please help. (,sloppy poo)

[kiwi210320]

I have a baby horsefield tortoise and when i got her , her poos were completly normal , and now all of a sudden its vert sloppy . Not diarrhea just very sloppy , I am getting a little worried because i havent had her long and was just wondering if theres anything i can do to help?

 

[Toddrickfl1]

I have a baby horsefield tortoise and when i got her , her poos were completly normal , and now all of a sudden its vert sloppy . Not diarrhea just very sloppy , I am getting a little worried because i havent had her long and was just wondering if theres anything i can do to help?

What are you feeding? Fruit can cause loose stool.

 

[kiwi210320]

I dont feed her fruit as she doesnt like it , normally she gets lettuce , dandilion leaves and the flower , carrot and peas

 

[Yvonne G]

Lettuce is mostly water - water in, water out!

 

[kiwi210320]

Lettuce is mostly water - water in, water out!

so it would be normal then as she has lettuce everyday?

 

[Yvonne G]

Normal for eating lettuce, yes, but a satisfactory, healthy diet? no.

 

[kiwi210320]

Normal for eating lettuce, yes, but a satisfactory, healthy diet? no.

what should i feed her more of i give her variety but she really likes lettuce

 

[Maggie3fan]

what should i feed her more of i give her variety but she really likes lettuce

I really like chocolate too...but that does not mean it's good for me...your tort has runny poop because he's not on the correct diet. remember...your tortoise can only eat what you give him...it sounds to me like it's time for some tough love...I'd only offer him the foods he should be eating...he might go without eating for a period of time...but if YOU stay strong and don't give in...you can put him on the correct diet...
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/ please read this it will help you immensely...

 

[kiwi210320]

I really like chocolate too...but that does not mean it's good for me...your tort has runny poop because he's not on the correct diet. remember...your tortoise can only eat what you give him...it sounds to me like it's time for some tough love...I'd only offer him the foods he should be eating...he might go without eating for a period of time...but if YOU stay strong and don't give in...you can put him on the correct diet...
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/ please read this it will help you immensely...

i have read the artical and it was very helpful i have been reading books and internet blogs , but there seems to always be controversy on what foods are good and bad and i am not sure which one to obide by , i really want to do what is best for kiwi and i would like some advise on what to feed her , i do switch up her diet , righ now she is eating dandilion (flower and leaves) and clover.

 

[Bieldesigns]

I got my tort from a friend who's child was bored of him. The only thing they fed him was lettuce. And they had him in a tiny enclosure. Poor guy was very traumatized. I did have trouble getting him to eat more variety and he wouldnt. I did do the tough love and now he eats what he should. It did take a little while, and he didnt eat for a few days.. he finally got hungry enough! Good luck!

 

[kiwi210320]

I got my tort from a friend who's child was bored of him. The only thing they fed him was lettuce. And they had him in a tiny enclosure. Poor guy was very traumatized. I did have trouble getting him to eat more variety and he wouldnt. I did do the tough love and now he eats what he should. It did take a little while, and he didnt eat for a few days.. he finally got hungry enough! Good luck!

Do you have any food suggestions , not the pellets just fruit and veg , if so please share !

 

[Bieldesigns]

I give him dark greens from the store. I live in New England and it's hard to have home grown all year long. He gets whatever they have: kale, collard greens, escarole, I'm growing some butter lettuce as a treat, spinach leaves, spring mix if you cant find the individual greens. I also give him a carrot every once in a while or a piece of an apple. I gave him 1 raspberry the other day that he loved. I stay away from acidic stuff. I do have some veggie mix in a jar that has freeze dried veggies. I put out some in his bowl with water and then when that's nice and soft I give it to him, maybe once a week.
I read and read, looked at everything I could find. Weve had him for 6 years now and hes a pretty happy little guy. A lot of it was trial and error. They are hearty little guys and will be okay with a mistake or two. Just keep and eye on him. It was super overwhelming when we first got him. I am still learning so much more!

 

[KarenSoCal]

Here's a list of tortoise foods. I hope it will help you...it's a loooonnnngggg list!

Good foods for tortoises are "chicories," types of lettuce that are likely to be on the far side of the more common floppy green heads of lettuce most people buy. Anything labeled as simply "chicory" is good, as are radiccio, frisee, escarole, and endive; you might even find something labeled as dandelions. You may find a bag of "Spring" or "Spicy" mix that is good, just check the label to be sure it has some of the chicories I just mentioned. The leaves (just the leaves) of turnips and radishes are also good, as are carrot tops. Collards, mustard greens, bok choy, and other dark, leafy greens are okay as well. If you have any kind of Mexican/hispanic market near you, they will sell cactus, labeled "nopales." Cactus is a great food to rotate in the diet, as it is high in calcium. You don't need to feed all of these at one time, just make sure your tortoise is getting access to different types of food. As you get more experienced, you can find the better types of food listed on the care sheets. Here are a whole bunch of non-grocery store suggestions. Mulberry leaves Grape vine leaves Hibiscus leaves African hibiscus leaves Blue hibiscus leaves Rose of Sharon leaves Rose leaves Geraniums Gazanias Nasturtium Lavatera Pansies Petunias Hostas Honeysuckle Cape honeysuckle Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc... Young spineless opuntia cactus pads Weeds: There are soooooooo many... Dandelion Mallow Filaree Smooth Sow thistle Prickly Sow thistle Milk thistle Goat head weed Cats ear Nettles Trefoil Wild onion Wild mustard Wild Garlic Clovers Broadleaf plantain Narrow leaf plantain Chick weed Hawksbit Hensbit Hawksbeard Other good stuff: "Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html Homegrown alfalfa Mazuri Tortoise Chow ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food Ones that you can buy in every store: Arugula Lambs lettuce Chicory Kale Mustard greens Organic kohlrabi leafs Organic carrot leafs Organic radish leafs Dandelions Radiccio Their main diet should be broad leaf weeds, succulents and grasses. Store bought foods are okay, but not the best. Collards and dandelions are a good food, but neither should be used every day. Check out the plant ID section for lots of ideas on weeds to feed. You can get spineless opuntia cactus pads from most Mexican grocery stores, or grow them yourself. You can also easily grow grape leaves, african hibiscus, regular hibiscus (if it will survive in your area), and mulberry leaves. You can try red apple, ice plant, and jade plant too. Also look into Gazania, pansies, nasturtiums, carnations, geraniums and many others. At the grocery store, favor endive and escarole, but also use cilantro, carrot tops, mustard and turnip greens, bok choy, radiccio, swiss chard, watercress, parsley, all the lettuces, etc. Lots of variety is best. There are also tortoise "weed" seed mixes that you can grow. I like the "Testudo Mix" from Tortoisesupply.com. Buckwheat; cactus; vetch; Mohave aster; creosote bush; desert four o’clock; tacoma stans; bladderpod; globe mallow; goldenhead; burro weed; so many things!

