Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had my CA Wood for a few months now, and all it ever wants to eat are grapes and romaine. It will pick through everything else and set it aside to get to the grapes. I've tried strawberries, bananas, melon, pineapple, apple, pear, broccoli, reptomin, mealworms, etc. . . but to no avail. If I give just other things with no grapes or romaine, it will just pick through and walk away, giving me a look like "Where's the food?" My question is, if I'm using a vitamin supplement and a calcium supplement, is this okay? Or should I keep trying to offer it other things until it gets hungry enough to eat them? Any help or advice is much appreciated! Thanks!

I would try not feeding him for a few days, and then offer him other things. If he still doesn't eat them, do the same thing, wait a couple more days and try again. If he doesn't start to eat in a week or two, then go back to giving him his 'regular' diet. Just keep trying.

I am certainly no expert, but have two CA Wood Turtles that I've had since last fall. They are currently with a rehabber because they just wouldn't eat on a regular basis. I had the complex setups, lighting, etc. they need, but just wouldn't eat. The rehabber has had some success with these types of turtles and says because they are so smart they have definite likes and dislikes (as you've witnessed!) and will sometimes have a diet so narrow that it is only one item--and with most of these being imports--it may only be available in the CA jungles where they were taken from. Anyway, be glad your turtle is eating and if he/she's thriving then the supplements are getting in there and doing their jobs. BTW the rehabber will at first be force-feeding (he's experience here and I am not) and then will try them on different foods to find out what I will need to provide once they come home.

The usualy favorite foods are earthworms and melon.

But these guys are sometimes picky feeders.
Having lots of space and large land areas with soil into which they can burrow seem to help many acclimate and pick up their eating habits.
I have seen several languish in aaquaria only to be transformed by being put ouside into a large sunny pen with a good soil and a lots of hides.

Warm air and at least some high humidity sections seem to help.

I feed mine that variety and they love it....
try mangoes too...Donnie's just found out he loves them.

What I did for awhile was take his favorite food and chop it up with the other good stuff, disguising the flavor of the other stuff..in this case Don's thing was strawberries....so I'd chop up with carrots, greens, and all that...

always do the supplements! I use Fluker's, both the multivitamin and the calcium supps...

I forgot one of the others things...make sure he gets alot of misting..give him high humidity. I got a Misty Mate and when i first used it, it stimulated Donnie's appetite and he's just a total porker now.
A sort of rain is bigtime to these guys, the misting is their daily rain. Water in general is a huge part of their lives. My pair get a daily hang out in the kiddie pool outside in fresh sunlight so they can do their turtley thing, lots of neat natural behaviors...mostly courting by Donnie. He's a charmer! But the point is, give your guy access to water, lots of it. Maybe that will stimulate his interest in other food.

Just an idear!