New member-Hermann's Tortoise

[mrhappysmama]

Hello,

My little guy Mr.Happy will only eat red leaf lettuce and fruits. I know he shouldn't have fruits a lot but that is all he will eat. Does anybody have any suggestions on what else he may eat? Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Mrhappysmama:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

A captive tortoise can only eat what his keeper gives him. Stop giving him fruit and he can't eat it anymore. If you continue to offer him a variety of different greens, he will eventually eat them. They won't starve themselves.

I took this off the 'net for you:

Diet--
The Hermann's tortoise is an opportunistic eater. It will eat whenever the food is available because it never knows when food is going to b available. In the wild, Hermann's tortoises will eat anything that is in their reach. In its natural habitat, the Hermann's tortoise prefers to feed on broad leaf plants instead of long grasses. Hermann's tortoises will even continue to feed on dried plants. They also feed on fallen fruits and flowers. Hermann's tortoises have even been known to eat insects and animal feces. In the captive habitat, Hermann's tortoises eat a wide variety of comercial foods and natural plants. Although Hermann's tortoises prefer broad leafy greens and some fruit, the following is a list of acceptable food items.

Standard Foods--
Romain lettuce
Kale
Mustard greens
Turnip greens
Collard greens
Parsley
Cabbage(on occasion)--cabbage that is fed long term has damaging effects to the thyroid so it is highly recommended to be fed sparingly!
Red-leaf lettuce
Green-leaf lettuce
NO ICEBERG LETTUCE-- this type of lettuce in itself is not bad for any animal, but it has no nutritional value and most animals tend to enjoy it too much. They will wait long periods of time to get this tasty lettuce while avoiding other foods in the process.
Cucumber
Tomatoes(just the fruit, not the plant)
Strawberries
Carrots
Bananas
Parsley
Squash
Most Berries and Melons
Timothy Hay
Alfalfa Grass
Bermuda Grass
Dandelion
Most Weeds
Cactus Pads

 

[mrhappysmama]

Thanks for the info. How important is the humidity in the enclosure? I have a hard time keeping it at the right level sometimes.

My name is Kim and I am from North Carolina.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome.

 

[ascott]

Welcome to the forum

 

[John]

Welcome to TFO!

 

[coreyc]

Hello welcome to the forum

 

[GBtortoises]

I disagree on feeding Hermanns the fruits listed in Yvonnes post above as part of their regular diet. Hermann's, like other Testudo species should not have a lot of fruit in their diet. A very occasional peice of fruit is fine once in a while. I believe their diet should consist of approximately 80-85% good quality, varied greens in the form of weeds and/or grocery store greens including but not limited to: clover, broad and narrow leaf plantain, dandelion (whole plant), crown vetch, sow thistle, chicory (wild), alfalfa (sparingly), other wild weeds and grocery store greens such as; endive, escarole, chicory(farmed), romaine, green leaf, red leaf, other lettuces, occasionally; spinach, kale & cabbage. The vegetable portion of their diet should consist of, but again not be limited to: squashes, pumpkin, sweet potato, green, red & yellow bell peppers, carrots and occasionally green & yellow beans, peas and corn.

Along with the above diet there should be some form of calcium available to them 24/7. While some tortoises will graze on hay, Hermann's rarely do. But it is okay to have it available to them at all times so that if they want to consume it they can. Some will occasionally eat fresh grasses too and many will consume day old tree leaves. But in the case of leaves and some wild weeds it's important to know which may be toxic to them.

Clean, fresh water should either be available at all times or they should be soaked in a seperate container often in order to remain well hydrated.

While some of the information in the text of Yvonne's post is true, it's being spoke of in terms of what a Hermann's might do in the wild. In the wild they must but more opportunistic feeders and there is no doubt that they will eat most anything that can be consumed including fruit, dried grasses and animal feces. In captivity tortoises have a very different life. Food scarcity is not an issue for them and in more cases that not most are fed much more than they would eat in the wild within a similar time frame. Fruits in the wild are typically seasonal so tortoises take advantage of them when they can. In captivity because of the volume of other vitamin and mineral rich foods being fed, fruits are an overload to their systems and contain much more sugars and some are high in acids, more than Testudo are accustomed to handling on a regular basis. Tortoises simply do not have the adversity in captivity that they would face in the wild. Their diets need to be "adjusted" to that lack of hardship.

 

[mrhappysmama]

Thanks for the info. I had tried a lot of that stuff but he still went right back to the lettuce. I will start over, maybe his attitude has changed a little.
1- tortoise
2-RES
4-dogs
4- hedgehogs
1-rabbit

 

[zoe roberts]

Hows Mr Happy's eating going?
My baby Hermann is ridiculously fussy so I'm trying to wean him on to a variety of foods.
Is your little one eating a better variety now?

 

[mrhappysmama]

Yes he has started eating a lot better. I have been feeding him a type of sping mix from the store. I always wash it really well. I also have been feeding him red leaf lettuce.
Mr. Happy was like that at first, but after I changed bought a UVB combo he is a lot more active.
I hope he starts eating better. Mine loves fruit he would eat it everyday if I let him.

Mrhappysmama

 

[desertr0se]

Hello,

My little guy Mr.Happy will only eat red leaf lettuce and fruits. I know he shouldn't have fruits a lot but that is all he will eat. Does anybody have any suggestions on what else he may eat? Thanks

Hi, I'm new here but I'll tell you, my tortoise likes Kale and Collard Greens.

 

[Turtle Guru]

Welcome to the forum

 

[jackrat]

Welcome to the forum.