Not eating weeds!

[yuna1971]

I usually mix rommaine in with Lily's weeds but he's been picking out the nice stuff (ie the rommaine) and leaving the weeds. I've tried using a little cucumber juice drizzled on just weeds alone. But no luck...hell then eat nothing, just sniffs it and walks through it over and over again, sometimes pooing and weeing.
I just can't get him back on them...and it's driving me nuts!!
I know it's non nutritional with rommaine. But he just won't touch weeds! Outside he will nibble dandelion, and loves sowthistle but there's not much sowthistle about to give him loads. It's scarce where I live despite hunting for it.
He will take weeds if I hand feed but that's it.

Any ideas anyone. I've got tons of ribwort plantain, Jack by the hedge but he won't have it.
He used to be fine...but not now.

I'm at a loss here. xx

[emma_mcraf]

Is this a recent thing, Rach? I found that when Hugo had worms, one of the first signs was he stopped eating weeds and would only eat romaine or nutrazu!
I treated him with panacur via the nutrazu and once wormed, he was straight back onto the weeds. Just a thought......
You may just have to do the tough love thing and only give him weeds. When he gets hungry, Lils will eat.

[yuna1971]

Would I see the worms visibly in his poo? I know about panacur and heard its harsh if there's no need to treat. I need to know about whether it deffo is before I go down that route. xx

[yuna1971]

He will eat sowthistle and when I hand feed...he will eat them. Plus he will nibble small broadleaf plantain in the garden if he comes across it, and nibble on bindweed leaves. xx

[emma_mcraf]

Like I say, it was only in hindsight that I realised that was the first sign that something had changed with Hugo. He usually chomps all his weeds up without any problem but he started to get fussy, then lethargic and so I ran a wormcount on him and he had quite a heavy wormload. I've always used Panacur to worm and have had no problems. I tend to give the torts reptoboost baths and add it to their drinking water throughout the worming process to balance out the healthy bacteria in the gut. Panacur can leave them feeling a bit under the weather, but it certainly gets rid of the worms if they're there.
One of my torts came via someone who used natural methods to worm, pumpkin seeds and suchlike, and the tort was RIDDLED with pinworms when she arrived here, poor love.
I never saw any worms in Hugo's poo but you couldn't miss them in Tamara's!

Hopefully it's not worms making Lils a fusspot with his food, especially if he's full of energy, so if the cucumber trick doesn't work, you may just need to see how many days you can hold out just offering the weeds and I'm sure he'll eventually eat them once he realises the naughty stuff isn't coming too. Then once he's back eating weeds you can reintroduce the romaine. I always use romaine and radicchio to bulk out weeds in the winter, so you're not alone in using it.

[yuna1971]

Thanks Em. Yes I really think it's him being fussy as he's stomping around every day, full of energy and he does eat the sowthistle (with no cucumber juice) and bits of others but just seems to ignore them when they are in his main meal. He will nibble at other times and when out.
It's infuriating as I've tried loads of times now to get him to eat them...but he just walks over them ...over and over again. I feel mean but i also know he MUST eat his weeds!
(Bit like you must eat your sprouts to a little kid lol) xx

[CherryBrandy]

I wonder Rach if its wind down? the flowers are seeding etc and then with a little bit of attention Lils eats from your hand?
A couple of mine aren't eating at all despite the weather. I don't like quick changes in weather because I think food will remain inside when it suddenly gets cold again if they have a burst of eating. I suppose they may know that the seasons are changing and just eat easily digestable food romaine?....bit like Emma's weather vane....it just knows. CB

[emma_mcraf]

Originally Posted by CherryBrandy

I wonder Rach if its wind down? the flowers are seeding etc and then with a little bit of attention Lils eats from your hand?
A couple of mine aren't eating at all despite the weather. I don't like quick changes in weather because I think food will remain inside when it suddenly gets cold again if they have a burst of eating. I suppose they may know that the seasons are changing and just eat easily digestable food romaine?....bit like Emma's weather vane....it just knows. CB

No, CB...my weather vane has a mind of it's own. It's my witchy knowledge!!!

[emma_mcraf]

Originally Posted by yuna1971

Thanks Em. Yes I really think it's him being fussy as he's stomping around every day, full of energy and he does eat the sowthistle (with no cucumber juice) and bits of others but just seems to ignore them when they are in his main meal. He will nibble at other times and when out.
It's infuriating as I've tried loads of times now to get him to eat them...but he just walks over them ...over and over again. I feel mean but i also know he MUST eat his weeds!
(Bit like you must eat your sprouts to a little kid lol) xx

He's just keeping you on your toes, Rach! Sowthistle and plantain are great for him to be eating, even if it's just those two weeds. They're certainly on my top weeds list.
Maybe as CB says, it's the changeable weather. He may have lost his appetite somewhat and just want to nibble rather than devour whole meals.
(I love sprouts! It's broad beans I don't like. )

[sandy]

Originally Posted by yuna1971

I usually mix rommaine in with Lily's weeds but he's been picking out the nice stuff (ie the rommaine) and leaving the weeds. I've tried using a little cucumber juice drizzled on just weeds alone. But no luck...hell then eat nothing, just sniffs it and walks through it over and over again, sometimes pooing and weeing.
I just can't get him back on them...and it's driving me nuts!!
I know it's non nutritional with rommaine. But he just won't touch weeds! Outside he will nibble dandelion, and loves sowthistle but there's not much sowthistle about to give him loads. It's scarce where I live despite hunting for it.
He will take weeds if I hand feed but that's it.

Any ideas anyone. I've got tons of ribwort plantain, Jack by the hedge but he won't have it.
He used to be fine...but not now.

I'm at a loss here. xx

It sounds like your tortoise has you well and truely trained:0)
All the time you feed lettuce of any sort, they will pick it out, as its junk food for tortoises. If you only feed weeds he/she will eventually give in and eat them:0)
No healthy tortoise will starve when food put infront of them:0)