Feeding and Nutrition :: Sudden uninterest in greens

[tissigirl]

I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem with their RES...

Mr. Turtle (20 years old) has eaten most greens for years, his favorite being dandelion greens and collards. A few months ago he has suddenly stopped eating any type of greens. I have tried almost every kind out there, dandelion, collards, green leaf, red leaf, etc, and he refuses to eat any of them now. He will still eat carrots, although only a few of what I give him (he used to eat as many as I would put in the tank), and he will still gobble down any fruits I give him. He still eats all of his pellets that I give him, but I am concerned that he won't be getting the nutrition he needs if this keeps up. I do coat his pellets with calcium powder.

The only other thing I have left to try is live plants, although he is quite messy with those! In the past he ate those fine as well. Does anyone have any other suggestions??

[marisa]

I don't have this problem with my RES, but when the weather turns cool some of my Eastern Painteds become much less interested in leafy greens. As long as he's eating other foods, I wouldn't worry to much. Just keep trying. To cut down on waste in the tank, feed less of them.

[tissigirl]

Thanks. That's what i've been doing, just giving him a small piece daily and scooping it out the next morning if he doesn't eat it. He has never done this before in the winter, but maybe he's starting a new trend!

I also just read the sticky about the turtle jello (it's been a while since i've been on here!), and I plan on trying that as well.

[steve]

My male will sometimes lose interest in his lettuce but I've found that using a veggie clip, which holds it in place, to be pretty effective to get him to eat later.