Hermanns not eating any greens help please!

Mweigel

Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2020
Messages
30
Location (City and/or State)
Oneonta
So my Hermanns, I got her from a pet store back in October, she was eating greens kinda, for awhile not a lot but she was eating some. I tried mixing greens with peppers and the standard Mazuri, she was not having it. I have learned she loves cucumber and strawberries and butternut squash but I know those are only supposed to be treats.
1589050675484.png
I got her these to try since she wasn't going for the mazuri and she loved these to but i keep reading that they need to be eating mainly weeds. I put her calcium on this not once a week trying to get her to only eat greens but it seems she rather starve. she rather eat these pellets. Can someone suggest what to do I don't want to starve her.
 

RosemaryDW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2016
Messages
4,144
Location (City and/or State)
Newport Coast, CA
Ugh, it’s hard when they won’t eat! But the thing is, is much harder on us than it is on them. Your tortoise is designed to withstand long periods without food; I promise she won’t starve herself. Eventually she’ll eat the foods she doesn’t like.

You will hear us suggesting weeds all the time but the fact is not everyone has access to them, usually due to location and/or climate. You can still provide your tortoise with the right kinds of food, you may have to be creative.

For now, just focus on getting her off those snacks. I don’t give my tortoise fruit, ever. Their digestive systems aren’t built for it and it can really mess with how they process foods and nutrients.

There are plenty of good things in squash but you’re right, it shouldn’t be fed regularly. It’s actually a fruit, not a vegetable, and thus has a fair amount of sugar in it,

Cucumbers are also fruit (!). They are useful when a tortoise is dehydrated or constipated but given regularly can cause diarrhea. Tortoises do love it though, so it can be used to “trick” them into trying new foods.

Did you say you were mixing peppers in with the Mazuri? I can’t think of any kind of pepper that is recommended for tortoises.

You may have to go quite slow when introducing new foods, since they are so stubborn. I would suggest using those pellets and mix them with some greens—from the grocery store is fine for now. Chop up a little bit very finely and mix it together with some grated cucumber or just squeeze some of the juice out of a cucumber with your hand. The smell of the cucumber may be enough for her to eat and she’ll pick up some of the new food when she does. Over time she’ll get used to the taste and you can increase the greens and decrease the pellets. Try to work in a few different greens over time—not all at once. Eventually you won’t be using pellets.

Once that’s accomplished you can start working in the Mazuri. Soak a very small bit of one overnight and mix it in with the greens. Use the cucumber trick. Work it in over time. Mazuri is only a supplement so you don’t want it to be the main diet.

Finally! When that’s done, we can start identifying other foods that may be available to you without your realizing it. But that’s some time away.

Again, this is going to be harder on you than on her. Stay strong! She’ll be fine. It took my tortoise five months to transition to healthy foods and now she’ll eat darn near everything.
 

Mweigel

Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2020
Messages
30
Location (City and/or State)
Oneonta
Ugh, it’s hard when they won’t eat! But the thing is, is much harder on us than it is on them. Your tortoise is designed to withstand long periods without food; I promise she won’t starve herself. Eventually she’ll eat the foods she doesn’t like.

You will hear us suggesting weeds all the time but the fact is not everyone has access to them, usually due to location and/or climate. You can still provide your tortoise with the right kinds of food, you may have to be creative.

For now, just focus on getting her off those snacks. I don’t give my tortoise fruit, ever. Their digestive systems aren’t built for it and it can really mess with how they process foods and nutrients.

There are plenty of good things in squash but you’re right, it shouldn’t be fed regularly. It’s actually a fruit, not a vegetable, and thus has a fair amount of sugar in it,

Cucumbers are also fruit (!). They are useful when a tortoise is dehydrated or constipated but given regularly can cause diarrhea. Tortoises do love it though, so it can be used to “trick” them into trying new foods.

Did you say you were mixing peppers in with the Mazuri? I can’t think of any kind of pepper that is recommended for tortoises.

