Diet deficient in calcium

[Kartik]

My Indian star tortoise eats nothing else than tomatoes..how to provide him necessary calcium..

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

I would say buy the calcium and vitamin supplements and dust it on his/her food . Its strange that your tortoise only eats tomatoes. Maybe if you mixed some tomatoes with greens then he/she could get a variety of greens in him diet. And then maybe gradually decrease the amount of tomatoes.
I dont know much about this type of tortoise honestly but if it were me, i would try that. Hopefully others will be more helpful.

 

[Kartik]

I would say buy the calcium and vitamin supplements and dust it on his/her food . Its strange that your tortoise only eats tomatoes. Maybe if you mixed some tomatoes with greens then he/she could get a variety of greens in him diet. And then maybe gradually decrease the amount of tomatoes.
I dont know much about this type of tortoise honestly but if it were me, i would try that. Hopefully others will be more helpful.[/QUOTE

 

[Kartik]

Yes I feed him spinach that way but the major diet contains tomatoes...

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Yes I feed him spinach that way but the major diet contains tomatoes...

Try this website or googling indian star tortoise caresheet. Im not sure if we have one on this forum. But mix different safe greens for him to eat with tomatoes since thats all he'll eat. And buy the calcium and vitamin powder to also sprinkle on his food a couple times a week.


http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-startortoise.htm

 

[Kartik]

Hey listen ..can I sprinkle a pinch of the calcium tablet calgem -500 over his tomatoe

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Hey listen ..can I sprinkle a pinch of the calcium tablet calgem -500 over his tomatoe

Is that meant for humans ?

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

@Yvonne G can you help? Or know someone that may have a better understanding ?

 

[Kartik]

Listen.calgem -500 is for humans..but a month ago my tort suffered from common cold and I made him drink sinarest drops which is Also for humans ..it was told to me by the tort seller..and my tort is fine now..

 

[Yvonne G]

Hey listen ..can I sprinkle a pinch of the calcium tablet calgem -500 over his tomatoe

Your tortoise is probably going to get sick and die. No one, not human nor animal, can live on only tomatoes.

A captive tortoise can only eat what you offer to it. Stop offering tomatoes and offer a more healthful diet. If you have a young child and that child is only used to eating Hershey bars (chocolate candy) and refuses to eat anything else, do you continue giving him the chocolate or do you try to change his diet to more healthful foods?

My suggestion is for you to buy a couple bunches or heads of dark, leafy greens. Grind up tomatoes until they're a pulpy mess and toss in the chopped up greens and stir it all together until all the greens are covered in tomato pulp. Feed this concoction for a week. Then the second week, cut back a bit on the tomato. Every week cut back more on the tomato. If the tortoise stops eating during this time, go back to adding more tomato. It may take a year, but eventually you will have the tortoise eating the greens without tomato.

And, yes, you can sprinkle a tiny bit of calcium over the food. Calcium is calcium, whether it is manufactured for humans or for animals.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome!
I agree with Yvonne.
Don't get discouraged. A hungry tortoise WILL begin to eat more appropriate items.
What type of lighting are you using or does he get sunlight? He'll need UVB to convert the calcium and get a healthy shell, etc.
I would NOT offer the human calcium powder. Is there a place that sells pet bird supplies near you? Buy a "cuddlebone" and grind a tiny bit of it up into a powder and sprinkle it on some food. Many tortoises will bite out chunks of the cuddlebone AS IS.
Tomatoes and spinach are both things that no tortoise should eat much of.

 

[Kartik]

It has been nearly two months I have owned a star tortoise..he has been eating tomatoes and a bit if spinach in them since two months.and yes he likes eating ladyfinger and carrots also.but u say that I must not feed him much of tomatoes and spinach..so what should I give him as his daily diet

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Go to FORUMS and to the star tortoise section for a list of foods and weeds that you can use.
Someone with more skills could also supply you with the link. I'm sorry. I can not.
Also, what part of the world do you live in? It's very likely that someone who lives in your area could give assistance on where/how to locate more appropriate tortoise food.

 

[Kartik]

I live in Agra,India...the native place of star tortoises..