 

[kiwi210320]

I give him dark greens from the store. I live in New England and it's hard to have home grown all year long. He gets whatever they have: kale, collard greens, escarole, I'm growing some butter lettuce as a treat, spinach leaves, spring mix if you cant find the individual greens. I also give him a carrot every once in a while or a piece of an apple. I gave him 1 raspberry the other day that he loved. I stay away from acidic stuff. I do have some veggie mix in a jar that has freeze dried veggies. I put out some in his bowl with water and then when that's nice and soft I give it to him, maybe once a week.
I read and read, looked at everything I could find. Weve had him for 6 years now and hes a pretty happy little guy. A lot of it was trial and error. They are hearty little guys and will be okay with a mistake or two. Just keep and eye on him. It was super overwhelming when we first got him. I am still learning so much more!

Thank you very much that was extremely helpful , you are right it is stressful when you get a new one , especially a baby, but i am trying very hard. I live near fields that havent been treated so she gets dandilions and clovers . Shes not fond of fruit so i dont tend to give her any . Again thank you for the advice !!

 

[kiwi210320]

Here's a list of tortoise foods. I hope it will help you...it's a loooonnnngggg list!

Good foods for tortoises are "chicories," types of lettuce that are likely to be on the far side of the more common floppy green heads of lettuce most people buy. Anything labeled as simply "chicory" is good, as are radiccio, frisee, escarole, and endive; you might even find something labeled as dandelions. You may find a bag of "Spring" or "Spicy" mix that is good, just check the label to be sure it has some of the chicories I just mentioned. The leaves (just the leaves) of turnips and radishes are also good, as are carrot tops. Collards, mustard greens, bok choy, and other dark, leafy greens are okay as well. If you have any kind of Mexican/hispanic market near you, they will sell cactus, labeled "nopales." Cactus is a great food to rotate in the diet, as it is high in calcium. You don't need to feed all of these at one time, just make sure your tortoise is getting access to different types of food. As you get more experienced, you can find the better types of food listed on the care sheets. Here are a whole bunch of non-grocery store suggestions. Mulberry leaves Grape vine leaves Hibiscus leaves African hibiscus leaves Blue hibiscus leaves Rose of Sharon leaves Rose leaves Geraniums Gazanias Nasturtium Lavatera Pansies Petunias Hostas Honeysuckle Cape honeysuckle Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc... Young spineless opuntia cactus pads Weeds: There are soooooooo many... Dandelion Mallow Filaree Smooth Sow thistle Prickly Sow thistle Milk thistle Goat head weed Cats ear Nettles Trefoil Wild onion Wild mustard Wild Garlic Clovers Broadleaf plantain Narrow leaf plantain Chick weed Hawksbit Hensbit Hawksbeard Other good stuff: "Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html Homegrown alfalfa Mazuri Tortoise Chow ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food Ones that you can buy in every store: Arugula Lambs lettuce Chicory Kale Mustard greens Organic kohlrabi leafs Organic carrot leafs Organic radish leafs Dandelions Radiccio Their main diet should be broad leaf weeds, succulents and grasses. Store bought foods are okay, but not the best. Collards and dandelions are a good food, but neither should be used every day. Check out the plant ID section for lots of ideas on weeds to feed. You can get spineless opuntia cactus pads from most Mexican grocery stores, or grow them yourself. You can also easily grow grape leaves, african hibiscus, regular hibiscus (if it will survive in your area), and mulberry leaves. You can try red apple, ice plant, and jade plant too. Also look into Gazania, pansies, nasturtiums, carnations, geraniums and many others. At the grocery store, favor endive and escarole, but also use cilantro, carrot tops, mustard and turnip greens, bok choy, radiccio, swiss chard, watercress, parsley, all the lettuces, etc. Lots of variety is best. There are also tortoise "weed" seed mixes that you can grow. I like the "Testudo Mix" from Tortoisesupply.com. Buckwheat; cactus; vetch; Mohave aster; creosote bush; desert four o’clock; tacoma stans; bladderpod; globe mallow; goldenhead; burro weed; so many things!

WOW , thank you so so much that was so helpful . I will be using your advice and i hope it helps !!!