Why will my Tortoise not eat Fruits or vegetables??

KhloeStel

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I have A tortoise named ashley that a family friend found on the side of the road So i do not know the specie But when i try to feed her fruits and veggies she will not eat them She only eats pellet food and worms. I have tried stuffing worms in red lettuce but it dosent work? Does anyone know a way to get her to eat anything other than pellets?? (Does anyone know what Kind of tortoise she is?? she was found in either Arizona Or california)ABC5B6D0-C00C-4681-92EC-92663806142E.jpeg
 

KhloeStel

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You have a box turtle. This turtle appears to be in pretty bad shape. They need some shallow water to swim in.
Yea She was abused by previous owners and So thats why her shell is kinda curved upward But she now goes to a vet now And they say she is completly Healthy
 

method89

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can we get better pictures of her head?
 

Toddrickfl1

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I have A tortoise named ashley that a family friend found on the side of the road So i do not know the specie But when i try to feed her fruits and veggies she will not eat them She only eats pellet food and worms. I have tried stuffing worms in red lettuce but it dosent work? Does anyone know a way to get her to eat anything other than pellets?? (Does anyone know what Kind of tortoise she is?? she was found in either Arizona Or california)View attachment 330285
Please read the care sheet and make the necessary corrections. This poor turtle has had a rough life.
 

ZenHerper

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Box turtles need meat. They eat a lot of it during their active times of year. When a turtle is malnourished, it will focus on worms almost exclusively.

Will she eat an all-meat canned cat food? That will be a great way to get additional nutrients into the system. Fish and/or poultry types, and pate is easier to bite/swallow. It does not have to be an expensive brand, but there should not be any other ingredients but meat. My ornates like this one:

If she'll take the all-meat cat food, try adding a wee bit of fruit-only or veggie-only baby food (any flavors, just no sugar added). Fruit is usually easier to accept than veggies, so start there.

Turtles hatch out with an instinct to eat live critters on the forest and prairie floor. It takes them some time to start craving berries and young leaves of plants like viola/heartsease, clover, dandelion, chicory. If you can find any pesticide-free flowers from these plants, they are very nutritious.

If she only wants worms, it's a bit trickier and messier, but you basically mix some worms with some baby food fruit. Some of the fruit will go down by accident, but the sweet healthful flavor will make an impression over time.

Even though Three-Toed BTs are small, and this one has stunted growth, it needs a lot of room to exercise. Make sure your habitat is at least 5x4 feet.
 

Yvonne G

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If this three toed box turtle looked like this when it was found, then it's a released or escaped pet that had been raised improperly from a hatchling.

It was probably fed cat food, had no UVB and lived in a dry aquarium.

Your turtle will never look normal, but you can give it a better life.

Go to our home page and scroll down until you find American Box Turtles, then read the first few threads that are stickied at the top of the section.
 

KhloeStel

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Box turtles need meat. They eat a lot of it during their active times of year. When a turtle is malnourished, it will focus on worms almost exclusively.

Will she eat an all-meat canned cat food? That will be a great way to get additional nutrients into the system. Fish and/or poultry types, and pate is easier to bite/swallow. It does not have to be an expensive brand, but there should not be any other ingredients but meat. My ornates like this one:

If she'll take the all-meat cat food, try adding a wee bit of fruit-only or veggie-only baby food (any flavors, just no sugar added). Fruit is usually easier to accept than veggies, so start there.

Turtles hatch out with an instinct to eat live critters on the forest and prairie floor. It takes them some time to start craving berries and young leaves of plants like viola/heartsease, clover, dandelion, chicory. If you can find any pesticide-free flowers from these plants, they are very nutritious.

If she only wants worms, it's a bit trickier and messier, but you basically mix some worms with some baby food fruit. Some of the fruit will go down by accident, but the sweet healthful flavor will make an impression over time.

Even though Three-Toed BTs are small, and this one has stunted growth, it needs a lot of room to exercise. Make sure your habitat is at least 5x4 feet.
Thank you so much i will try this!!! And im going to get her a bigger enclosure
 

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