Questions about behavior with water / picky eating

[Biff Malibu]

The professor seems to be progressing along just fine. He looks healthy, happy and smooth.

I have a few weird things going on though that I want some input on.

1) I tried putting a small terra cotta saucer in his tank for water access. He DOES NOT EVER drink it. He usually stomps around it and fills it with substrate. Every time I take it out, its filled with substrate.

He DOES drink sometimes while soaking.

There is no problem, He's doing just fine. I just don't understand the behavior, or see a point of giving him a water dish (at this age at least).

2) Picky Eating

He seems to like 3 things: Spring Mix, Red Leaf Lettuce and Mazuri

He will not eat (or eat VERY little of): Collared Greens, Mustard Greens, Bok Choy, Cactus

He also loves strawberry, and ALWAYS eats his dessert first. LOL

Does this change with age? I don't see much sense of serving him things that he doesn't eat, but his resistance to variation bums me out a little bit. This isn't like a 1 day trial, I've tried feeding greens MANY times, and he always denies it.

 

[wellington]

It is very important to keep water available to him. They can absorb it even if not drinking it. As for the food. Chop up the food along with the new food you want him to eat. Chop it all up very small. Put in a pile and mist with water. The water helps it all to stick together and the chop up pieces makes it harder to pick through. Oh, ya, don't give the dessert until the regular food is eaten.

 

[Biff Malibu]

I understand keeping water available makes sense and does not hurt.

I need to emphasize though that - he DOES NOT drink it. He kicks his substrate in it - Which is more what I'm wondering about.

(Figured out the dessert after meals pretty quickly, just thought its funny)

I always chop up his food, I'll try mixing it in with something I know he likes. Ex a bit of collared with spring mix.

 

[TheTortoiseWhisperer]

I clearly chose my username because it was catchy and because I though I knew so much about sulcatas until I came here, I have since, humbly grown out of my denial but although I may very well be wrong, I'm almost sure it's preferable not to ever give a sulcata fruit because it really affects their PH balance in their intestinal track besides that the more you spoil him the more finicky he'll behave, so instead of fruit as dessert I'd make 1 or 2 water soaked mazuri balls his "I love you" treat.

 

[mctlong]

1) I tried putting a small terra cotta saucer in his tank for water access. He DOES NOT EVER drink it. He usually stomps around it and fills it with substrate. Every time I take it out, its filled with substrate.

I understand keeping water available makes sense and does not hurt.

I need to emphasize though that - he DOES NOT drink it. He kicks his substrate in it - Which is more what I'm wondering about.

I have a Russian with the same habit - he loves hanging out around his fountain, stomping around, soaking himself, and generally making a mess. Like you, I see no harm in it. It helps cool him off and he seems to enjoy it.

I'd leave it in. The Professor may be taking gulps of the water while you're not looking.

 

[Biff Malibu]

It's not the fruit that's bad, its the amount. I know there's a ton of people that feed stawberries as a little treat though (moderation being key).

See site sticky on Sulcata diet:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Sulcata-Diet-Sheet--52677#axzz26Nl4ugS2[hr]

I have a Russian with the same habit - he loves hanging out around his fountain, stomping around, soaking himself, and generally making a mess. Like you, I see no harm in it. It helps cool him off and he seems to enjoy it.

I'd leave it in. The Professor may be taking gulps of the water while you're not looking.

I've actually spied on him a handful of times. He waits for me to be out of his vision before he acts differently. A couple times he walked promptly up to the saucer, sat on top of it for a bit, and proceeded to kick substrate in it.

You do have a point though. He DOES seem to enjoy doing it and making a mess. LOL!!!

 

[TheTortoiseWhisperer]

It's not the fruit that's bad, its the amount. I know there's a ton of people that feed stawberries as a little treat though (moderation being key).

See site sticky on Sulcata diet:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Sulcata-Diet-Sheet--52677#axzz26Nl4ugS2

Like I said, I MAY VERY WELL BE WRONG but this is what I've read on more that one website that seem to know what they're talking about -->3. AVOID giving fruit to your sulcata tortoise! Even though sulcata love fruit, it's best NOT to give them any. Grazing tortoise species such as leopard and sulcata rely on beneficial bacteria in their intestines to help them digest and extract nourishment from the grasses that they eat. If you give your tortoise large amounts of fruit, the acids and sugars in the fruit can change the pH of the tortoise's digestive tract, and this pH change can cause the beneficial bacteria in the tortoise's gut to die off. When large quantities of gut bacteria die, they can release toxins that cross the gut wall and enter the tortoise's bloodstream, causing the tortoise to experience a form of sepsis (Toxic Shock Syndrome) that can be fatal.

and this is one of the many websites that state the same thing --> http://www.sulcata-station.org/diet.html

Since I think The Professor is just a little guy still, I would imagine that any amount of fruit would be considered a "Large amount" …..Anyway, good luck with your picky eater, he sounds like he's a real lucky little tort because you obviously love him very much.

