What can and will eat a Russian Tort?

[fgately]

I went outside this morning to give my torts some greens to eat. All were found and placed together to commence munching on the greens. As I walked back in the house, I noticed several areas where some critter had come in the yard, and dug a bunch of shallow holes in search of something to eat. I am thinking this is probably from an opossum, or possibly a skunk. None of the torts looked like they had been bugged at all.

I know a coyote or a racoon could eat a full grown Russian tort. Can an opossum or a skunk? They just dont seem big enough, and both seem to prefer grubbing around for food, and not really the true predator type. I am sure they would eat a baby if they could find one, but I am not convinced they can eat an adult.

Thoughts out there?

 

[Yvonne G]

Skunks and oppossum can and do chew on turtles and tortoises...just like dogs do.

I've seen holes in the ground after the box turtles have laid eggs. Skunks have really good sense of smell and they dig up the turtle eggs and eat them. Could your Russians have laid eggs?

 

[Laura]

sounds like a skunk digging up your yard..

 

[dmmj]

tortoises are not in a possum diet, I am not saying that they will never eat them, but they tend to eat more insects, skunks on the other hand will eat anything worse than coons IMHO.

 

[Yvonne G]

Dmmj's correct, however, in real life, an opossum will eat whatever it can. I had a mother chicken who had settled down for the night on the floor of the barn because her babies couldn't jump/fly up to the roost. In the morning there were baby chicken bodies without heads, and chewed chicken parts all over the barn floor. The mama chicken was wedged inside the opening to a pallet (that the hay sat on). She was too fat to be pulled into under the pallet. When we took down the hay and lifted up the pallet, there was a big old oppossum under there.

 

[Len B]

A neighbor had something digging small holes in his yard, and it turned out to be squirrels.

 

[TortieGal]

A oppossum got into my friends green house and killed all of her cockatiels. I wouldn't trust any of them. They don't need a very big hole to get in either.

 

[fgately]

Unlikely that my females have layed eggs. I am hoping they do next year!

I know there are opossums and skunks in our neighborhood. Seems like the digging is for some grubs or something. One of my tort plants, mustard greens, was eaten and all the roots were even dug out and eaten.

Squirrels could be the culprit! A family of them has moved in and the mocking birds and hummingbirds are constantly attacking them. Do they dig for things to eat. I know they will eat, seeds, fruit, and veggies. Will they dig for grubs and bugs?