Egyptian tortoise won't eat

joecolonna

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Mar 22, 2018
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Egypt
I recently bought what I think is an Egyptian tortoise, but I am having problems getting him to eat. I had him now for about 3 weeks and have tried to make him as comfortable as possible - big space to roam and lots of sunlight - but I haven't seen him eat yet, although he drinks a lot. I've tried a lot of different foods, but he just doesn't seem interested at all!

Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks a lot
 

Yvonne G

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Since you're not sure of the species, you ought to post pictures so we can be sure what species it is.

Can you ask the previous owners what the tortoise is used to eating?
 

joecolonna

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Thanks for getting back to me, and sorry for my slow reply!

Unfortunately there's no one to really ask, I bought the little guy from a market here in Cairo where they're not treated well at all - I have no solid information on his gender (but i think male), age, diet, health etc. I've done a lot of research, but there's always a lot to learn! Aside from his lack of eating, three other things which concerns me are his skin, which seems to be peeling a lot, the patches of colour on his head, and the tiny patch of red on his shell. After finding out Egyptian tortoises are badly endangered, I want to give him everything possible!

Thanks a lot
 

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joecolonna

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That's the last time he'll be eating that then! Do you know anything I might be able to try with him? Im starting to get quite concerned
 

Bambam1989

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It's normal for torts to shed bits of scales at a time. I assume the the red on the shell you are referring to is the line going down the center of his bottom shell? If so that is new growth and normal. In fact he looks healthy to me.
As for the eating, he could be still adjusting to his new home. Especially if he is wild caught. The best way to help your tort settle in is to minimize the amount you handle your tort for now. Do your care routine, soak, tidy the enclosure, change water and place food.
What kinds of food have you offered so far?
Do you have access to native weeds in your area that we can help ID?
 

joecolonna

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Mar 22, 2018
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Egypt
Thanks, well that's good to hear!!
Ive tried feeding him a lot, including lettuce, broccoli, courgette, tomato, corn, carrot, even some fruits... To be honest ive gone through most vegetables available at the veg stand.
Strangely he still very friendly and very active - he has a large area including a balcony with direct sunlight where he can roam where he likes, which makes it difficult to understand why he doesnt want to eat. I understand that if he was taken from the wild then he might need time to adjust. It makes be bad thinking about that, but at least he'll get treated better with me than with most others here.
Ive looked before for weeds in the area, but the small patches of green you see are likely very polluted, so ive avoided looking for weeds etc for him
 

RosemaryDW

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Welcome!

Here is the care sheet for Egyptians written by a very known US breeder; diet is near the end: https://www.hermannihaven.com/egyptian-tortoise-care-sheet. It’s loaded with clear, useful information on total care, not just diet.

Like all testudo-type tortoises, yours should be eating broad leaf plants; very little in the way of vegetables and no fruit. There are some good suggestions in the care sheet.

Those suggestions are based on U.S. markets but some should be available to you. Perhaps also locally available to you are the leaves of bush/jute okra; grape leaves; stems and leaves of any melon, squash, or cucumber plants? These are all good tortoise foods with high fiber. I don’t know if methi (fenugreek) is common there? Also good. Rocket is also fine. Any type of cress. A little cucumber shredded over his food may coax his appetite.

You can grow hibiscus pretty easily in most places, leaves and flowers are fine. I’ve succesfully grown okra from seed in pots on my patio. If you can make it work on your patio, your tortoise might also go for sunflower leaves.

You might consider supplementing with a commercial food but I’ll leave suggestions on that to someone that uses one (nothing wrong with them; I just don’t have need for them with my own (Russian) tortoise.
 

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