Henry's Voracious Appetite

[Jenncure]

Lately Henry, a 5-inch Russian, cannot get enough to eat! He is fed Spring Mix with the spinach taken out, and gobbles it all down and looks for more each time he is fed.

I should mention that he has a new 3x3 enclosure that has made a drastic improvement in his activity level. He was in a large glass tank before, and becoming lethargic and not eating much. Might he simply be making up for lost time?

I'm just worried about overfeeding him and affecting his shell growth. Picture is of Henry on the porch doing his favorite activity.

 

[JoesMum]

Russians do have something of a reputation for being piggies. That said, a young growing tort on a good diet is unlikely to become obese. Try to add plenty of weeds to his diet and don't rely entirely on spring mix and spinach.

There's a link to the Tortoise Table Plant Database in my sig below. It's excellent for looking up plants in your yard and that you can buy to see what makes good food. Variety is the key.

 

[Jenncure]

Wow JoesMum you've had your tort for over 40 years? That's amazing.

The spring mix (with spinach taken out) we give him is organic and includes: Tango, Lolla Rosa, Red & Green Romaine, Red & Green Oak, Red & Green Chard, Spinach, Mizuna, Radicchio, Frisee, Beet Greens, Arugula, Tat Sol, and Red Mustard.

We also plant dandelion and spider plants in his enclosure.

Russians do have something of a reputation for being piggies. That said, a young growing tort on a good diet is unlikely to become obese. Try to add plenty of weeds to his diet and don't rely entirely on spring mix and spinach.

There's a link to the Tortoise Table Plant Database in my sig below. It's excellent for looking up plants in your yard and that you can buy to see what makes good food. Variety is the key.

 

[JoesMum]

Wow JoesMum you've had your tort for over 40 years? That's amazing.

A tort is a pet for life... Literally! A 7th birthday present in Joe's case and he could well outlive us!

The spring mix (with spinach taken out) we give him is organic and includes: Tango, Lolla Rosa, Red & Green Romaine, Red & Green Oak, Red & Green Chard, Spinach, Mizuna, Radicchio, Frisee, Beet Greens, Arugula, Tat Sol, and Red Mustard.

We also plant dandelion and spider plants in his enclosure.

Sounds good, but the more variety the better so keep checking out what's available

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

How long have you had him?

 

[Jenncure]

How long have you had him?

We got Henry almost a year and a half ago now. Didn't know much at first so we kept him in a glass tank. But thanks to all the knowledge gained on this forum, we now have a much happier tort!

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

We got Henry almost a year and a half ago now. Didn't know much at first so we kept him in a glass tank. But thanks to all the knowledge gained on this forum, we now have a much happier tort!

Ok

 

[lynnedit]

I should mention that he has a new 3x3 enclosure that has made a drastic improvement in his activity level. He was in a large glass tank before, and becoming lethargic and not eating much. Might he simply be making up for lost time?

I'm just worried about overfeeding him and affecting his shell growth. Picture is of Henry on the porch doing his favorite activity.

Yes, he is making up for lost time. My torts go through pig out sessions for a short time, then tend to eat less. As long as he gets a lot of exercise, he can eat what he wants for awhile.
JoesMum is right, expand his diet to as much variety as possible. Use the list in her post.
You are off to a good start, and that Spring mix makes a good base. Weeds and greens like Grape leaves, chicory, mustard greens, turnip greens, flowers from your yard like hibiscus, etc., will round out his diet.