Lazy, picky tort

[frigg]

Hey guys

I wonder if any of you have had similar problem with their tortoises and would value any advice.
I have my little guy for 9 months now and he has been doing superbly since. However, he seems to be very picky about what he likes to eat. I try to offer him a varied diet and would pick weed for him ( dandelion, sow thistle, etc) which he loves. However, I do leave him a dish of fresh green salad leaves for him in the mornings. Unfortunately, he appears to be particularly partial to certain leaves (red cabbage is a favourite and would specifically look for them in his dish) and would not touch the ones he loathes (e.g. Kale, rockets etc). He also will not have any dried flowers or even pellets. Leaves just past being crispy are also a no-no. Did anyone have a similar situation with a picky tort and how did you overcome that?

 

[Weloveourtortoise]

yes, my charlie does not eat dandelion weeds and only the flowers if fresh. loves radiccio and spinach the most and get out the way when butternut squash is on the menu

 

[Ida K]

oh boy. ollie is a mouthful, he is also very picky. what i have done is create a wonderful mixture of opuntia cactus, plantain weed, kale, and hibiscus. ADJUST TO YOUR LIKING! this is what i had on hand and in my garden. chop them up small. small!!! then chop up some of their favorites. (ollie goes crazy for romaine and dandelion) but don't chop it up as small as the others but still small. mix it in, sprinkle your supplements and mush it around a bit and serve. they will try to eat their faves but wont be able to pick it out. they will realize that the other foods don't taste as bad either and eat them. (at least in my case). i learned this from the wonderful people on the forum when i had the same problem and it has worked for me! keeps for 3 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge, but remember to check on it and if you feel like its going bad, discard it. good luck!

 

[frigg]

Thank you for your advice. I have been trying to serve him food as you described, but it has not worked so far. In fact, I am getting increasingly concerned. Surely, it is too early to go into hibernation mode. I weighed him today, and noted his weight has dropped by 20 g over one month. I find this alarming. Is it possible he has contacted some sort of parasites/ protozoas, though I could not imagine how the infection could have spread. I have not managed to collect any faecal material today, but I imagine I will need to bring him to a vet soon, unless anyone else has any idea? I am new in the Newport (uk) neighborhood too, so if anyone knows of a good vet here, please let me know.

 

[Yvonne G]

If there is a certain weed or greens that he eats readily, you can put a bunch of it in the blender until it's mush, then chop up the other greens you want him to eat into small pieces and stir it all together so the other greens are coated with the liquified good stuff.

 

[frigg]

I will try that. Though, now, I am more concerned because he seemed to be eating much less in general and losing some weight. Otherwise, he is still stomping around the place and does not look particularly unwell; so I am not sure what is going on.

 

[(r.t)]

My tort is the same when he is in his enclousure he is lazy and he is also extremely picky with his food. So its no problem

 

[RainsOn]

Hmmmm - I think these guys can be stubborn. I would err on the side of caution and clear his health with a vet. After that, all bets are off. Put your foot down and use some of the mixes mentioned above. Sometimes these little guys act like children. Can't help you with a vet but there are people on here from the UK. Check around the forums. There is one where people meet people from their area.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[lismar79]

Its in the air. Mine has also slowed down on eatingbut is still real active. Natural insticts are telling them its about time to hibernate perhaps. Lots of post lately with russians not eating much and actively digging or climbing more.