I think i have the pickiest eater ever

[Leroy's_homeboy]

We've had Leroy for 2 years and every summer I grow plants for his outdoor enclosure. This year I did a lot of research and his garden has Mescalin Mix, Rose of Sharon, 3-types of Cranesbill geraniums, pansies (of all colors), forget-me-not, Livingstone daisies, rose mallow, a variety of loose-leaf lettuce and weed mixes. He will not touch any of them! He sniffs occasionally and returns to stomping around the perimeter trying to find a way out. In every thread I've read, someone says their Russian is crazy about at least one of these. I'm trying to provide him with a varied and healthy diet but after his 2 week hunger strikes I give up and buy store bought greens. Any advice? Should I landscape differently ( 8x8 garden is pretty much flat w/ boards so he can't see out), or are there certain groupings of plants that will entice him? Sorry for such a long post but I'm about to give up this whole gardening thing

 

[JoesMum]

You talk about what he won't eat, but not about what he will... is his diet otherwise good? If so, I wouldn't worry and enjoy the colour.

My gardening rule of thumb is that the more I like a plant, the more likely it is that Joe will flatten or eat it!

As for pacing the boundaries, the best thing to do is have lots of plants and rocks so that he can't just walk round the edges. Torts really do quite like the jungle type tangle of a garden.

 

[Leroy's_homeboy]

his diet is ok, when I'm gone during the week my boyfriend will usually just feed him romaine and escerole from the store. thanks for the tips about landscaping, I'll definetly try that

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[Tyrtle]

In the outdoor pen, our Russian seems to enjoy the brussels sprouts plants that I so desperately try to grow. We also recently planted several types of sedum which he completely mowed down.

He does like hibiscus and clover and dandelion leaves (not the flowers) also.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I almost find this hard to believe.. my russians are garbage disposals!

He must be very addicted to romaine. You have a junk food junkie on your hands!
2 weeks of a hunger strike isn't much. My advice, forget the romaine and store bought foods. He wont starve and once he gives in to his better, varied, natural grazing diet he'll be glad he did!

 

[Spn785]

I agree with Heather, that he won't let himself starve, so tough love should work. My Russian is somewhat picky, if she decides she doesn't like something, I cannot get her to eat it, but since she has a varied diet, the few things she won't eat aren't a big deal. I would suggest taking some of the leaves and flowers and lettuce off the plant and putting it in his food dish and see if he will eat that way.

 

[SpdTrtl]

You must feed your tort very well.
I used to feed my russians twice a day, once before I left for work in the morning and once when I got home but they would just spend the day sleeping.
I have learned that if I just feed them once, in the mid-afternoon they will spend the day roaming around eating the weeds and plants naturally because they are hungry. Of course I feed them very well in the afternoon and they gobble everything up!

 

[Leroy's_homeboy]

I almost find this hard to believe.. my russians are garbage disposals!

He must be very addicted to romaine. You have a junk food junkie on your hands!
2 weeks of a hunger strike isn't much. My advice, forget the romaine and store bought foods. He wont starve and once he gives in to his better, varied, natural grazing diet he'll be glad he did!

Sorry, still haven't figured out how to reply to specific post. He goes through phases with romaine, when we got him i that's all he was fed. I will pass on your advice to my boyfriend, he the softy who caves in and gets him store bought greens

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I agree with Heather, that he won't let himself starve, so tough love should work. My Russian is somewhat picky, if she decides she doesn't like something, I cannot get her to eat it, but since she has a varied diet, the few things she won't eat aren't a big deal. I would suggest taking some of the leaves and flowers and lettuce off the plant and putting it in his food dish and see if he will eat that way.

I've tried this, he'll sniff the food and then walk away. I have even tried cutting it up really fine and mixing it with chopped up romaine, but he doesn't like his food chopped up and won't touch it.

 

[cemmons12]

My Ophelia is pretty picky also. She likes red leaf lettuce, romaine, green leaf, and of course her favorite part is her Mazuri. She has never grazed out in the yard since I got her. But she looks 100% better from the day I got her to now. Even some of the "dents" in her shell have come out which just amazed me! Best of luck to you!!

 

[Leroy's_homeboy]

In the outdoor pen, our Russian seems to enjoy the brussels sprouts plants that I so desperately try to grow. We also recently planted several types of sedum which he completely mowed down.

He does like hibiscus and clover and dandelion leaves (not the flowers) also.

what kind of sedum did you plant, ground cover or succulent? He has an Ice Plant (Sedum spectabile) that he likes to sleep under

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You must feed your tort very well.
I used to feed my russians twice a day, once before I left for work in the morning and once when I got home but they would just spend the day sleeping.
I have learned that if I just feed them once, in the mid-afternoon they will spend the day roaming around eating the weeds and plants naturally because they are hungry. Of course I feed them very well in the afternoon and they gobble everything up!

Thanks for the tip when he's indoors because of bad weather, I'll feed him twice because the lettuce I pick seems to wilt after a while.

 

[Tyrtle]

I planted several varieties of sedum, mostly similar to Autumn Joy. I followed an earlier thread about sedums and that was as close as I could find here in Zone 5. These plants were not cheap and he mowed them down. Oh well, they were for him anyway.

Also, the Sprouts market (formerly Sunflower) sells organic dandelion greens. They are beautiful. He seems to like those too. I've also fed him beet tops/greens. I guess he's not as picky.