 

[lovelyrosepetal]

I have read it on many sites as well as this one- about the fruit. Having said that, these are oportunistic feeders and in the wild will eat many different things. I would also make sure no to feed the fruit too often but would give it more when it is bigger. I would check out some Bob stories. Maggie knows a lot about sulcatas and advises people with babies not to give fruit but that when they are bigger it is an okay thing to do once in a while. Mine will also kick substrate in the water but also soaks in it on its own for longer than I sometimes soak. Mine never soak for less than twenty minutes and often soak for thirty to forty minutes. Mine is also a picky eater and does not eat the cactus that I spend so much time preparing for them but will eat a lot of grass and weeds when grazing outside. I hope this helps.

 

[Biff Malibu]

^ I understand. When I first was looking into tortoise care I found all sorts of varying information.

I found that this site is the best resource out there - Why? Because it has a community for peer review. Plus theres a bunch of people who have raised sulcatas successfully that you can talk to. Tom, Emysemys, Zamric, mctlong etc... just to name a few (Including yourself).

The bottom line as I see it is that its a choice, and if you choose to feed it, it needs to be in moderation.

I choose to feed it in very small quantities, because my tortoise loves it, and I definitely love him. He's still pretty small - and when I say small quantity, I mean a nick off a strawberry. Probably not even 15% of one.

 

[TheTortoiseWhisperer]

^ I understand. When I first was looking into tortoise care I found all sorts of varying information.

I found that this site is the best resource out there - Why? Because it has a community for peer review. Plus theres a bunch of people who have raised sulcatas successfully that you can talk to. Tom, Emysemys, Zamric, mctlong etc... just to name a few.

The bottom line is that its a choice, and if you choose to feed it, it needs to be in moderation.

I choose to feed it in very small quantities, because my tortoise loves it.

I agree 100%…..especially your reasons for coming to this site for advise, like I said, by the time I came to sign up with TFO I had read just about everything I could possibly read and I BELIEVED I was TheTortoiseWhisperer and then I came across all of the people you named above and realized I knew absolutely NOTHING so pleaseeeee don't take my word for anything, I just felt I had to tell you just in case I was right and it would help you out.
Again, good luck with The Professor!!!

 

[Biff Malibu]

^ You totally have a point though. Here's the thing - It CAN present a danger if over done, the best advice to give most people is to NOT do it - Because there's no guarantee that they're doing it right. The best advice to give the public (lets face it, who are stupid a lot of the time) is to just not do it at all.

I also completely respect and admire your quest for knowledge. Seems to be a rarer and rarer thing these days.

 

[wellington]

^ I understand. When I first was looking into tortoise care I found all sorts of varying information.

I found that this site is the best resource out there - Why? Because it has a community for peer review. Plus theres a bunch of people who have raised sulcatas successfully that you can talk to. Tom, Emysemys, Zamric, mctlong etc... just to name a few.

The bottom line is that its a choice, and if you choose to feed it, it needs to be in moderation.

I choose to feed it in very small quantities, because my tortoise loves it.

I agree 100%…..especially your reasons for coming to this site for advise, like I said,
by the time I came to sign up with TFO I had read just about everything I could
possibly read and I BELIEVED I was TheTortoiseWhisperer and then I came across all
of the people you named above and realized I knew absolutely NOTHING so
pleaseeeee don't take my word for anything, I just felt I had to tell you just in case I
was right and it would help you out.
Again, good luck with The Professor!!!

My opinion. Forget what you have found on most of the other sites. There a only a small handful, maybe that will give you the correct info. If you stick to this forum, you know you won't go wrong. I listened to other sites and my breeder and now I have a leopard that has pyramiding. I found TFO and was able to start growing new growth in smooth. I look no place else but this site for advice.

 

[mainey34]

I absolutely agree with Wellington. There is a lot of wealthy information found on this site. I don't look anywhere else for info.