Eat too much and travel ??'s

[RascalDesertTort]

Can little Rascal eat too much?? He is chowing down so much food right now lol. I know he is supposed to eat more because he is growing and it's getting warmer but I didn't think he could fit that much in! =D

Also, my family and I are going away for about 3 1/2 days......is there a way to leave Rascal at home? We do have accomodations for him where we are going but would much rather let him stay where he is most comfortable. thanks a bunch!!

 

[ChiKat]

How old is Rascal? People pretty much recommend letting them eat all they can for about 20 minutes. You definitely don't want to over feed him!

Are his lights on a timer? Is there someone who can stop by to feed him and check on him? I'm sure he could go a few days without food (or you could always leave cactus in there or something) but I'm way too paranoid to leave Nelson unattended for more than a day! I've heard too many horror stories of people coming home to dead hatchlings because they flipped over, etc.

 

[GBtortoises]

Most (possibly all) tortoise species usually have a tendency to eat everything that is put in front of them when in captivity. It may come from the wild instinct to eat as much as possible while the food is available since in most cases in the wild their food sources go through varying degrees of availability quality based on seasonal changes.

They can eat too much to the point that they become fat. But that is rarely a problem with a tortoise that is active and especially a young one that is growing. Some older, less active tortoises have the potential of becoming obese, but if their environmental conditions are right it is very rarely a problem even then. They can usually burn off all the calories that you can feed them! It is often amazing to see how much they can actually consume!

I often go away for long weekends, or even week long or more vacations and my tortoises are fine. When they're indoors I plan ahead and feed them a bit heavier a couple of weeks prior, make sure that they are well hydrated and that they have clean enclosures when I leave. Depending upon how long I'll be gone, I also have someone that comes over and checks on them each day. Just to ensure that they're basking lights are working, that none of them have overturned and that all is normal in general. When they're outdoors for the summer I also feed them a bit heavier a couple of weeks before, leave them with fresh water and have someone that checks them each day and waters them every other day.

Some people are not comfortable leaving their tortoises in that situation. In that case you may want to plan ahead, find someone you can trust will care for your tortoise and type up a care sheet for them to follow while you're gone. Having them visit a day or so ahead of time to go through the care steps with them would help too.

As long as your tortoise is being well cared for, it's better for it to stay in it's own enclosure that it is familiar with rather than being taken with you and into unfamiliar surroundings.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Yes, in captivity torts can eat too much. The problem is more the lack of exercise than too much food, besides that the food is just more readily available. Either limit the food, or what I find more easier, is to track weight and Straight Carapace Length (SCL) weekly for hatchlings or monthly for older torts to track growth. Some species have a growth chart to compare to. Then you can see if you are feeding a good amount, should increase, or decrease. As the tort gets bigger you will also need to feed more to maintain a percentage of body weight per day kind of thing. You can also go with a time per day (some torts eat slow or don't eat right when you put the food out so this doesn't work), or go by how the tort looks (more for experienced eyes and this doesn't tell you everything). For comparison, for a growing tort it can be normal to eat a pile of greens as large as the tort or even more. It is amazing how much volume they can eat, but when you think about calories, it is also amazing they can sustain their body on 5 calories or whatever it works out to be!

Going away depends on the age of the tort. Now that my little guy is over a year, he has been in the same enclosure and I am comfortable with it, I have safe heating, etc, I feel fine leaving him for a weekend max. Some people do not. I would never leave a hatchling more than a day nor a tort in a new enclosure or similar. I will soak before and after I go on the trip and give a large meal before (leaving it out while we are gone) and after, and he has done fine. More than a weekend I have taken him to someones house, and I plan to try for a 4-5 day trip soon to have someone just check on him once in the middle. Torts do fine without food for quite awhile, but I see no reason to have him go more than 2-3 days. What you can do vs. what you should do is different. I would not leave "a cactus" for example as that is a lot of the same type of food. My tort will eat crunchy lettuce if he is hungry enough (I left so much that I assume he ate some on day two). I also would not leave a junk commercial food. I think a tort is better off going two days without food than eating the junk food (Mazuri and Grassland Tortoise Food are ok) that can be left out.

Best wishes.