 

[JoesMum]

Sedums... I bought some beautiful ones for my pleasure. A large plant lasted roughly 5 minutes Joe had eaten it completely... they are planted out front for me to enjoy now!

 

[ascott]

Picky huh, around here the men folk refuse to eat without candles lite, soft music playing in the background and little hankies with their names embroidered on them....

Apologies.....just funnin ya, and a tort can go some time without eating, so if you don't want them to only eat romaine...then as a wise person on this forum has said before (Yvonne) don't give it to them....

I know, it sounds harsh---but in all actuality it is for their own good...and variety is a plus--this does not mean you can never offer romaine, but you may want to hold off for awhile until a wider variety is accepted....

 

[clucey]

I have apicky eater too. Ive been chopping his food in a large plastic bag and shaking it up with fortified food that has been soaked in water so it gets all over the greens. So far so good hes eating like a champ. Running down anything in his path and trying to jump off paint buckets.

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[Leroy's_homeboy]

Picky huh, around here the men folk refuse to eat without candles lite, soft music playing in the background and little hankies with their names embroidered on them....

Apologies.....just funnin ya, and a tort can go some time without eating, so if you don't want them to only eat romaine...then as a wise person on this forum has said before (Yvonne) don't give it to them....

I know, it sounds harsh---but in all actuality it is for their own good...and variety is a plus--this does not mean you can never offer romaine, but you may want to hold off for awhile until a wider variety is accepted....

lol, maybe that's what he's waiting for the candles....
That wise person makes a lot of sense We've started his new, no romaine diet and i am not giving in this time

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Thanks for the help and suggestions, i planted a few types of sedum in his enclosure and I saw him take a little bite out of it but then he saw me and quickly resumed his stomping around, lol

 

[ascott]

I saw him take a little bite out of it but then he saw me and quickly resumed his stomping around, lol

lol....he gave himself away, his trained human subject has caught onto him....lol

 

[clucey]

Busted!!!!

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[radarismydog]

Picky huh, around here the men folk refuse to eat without candles lite, soft music playing in the background and little hankies with their names embroidered on them....

Apologies.....just funnin ya, and a tort can go some time without eating, so if you don't want them to only eat romaine...then as a wise person on this forum has said before (Yvonne) don't give it to them....

I know, it sounds harsh---but in all actuality it is for their own good...and variety is a plus--this does not mean you can never offer romaine, but you may want to hold off for awhile until a wider variety is accepted....

lol, maybe that's what he's waiting for the candles....
That wise person makes a lot of sense We've started his new, no romaine diet and i am not giving in this time

---

Thanks for the help and suggestions, i planted a few types of sedum in his enclosure and I saw him take a little bite out of it but then he saw me and quickly resumed his stomping around, lol

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My russian prefers spring mix from the grocery store. We sometimes give him whatever fruits and veggies we have on hand, but they don't get eaten up like the spring mix does.

 

[Mrturtle527]

I am only a 10 or so days into owning a Russian and I have learned he has his favorites already - no to kale and yes to any purple leaf lettuce, yellow squash and any part of my hibiscus. Yesterday he roamed around the back yard and started circling my pot where I have one and was as happy as could be on my lap while I fed him the leaves and flowers. These are my favorites as well so whomever said they like what ever we like has a good point.

Hope your strong will pays off, I am a sucker and also cave easily.

 

[Leroy's_homeboy]

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I am only a 10 or so days into owning a Russian and I have learned he has his favorites already - no to kale and yes to any purple leaf lettuce, yellow squash and any part of my hibiscus. Yesterday he roamed around the back yard and started circling my pot where I have one and was as happy as could be on my lap while I fed him the leaves and flowers. These are my favorites as well so whomever said they like what ever we like has a good point.

Hope your strong will pays off, I am a sucker and also cave easily.

Thanks I actually caved in yesterday but It actually paid off. I made Leroy a romaine burrito. I put a bunch of flowers and leaves from my garden in between two romaine leaves and gave it to him. He started eating like crazy just inhaling everything and stopped as soon as he realized he was being tricked. But today I put him outside in his garden and he starts walking around taking bites from the geraniums, hibiscus, pretty much everything I put in the burrito the night before, lol.

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Picky huh, around here the men folk refuse to eat without candles lite, soft music playing in the background and little hankies with their names embroidered on them....

Apologies.....just funnin ya, and a tort can go some time without eating, so if you don't want them to only eat romaine...then as a wise person on this forum has said before (Yvonne) don't give it to them....

I know, it sounds harsh---but in all actuality it is for their own good...and variety is a plus--this does not mean you can never offer romaine, but you may want to hold off for awhile until a wider variety is accepted....

lol, maybe that's what he's waiting for the candles....
That wise person makes a lot of sense We've started his new, no romaine diet and i am not giving in this time

---

Thanks for the help and suggestions, i planted a few types of sedum in his enclosure and I saw him take a little bite out of it but then he saw me and quickly resumed his stomping around, lol

---

My russian prefers spring mix from the grocery store. We sometimes give him whatever fruits and veggies we have on hand, but they don't get eaten up like the spring mix does.

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Yeah we tried spring mix because I've heard its good for them but he doesn't like any kind of mixed salad. He'll eat it occasionally but only if I separate the different types of lettuce