An unwilling tortoise to eat could be suffering from various illnesses or disorders; to properly identify their cause it’s essential that we observe their behavior and environment closely.
Make sure that the food offered to your tortoises on a regular and consistent schedule is both fresh and varied, in order for them to get all of the essential vitamins and nutrients they require for good health.
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Calcium Supplements
Many pet stores sell blocks of calcified minerals designed to help tortoises get more calcium, but these products often are ineffective without conducting an in-depth chemical analysis on all the food they eat and eliminating anything that contains calcium blockers (phytic acid, oxalic acid etc).
Rep-Cal is an ideal product to purchase for tortoises as it contains Vitamin D which is essential for their wellbeing. Many pet stores stock this kind of supplement.
Simply sprinkle a light coating of powder over your tortoise’s food on a regular basis; larger species, such as Sulcata or Leopard tortoises will require much more powder than their Mediterranean counterparts.
Live Food
Tortoises should primarily consume leafy greens and fruit as part of their diet. Because they are herbivorous (plant eaters), most tortoise breeds require additional foods in their diet; for instance, giant Sulcata tortoises will enjoy grasses such as alfalfa sprouts, Timothy Hay and Orchard Hay as well as dandelions or Opuntia or Prickly Pear Cactus leaves to thrive.
Tortoises will also enjoy eating hay pellets, which can be found in rabbit and guinea pig sections of pet stores or purchased online from reptile specialty stores. Soak these in water to soften them for your tortoise’s consumption. There are also commercial food mixes designed to give tortoises the nutrition they require that tend to be more nutritional than natural food sources; these may occasionally replace leafy veggies as supplements in its diet.
Pellets
Pellets may help your tortoise meet his nutritional requirements when other foods are being turned down by refusing. However, to get him eating again more naturally and regularly try providing plenty of fresh weeds and vegetables alongside pellets as a backup option when his natural food supplies run low.
Pellets can be an efficient way to quickly get some of the nutrients your tortoise needs without spending hours searching out plants and weeds that contain these vitamins. But remember that tortoises don’t typically like eating these types of foods and may turn up their nose at them!
There are various pellet brands specifically tailored for tortoises, and you will need to experiment in order to find out which one your tortoise prefers. If he won’t eat them, try supplementing their diet with Rep-Cal or powdered calcium carbonate (available from livestock supply stores and feed stores that carry poultry supplies), while cuttlebone is another good source of calcium; many tortoises enjoy chewing it up!
Water
Many new tortoise owners become distressed when their tortoise does not drink, particularly after reading about wild tortoises living without water in arid climates. But as domesticated animals they require our assistance to meet their water requirements!
Your tortoise’s best chance at drinking water is by providing them with an ample, shallow dish that simulates nature’s water source. Tortoises are drawn to its smell, so make sure the dish is cleaned regularly to prevent mold growth or debris build-up.
Your tortoise needs a shallow dish of water as its primary source of hydration; additionally provide other sources, like leafy greens and dandelion leaves (an excellent calcium booster). Rep-Cal powdered limestone may also help boost their diet – sprinkle some over each meal every day.
