Boo is eating!

We have had Boo the Greek tortoise for 3.5 months now. He is still very shy, and often pulls his head inside his shell when someone walks near his tort table... but he is feeling comfortable enough that I was able to get a few good pics of him eating! 

Nom! Good little Greek tortoise!

 Getting Boo to eat has been tricky. His old owner only fed him Romaine, and he has been extremely picky about what he will eat. He won't eat anything even slightly wilted, and he won't eat the stems. He won't eat it if it's lying on the ground, but leaning up against a rock is fine. What this boils down to is giving him small portions several times a day, leaned up against the rock.

Boo the Greek tortoise chowing down on some endive

In December and January I end up having to buy greens for the tortoises... the rest of the year I collect and grow my own. Endive, mustard greens, kale, collard greens, and Spring mix lettuce have been on the menu. Dandelion is starting to sprout now, so in about a week I should be able to get a good harvest every few days. I'm looking forward to having free and healthier tort food again!  

Boo hasn't gained any weight in the last 4 weeks, but I do see him eating more, and he continues to be very active. I hope he will have a growth spurt once the weather warms up a little! For an 8-year-old Greek tortoise, he is VERY shrimpy!

Boo the Greek tortoise update

My little Antakyan Greek tortoise is doing so well. He is VERY active in his new tortoise table: he RUNS all over the place, climbs all over his pumpkin and his rocks, walks through his water dish, basks for a while, then runs and clonks all over again.
It is amazing what a nice big habitat, proper UVB light, and good heat and food will do for a previously lethargic, scared tortoise.

Boo is still kind of shy

He is becoming less of a picky eater, as well. His old owner fed him mostly romaine lettuce, so for several months, Boo refused to eat anything else. My stubbornness finally won out - I gave him NO more romaine, and for a while he wouldn't touch the other, more healthy, leafy greens I offered. I just kept removing the untouched greens, and replacing them with new ones each day. Then a few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he had eaten most of his meal! He still has a smaller appetite than my Russian tortoises, but then again, those four are little piggies.

Boo loves being in the water

Boo's colors really come out when he's in the water soaking, which is why so many pictures that I take are of him soaking in the water. He has access to a water dish in his tortoise table, and I soak him in his big tub 1-2 times per week.

Boo = NOT an aquatic species. 

Greek tortoises are desert and steppe dwellers - they like heat, and they eat a high fiber diet of different greens and weeds. Counter to what many people believe, however, they DO need access to water in their enclosure, and they DO need to be soaked regularly to stay hydrated.

Short video of Jill eating

Jill is one of my two new Russian tortoise females, and she is super-tame. Here is a video of her eating some kale out of my hand.

Please excuse the squeaking in the background. That is Roz, my male, mating with one of my other females.