Eating of kinixys

[juli11]

Hi, at the moment all of my kinixys live indoor. I can see that the lobatsiana and spekii eat very well. They eat more than outdoor. But my forest kinixys ( homeana, erosa, nougeiy) don't eat very much. Sometimes they eat nothing. In the outdoor they ate very much. So is there anyone who has the same "problem"? Maybe it is because of the seasons in Africa.. I don't know...

 

[bigmoe530]

Hi, at the moment all of my kinixys live indoor. I can see that the lobatsiana and spekii eat very well. They eat more than outdoor. But my forest kinixys ( homeana, erosa, nougeiy) don't eat very much. Sometimes they eat nothing. In the outdoor they ate very much. So is there anyone who has the same "problem"? Maybe it is because of the seasons in Africa.. I don't know...

I don't know of any HB that would not eat a piece of banana. I mixed greens, mushrooms some juicy mealworms and bananas together and they gobble it up.

 

[juli11]

Yes I don't know. Normally they eat everything. But at the moment... Which kind of greens do you take? Salad? And for which kinixys? Do mixed the things to a kind of puree?

 

[Jacqui]

So your question/problem is when inside your forest ones are not eating as well as they should? Do you have their enclosures heavily planted and higher humidity or set up the same as your others? Also do you have lights on them?

Making a very broad general statement, my hingebacks prefer the softer, sweeter greens and the redish/purple ones seem to be liked a lot by my Bells. So they tend to get what is sold here as the "spring mix" lettuces, young dandelions/clover/plantain/grape leaves/mulberry leaves from outside, and blossoms too. Whole mushrooms are given, but tossed into different places for them to hunt for. Fruit is given, but once more a higher percent to the forest ones. Favorites there are the papaya, plums, pears, and melons. Other greens, fruits and veggies are given, depending upon what I can find/buy. I also do some feeding of Mazuri.

I vary how I prepare the foods. Some days it may be given as a whole plum or solid leaves of greens for examples. Other days it is given as a cut up mixture. Even fewer days it is given as a blended mixture (this is normally the meals that would have some raw pumpkin, which is why it's blended). I dry weeds/leaves/blooms and then in the winter I crush that and use it as a topping or mixed in on the food. On cut up days I might add something like some cactus pads, as it is something mine won't eat if offered as a whole item. I also will feed things like worms and often will dip them into calcium powder first. I give other types of bugs, dead feeder mice, fish, boiled chicken, ect.., every so often and once more a larger amount to the forest ones.

Diets here are very seasonal based on most items. Like we are heading into fall, so soon sweet potatoes will be on sell at a cheap price so they will start getting some of them. While the pumpkin they currently have gotten will only ecome a rare treat from some I froze back for them. The pumpkin having taken over the part in the diet that muskmelon was serving. Or like right now they are getting more plums and pears then usual. Mulberry and grape leaves are now only on the diet, when feed as dried. So diets vary from day to day, but a lot more season to season.

 

[juli11]

Hi,

Thanks for long answer!!!
So I do everything you say. They have 30 Celsius and 80% humidity. They get a mixfood. So sometimes they get tomato sometimes mushroom banana etc. Every day in a other mix. I saw the same thing like you that the hingebacks special erosa want to search her food in the terra. So I throw the food in every part if the room.

First my kinixys enclosure. The second is the front part of erosa enclosure. (Middle enclosure in the first pic). The plants aren't in the pots anymore.

 

[Jacqui]

Have you tried less light? Is inside more a high traffic area then where they live when outside? By that I mean more household noise and humans (and/or pets) going past? Just a couple of big thoughts. Plus how long ago did you move them inside? Where they in these same inside enclosures before they were kept outside?

 

[juli11]

Hi,

I didn't try with less light. I have one big neon-lamp at the top and always one halogen spot for the individual enclosure. Yes the live there there before they was outside to... Nothing change...