What am I doing wrong here?

[methos75]

Ok so my New Redfoots are turning their noses up at everything I feed them now. Monday and Tuesday they ate the small amount of Squash and Mango I gave them, but they ate nothing Weds and yesterday just a pick of Beef Heart. Today I offered them some Kale, Collards, and Carrots and they refused it, so I put in some Spring Mix and they just picked out the Spinach and ate it which I know is bad for them. So I tried some more Beefheart and they ravaged it. Anyone else have snobby Torts?

 

[jackrat]

Time for some tough love. Offer them some greens. If they turn it down,offer some the next day,and so on. Eventually they will give in and eat greens. Then you can gradually re-introduce some fruit. I would definately lay off the beef heart until they are eating a balanced diet.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I agree ... it's hard to let them get hungry (they look up with those sad little eyes) but if you let them get good and hungry by not feeding for a few days and only offering good foods, they will come around. Good luck!

 

[methos75]

I guess its tough love time then, its ok, I got about 12 little Turtle heads always begging me around my house but they are on a schedule to prevent little fat turtles with shell damage so I guess the Torts get the same treatment. Also on Spinach, is it really as bad for Torts as stated and should it be completely avoided?

 

[Candy]

I'm afraid that you don't have "snobby torts", you have "spoiled torts". You have to just put it in there and when they are hungry enough they will eat it. If you give them sweet all of the time they will of course hold out for it. Dale is very good at this. He was spoiled rotten until I used "tough love" on him.

 

[Yvonne G]

Some people pick the spinach out of the Spring Mix. I don't. I think its ok in moderation.

I have noticed that this latest bag of Ready-Pac Spring mix that I bought has an awful lot of spinach in it and after I've fed it, later on in the day I go back and look and there's a lot of spinach left on the plates not eaten.

 

[methos75]

Yeah probably, doesn't help that I have no idea what their previous owner feed them outside Squash or what they feed them where she got them, where ever that may of been.

 

[Madkins007]

A couple non-diet thoughts...

1. NEW torts often are so stressed by the changes that they don't eat or act normally. It can take a week or so to behave more normally.

2. Temps play a big role in eating, as does lighting. A lot of keepers report better feeding behaviors when the lighting is properly balanced with some UVA and the right UVB. Higher temps encourage eating and digesting. Check your set up to make sure things are OK.

On the diet side- my guys often refuse certain things: kale, collards, squash, mango and carrots are things they usually skip. They also usually avoid papaya when I spring for it.

For my little guy, I use a Spring Mix as the basis, then mix in some of a good green- usually turnip but I will use collards, etc. When it is torn up and mixed in, they usually do OK. Squash, carrots, and mango do not bother me that they don't like (especially since they eat the cucumber-like squash while they turn down the butternut and similar stuff.)