EATING ROCKS????

[REDfoots]

Ok so yesterday I pretty much finished my tortoises enclosure outside and so today when I took them outside one if my red foots started to try and eat the pea stones and then the other one started to try and eat it as we'll so I moved them and one went back to eat it again so what do I do I'm scared that they will swallow then choke and die. Also my smaller tortoise doesn't eat as much as he used to he used to eat a lot more now when I put food in front o f him he doesn't want to eat it and he goes back in his hide help please reply need some answers😀🐢

 

[mainey34]

I was afraid of that when I saw your enclosure. My whole yard is rock. You can try Miner-all. I have had success with my sulcata. But my redfoot I have not. I would suggest removing the rock.

 

[ascott]

I personally would remove the edible sized rocks....there is no way to know the exact reason why they do this...some theorize due to mineral needs, digestive aids and just because torts are curious and try them out....however, if the rocks are small enough to eat that does not mean that they are small enough to pass through their digestive system...and if they do not pass=you have a tortoise in distress, to say the least.

Some folks use a product called miner all (sp) to provide minerals possibly not being received in their diet. You can also research the food items that you offer and see what their mineral contents are---if you need to you can adjust your offerings to include items that are more mineral inclusive....

 

[DesertGrandma]

Some people have mentioned that it is caused by a mineral deficiency and recommend giving them Minerall, which is a supplement available from Sticky Farms online. Having said that...my leopard is back to eating pebbles now that the weather is warm enough to get some outside time. I am stepping up the supplement to see if that will help. Yesterday when he pooped in his soak I could hear the pebbles hitting the inside of the toilet when I dumped the water. Ugh...whats a person to do.

---

He picks them out of the grass.

 

[abclements]

I noticed my cherry doing that a couple weeks ago. I have reptivite made by zoomed and started adding more of that to his food and he seemed to stop... As long as he cant swallow them you should be fine. It actually should help keep their beak trimmed nice. But i would definitely get rid of anything bite sized, roughly the size of his head and smaller

 

[REDfoots]

Thank you everyone for replying it help me a lot I will go to the pet store or order online the minerall and I possibly will get bigger pea stones or just different stones for my tortoise outdoor enclosure.

 

[travisc]

every year I put my red foots outside the start eating all the rocks and soil that they can I don't know why they do this. I wander if they are like chickens in some way. chickens will eat small rocks to help break up food. or maybe they are just trying to get some different vitamins.

 

[Redstrike]

Hmmm... I think I mentioned an "impaction nightmare" concerning those pea stones yesterday...

I use Miner-All, it's a good product and it has curbed my tortoises appetites for rocks, but not entirely.