping the strands of leafy greens off on their arm.

 

[Mantissa3]

They are smell first, then sight, very little actual "hearing" but their "ear pads" or ear diaphrams can detect frequency, especially low frequencies transmitted via the earth they live on (predator detection via vibrations of certain patterns.)

I'm saying this because the color of their food can be a trigger to eat or leave it alone. If they have colds or respirator infections, sometimes they wipe out some of their digestive tract bacteria, and simply "know" they can't digest specific types or colors of food until they build their guts back up.

Always offer all colors of food- such as greens with every meal and then different colors of fruits and veggies. Watch to see which colors they choose and that should help you know how to supplament. I had a deathly ill rescue who would ONLY eat strawberries for a few weeks, even though we offered red, orange, yellow and greens every single feeding. Finally we caught on, gave a vitamin A and mineral supplament powder during two consecutive meals, and then he started eating all foods again- probably needed the vit C, A and iron in the strawbs.

Also- to build up gut bacterial, there is nothing like a big feeding or two of thoroughly-rinsed, bait shop earthworms. They will walk away from earthworms once they've built up enough gut bacterial and gotten enough protein for that feeding.

If they are eating Mazuri and wiping greens off on their legs instead of eating them, they are low in fiber. One thing Mazuri does well is pump up the fiber- they need a LOT of fiber, and Oxbow critical care is just that- really high in plant fiber, if you want to sprinkle on some Oxbow for herbivores. If your little one is a baby, use the fine grind. For torties over 4 - 6 inches, use the coarse grind. It may help her/him get a raving appetite back, if you sprinkle on the earthworms and whatever colored food your sick little one chooses.

Remember it is variety over multiple feedings, and over the long-term that keep them healthy. If they need to eat a specific type of food for a while, especially during illness or just after, just observe and let them and try to understand "why" they choose it.

 

[Redstrike]

They're like kids and will play you to get what they want to eat. Provide nothing but greens for 3-4 days. Put the food in and walk away - leave it there all day. I bet your tort will eat it after a couple days of this .

 

[Diane Berner]

Thanks for all the valuable info. I still have trouble with him eating supplements on his foods. I don't put on very much but he still shies away from foods that have it on it. I have a TNT supplement for tortoises from carolina pet supply and some critical care. I tried mixing it with baby food, apple and kiwi, and still no luck.