You may have to go quite slow when introducing new foods, since they are so stubborn. I would suggest using those pellets and mix them with some greens—from the grocery store is fine for now. Chop up a little bit very finely and mix it together with some grated cucumber or just squeeze some of the juice out of a cucumber with your hand. The smell of the cucumber may be enough for her to eat and she’ll pick up some of the new food when she does. Over time she’ll get used to the taste and you can increase the greens and decrease the pellets. Try to work in a few different greens over time—not all at once. Eventually you won’t be using pellets.

Once that’s accomplished you can start working in the Mazuri. Soak a very small bit of one overnight and mix it in with the greens. Use the cucumber trick. Work it in over time. Mazuri is only a supplement so you don’t want it to be the main diet.

Finally! When that’s done, we can start identifying other foods that may be available to you without your realizing it. But that’s some time away.

Again, this is going to be harder on you than on her. Stay strong! She’ll be fine. It took my tortoise five months to transition to healthy foods and now she’ll eat darn near everything.
When I got her in October they were feeding her peppers, kale and those pellets I pictured. I'm trying to grow her some weeds but some are finally growing but it just snowed again (yay NY) ugh, she won't touch a dandelion just walks right over them. I have been trying to give her romaine and peppers. I saw strawberries and cucumbers were ok in very moderate so she gets those like once a month. I found out she liked butternut squash because she needed deworming medication and that's how I got her to take it but shes only had that twice since I've had her.

So chop up the greens and mix with the pellets? ok I will try that, I tried mixing them just ripping them up and she picks around them. She is very active but I want to make sure I treat her right. She is my first reptile and I saw her at the pet store look at me and I just had to have her so I want to do right by her. Thank you for your advice I will start doing that now!
 

killdashnine

New Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2020
Messages
17
Location (City and/or State)
NYC
I have same issue. Trying to reform habits is challenging. Tortoise *loves* repcal, mazuri lp is meh and raw leaves are yuck. I think its identifying these things:
- Texture (moist pellets vs crunchy greens)
- Color (green vs multi colors)
- Smell
- Taste

I've been mixing them together in 2 ways.
- Grinding repcal to powder mixing with raw leaves (leaf texture)
- Mincing leaves fine, mixing with repcal into a paste (moist pellet texture)

Tortoise seems prefer the paste but eat raw leaves a while if they're minced up small and coated with pellet powder
 

RosemaryDW

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2016
Messages
4,144
Location (City and/or State)
Newport Coast, CA
Wow, peppers, that’s a new one to me! They are also high in sugar: do not feed. I give mine a thin slice or two a year, knowing the’ve got nutrition in them greens don’t. Sounds like your baby has been eating a diet that is high in sugar (candy) and that has a very different texture than what she’s used to, as mentioned above. It’s going to be difficult to get her into a new diet but it will happen.

Chop those greens very very finely and start with a small amount.

I promise she won‘t starve herself but she may certainly go on a hunger strike at the beginning.
 

Mweigel

Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2020
Messages
30
Location (City and/or State)
Oneonta
I have same issue. Trying to reform habits is challenging. Tortoise *loves* repcal, mazuri lp is meh and raw leaves are yuck. I think its identifying these things:
- Texture (moist pellets vs crunchy greens)
- Color (green vs multi colors)
- Smell
- Taste

I've been mixing them together in 2 ways.
- Grinding repcal to powder mixing with raw leaves (leaf texture)
- Mincing leaves fine, mixing with repcal into a paste (moist pellet texture)

Tortoise seems prefer the paste but eat raw leaves a while if they're minced up small and coated with pellet powder
Thank you! I tried today and she ate some greens. But caught on to what I was doing, I will have to cut smaller. But it’s a start
 

Mweigel

Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2020
Messages
30
Location (City and/or State)
Oneonta
Wow, peppers, that’s a new one to me! They are also high in sugar: do not feed. I give mine a thin slice or two a year, knowing the’ve got nutrition in them greens don’t. Sounds like your baby has been eating a diet that is high in sugar (candy) and that has a very different texture than what she’s used to, as mentioned above. It’s going to be difficult to get her into a new diet but it will happen.

Chop those greens very very finely and start with a small amount.

I promise she won‘t starve herself but she may certainly go on a hunger strike at the beginning.
Alright no peppers. Gotcha and thank you for the advise.
 
Top