So I thought I would make this a thread becuase I seem to hear all sorts of answers to this. Is it important for greeks to eat hay?

On every care sheet I have ever seen (stores, online) they suggest hay (timothy, alfalfa, or bermuda grass) because it is vital to their health. Makes up 2/3 of their diet, etc...

But on here its a big NO, NO with greeks. (I think Danny said it was because of Silica?) Harsh on the digestive track, etc...

What is everyone's take on this, and their experience? I notice mine ate it when I first got him if it was chopped up super fine, but lately he eats around it.

I'm curious about this myself. Was there some study done on this? I'd like to see it.

I looked up Silica on Google. Wikipedia's definition:

"The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica or silox (from the Latin "silex"), is the oxide of silicon, chemical formula SiO2, and has been known for its hardness since the 9th century[1]. Silica is most commonly found in nature as sand or quartz. It is a principal component of most types of glass and substances such as concrete."

It also says:
"When silica is ingested orally, it passes unchanged through the gastrointestinal tract, exiting in the feces, leaving no trace behind. Small pieces of silicon dioxide are equally harmless, as long as they are not large enough to mechanically obstruct the GI tract, or jagged enough to lacerate its lining."

Please read the whole article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silica

Seems like they are saying that as long as we chop the hay fine enough we shouldn't have a problem.

At this point I have no opinion on this. I would like to see some research though.

You and me both. I mean I don't think it would hurt them if we replaced hay with higher calcuim and iron lettuce like Kale or Spiniach. But I always here that hay is just so important to their diet. IDK... guess its trial and error and what the little guys taste is. One day mine was muching down parsley and then two weeks later he eats around it. Who knows, lol.

The silica is part of the make up of grass. It is on the cell level. Grass eating herbivores are able to deal with this fact. The probem with silica in grass is not in the digestion but in the grazing. Herbivores such as tortoises, ungulates, and equines have hard resistant cuting edges. If we eat grass our teeth wear out quickly. What I'm saying is torts are adapted for this.

So your saying its okay then? lol

Here is something from an article on feeding tortoises from the tortoisetrust website.
For large savannah species, such as Geochelone sulcata (African spurred tortoise) or Geochelone pardalis (Leopard tortoise), grasses and hays are a critical dietary component. Aldabra and Galapagos tortoises also do extremely well on this type of diet. Some other species also benefit from the inclusion of both fresh and dried grasses in their diet - although certain species, such as Redfoot, Yellowfoot, Hingeback and Mediterranean tortoises are ill-equipped to digest the high silica content of grass fodder. For species adapted to it, however, grass is not only nutritious, but its fiber content makes a significant contribution to digestive health. For leopard and African spurred tortoises, mixed grasses should comprise approximately 70-75% of the total diet.

You can add some grass to a Testudo's diet, but I would stay away from hay as everything has been concentrated in the drying process.

Here's the whole article, the excerpt came from the leopard/sulcata section.
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/webdiet.htm

Danny

This post was last modified: 01-15-2008 09:58 AM by egyptiandan.

I agree with Dan. Look at the habitat your tort is from.

Thanks!

I use a grass hay for a substrate for my leopard, but even though I have never seen her eat it, her last stool was , what appeared to be primarily hay. It's second cut hay, very not coarse. Mixture of mostly timothy. She does eat all her veggies,a little fruit. But that suprised me. I doubt cut up veggies and greens can come out looking like hay. I guess they pick what they want, when they have a choise.\
Na

What would be the best hay for Sulcata's? Timothy, Alfalfa?