What can I do to encourage eating?

[Cathie G]

Thanks. How long before I should worry about him not pooping? He went three weeks without eating. He ate for a week and yesterday and today have been his first starve days. Well, semi starve days actually. Yesterday I gave him about a tablespoon of romaine smeared with mazuri and today about the same amount but with spring mix instead of mazuri. I went a little longer before limiting his food because of the three weeks without eating and because the first couple days of eating, he didnt eat that much. He "peed" yesterday. Been a few days without a soak so I'll be giving him a good one tomorrow morning.

My best advice is to keep feeding and never limit food. And do long soaks everyday that you can especially since your tortoise has been on a food strike. That's what will get things moving along in his gut. But both things should be done always unless you are going to brumate and I can't go into that because I don't.

 

[Tom]

Thanks. How long before I should worry about him not pooping? He went three weeks without eating. He ate for a week and yesterday and today have been his first starve days. Well, semi starve days actually. Yesterday I gave him about a tablespoon of romaine smeared with mazuri and today about the same amount but with spring mix instead of mazuri. I went a little longer before limiting his food because of the three weeks without eating and because the first couple days of eating, he didnt eat that much. He "peed" yesterday. Been a few days without a soak so I'll be giving him a good one tomorrow morning.

There should be no "starve" days. That is old incorrect info. The tortoise should be free fed as much of the right foods as it wants to eat all day every day. They are grazers.

 

[Kevboosh]

There should be no "starve" days. That is old incorrect info. The tortoise should be free fed as much of the right foods as it wants to eat all day every day. They are grazers.

Thanks. Always thought that sounded weird because there's as much food as they want in the wild. I guess I must have skimmed over mentions on tortoise forum about it and just assumed I read the starve thing here. Glad to have that cleared up early. Thanks