Hermanns won't eat cactus pad

[Buddy_hermannstortoise]

Hi all, my 3.5 month old hermanns will not eat the cactus pads I bought him. I was told that tortoises love them, but he won't touch them. I tried cutting it up in to small pieces, peeling it into thin pieces and still he won't eat it. He eats anything else, lettuce, weeds, carrot tops, beet tops. I just don't want the huge pad I got to go to waste

 

[JoesMum]

Try planting the pad and growing it.

Torts know what they like and like what they know when it comes to food. Refusing a new foodstuff is very common.

You can try chopping a tiny amount of it up really small, wetting it and mixing it with things your tort will eat. He may go on hunger strike and refuse all food for a while, but will eat when hungry.

It sounds like he eats a good variety of other stuff though, so I don't know if I would bother.

The carrot is a sweet food that should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally along with fruit, bell pepper and tomato. High sugar levels cause digestive and kidney problems in this species.

 

[RosemaryDW]

My tortoise LOVED cactus.

Until one day she didn't. :/ You just can't predict them.

Like JoesMum says, you can try sticking it in a pot, leaving it dry for a month and see what happens. They grow pretty well inside for many people. I also agree ignoring one food stuff isn't a big deal so long as they are getting other variety.

I don't know what the stores are like in Manitoba but if there are any hispanic stores near you, they sell them by the piece and are pretty cheap. If you want to try again.

When summer comes, you'll have some new foods to try, I'm sure.

 

[Buddy_hermannstortoise]

Thanks @JoesMum and @RosemaryDW. I just potted the pad today so we'll see what happens. I just heard it was one of the best foods cuz it's low in protein and high in fibre and calcium. If you guys have any other input or info, I'd really appreciate it.

 

[RosemaryDW]

I just heard it was one of the best foods cuz it's low in protein and high in fibre and calcium. If you guys have any other input or info, I'd really appreciate it.

It is a great food, nutrition wise. You don't want to feed it too much because it can cause diarrhea but generally a good food for for all torts. I was really bummed when my tortoise gave it up!

I'm trying to find a recent post from @Yvonne G about how she lets leftover pads scar over and and then pot them but can't find it. Hopefully she'll remember where it is.

For fiber my Russian loves squash and melon/cucumber leaves and vines. She loves grape leaves also. I don't know if you can even grow grapes up there? But surely you'll be able to get your hands on a squash plant or two when summer comes. I've got some flowering maple (abutilon), which is safe and seems quite fibrous to me. Ours are outside (in Southern California); they are usually houseplants elsewhere. Maybe worth considering?

We've got so many Canadian members. Perhaps you might start a thread in this section asking specifically for good foods available up there. (Way up there, I know it's a very large country!)

I'm afraid I don't worry about calcium much since she is outdoors and has access to all kinds of good foods; I'll let an expert speak to that.