# Sulcata hatchling. Looking for healthy food recommendations... easily attainable ones



## PEEEETE (Aug 13, 2011)

Hello Tortoise enthusiasts! I have been feeding my hatchling Sulcata a spring mix salad available at all grocery stores along with Mulberry Tree Leaves (which he loves) My problem is that looking at recommended food sheets they all say to vary their diets as much as possible and give a huge list of options, but not many of them are normal items that I can find easily. 

Here's what I have seen and can find:
*Bok Choy
*Kale -offer sparingly 
*spring mix
*Napa cabbage

What are you all feeding your sulcatas, and where do you find the more exotic stuff? I want PÃ©pe to be healthy, and grow up strong!

Thanks guys!

PÃ©pe





p.s. - he is no longer on this substrate. This is what the breeder told me to use.


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## dmarcus (Aug 13, 2011)

Opuntia cactus pads is a good option that can be found at most Mexican food stores.


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## PEEEETE (Aug 13, 2011)

dalano73 said:


> Opuntia cactus pads is a good option that can be found at most Mexican food stores.



Great! Thank you, are those sold dried? Or is it a fresh produce product?


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## CtTortoiseMom (Aug 13, 2011)

We get our opuntia cactus from Ebay. We just ordered a bunch. In addition we order Mazuri from Spikethebest. I know I have a different species than you but our species are very similiar in what they eat.


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## laramie (Aug 13, 2011)

Hi PEEEETE,
Wilbur (my hatchling), is 10 weeks old and what I feed him is:
I usually get like four different green leafy veggies from the market (produce) and currently I am growing some edible flowers at home for him to eat. There is a really good thread about what you can give your tort 
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...ed-Greeks-Russians-Sulcatas-etc#axzz1UwjUDZp6

Hope that helps


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## PEEEETE (Aug 13, 2011)

What sort of specific leafies, Laramie?


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## dmmj (Aug 13, 2011)

I feed mine, hibiscus flowers and leaves, grape leaves, radish tops, strawberry leaves, various squash leaves an flowers, artichoke leaves, and cactus pads and flowers. They also like aloe vera


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## spring pace (Aug 13, 2011)

PEEEETE said:


> Hello Tortoise enthusiasts! I have been feeding my hatchling Sulcata a spring mix salad available at all grocery stores along with Mulberry Tree Leaves (which he loves) My problem is that looking at recommended food sheets they all say to vary their diets as much as possible and give a huge list of options, but not many of them are normal items that I can find easily.
> 
> Here's what I have seen and can find:
> *Bok Choy
> ...



If you want your sulcata to be healthy and strong, please put him back on the coir substrate, it's the only substrate that will give him the humidity levels he needs, I don't know what your breeder was thinking, it's especially crucial now to keep heat and humididity levels at peak performance. Spring baby green mix is fine mixed w/ chopped orchard grass for daily feedings, grazing is the best, collard, kale, turnip greens and dandelions can be given 1x a week, the hays or grasses is the most important, everything else is treats, but don't give too much or too often and always mix in the hay or grass, any hay is OK except for alfalfa. I've never given my guy cabbage or bok choy. keep the temps up during the day, can be cooler by 10-15 degrees at night, always keep the substrate moistened, as much sunshine as possible and exercise is what your guy really truly needs to grow up big and strong like mine. Good luck


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## PEEEETE (Aug 14, 2011)

spring pace said:


> If you want your sulcata to be healthy and strong, please put him back on the coir substrate, it's the only substrate that will give him the humidity levels he needs, I don't know what your breeder was thinking, it's especially crucial now to keep heat and humididity levels at peak performance. Spring baby green mix is fine mixed w/ chopped orchard grass for daily feedings, grazing is the best, collard, kale, turnip greens and dandelions can be given 1x a week, the hays or grasses is the most important, everything else is treats, but don't give too much or too often and always mix in the hay or grass, any hay is OK except for alfalfa. I've never given my guy cabbage or bok choy. keep the temps up during the day, can be cooler by 10-15 degrees at night, always keep the substrate moistened, as much sunshine as possible and exercise is what your guy really truly needs to grow up big and strong like mine. Good luck



Don't worry, he's on the coir now (again) I have changed substrates a couple times in the month that I have had him, and I think that this is the best for him. Now it's just a matter or getting him to eat right. I buy wheat grass from the grocery store that's made for Pets and Humans to eat, and he doesn't want to eat it. Any tips on getting him to eat his grasses? I let him graze on my front lawn (we use no chemicals at all) and he won't touch that either, even when he's hungry. He LOVES thick leaves from trees, like Mulberry trees, and loves his spinach. I've heard not too much spinach though, so I don't do that much from the spring mix. 

I have a O.T. question for you Spring Pace, what sort of heating element do you have in your tort's hide? Mine sleeps in his log hide every night where I have a stick-on heating pad on the outside of the glass (where the opening of the log is) so it's always warmer in there... But I don't think it's quite warm enough, because when I wake up I turn on his basking lamp, and he's always up within 10 minutes of that to bask/sleep for a while. Should I leave my basking light on all night for him? It would keep the tank warmer as a whole, and give him more heat if he needs it. Or is it important to have it dark in there?


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## Tom (Aug 14, 2011)

Here are some food suggestions:
Food: Weeds; mallow, filaree, dandelion, sow thistle, plantain, etc... Grass. Mulberry, rose, hibiscus and grape leaves. Hibiscus and rose flowers. Spineless opuntia cactus. Mazuri mixed in with other greens a couple of times a week. Spring mix and leafy greens from the grocery store. Variety is good. Avoid fruit, and use foods like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, very infrequently, if ever. When they get big, over a foot, you can try to introduce dry grass hay. But babies usually won't eat it.

At the grocery store look for collard, mustard and turnip greens. Bok choy, cilantro, parsley, swiss chard, endive, escarole. Red, green, and butter lettuce. Carrot tops, celery, watercress, etc... Still, grass and weeds are the best thing for them and FREE!

To get them to eat grass, get some of their favorite greens and spray them with a little water. Then hold a clump of fresh grass in one hand and chop it up really fine with some scissors in the other. Let the chopped grass fall onto the wet greens and mix it all up. Start with a small amount of grass and gradually increase the proportions. They all will come around eventually. Usually they won't eat dry grass hay until they are older and bigger.

If you want to minimize your chances of pyramiding, I highly recommend a proper humid hide. Half logs let all the humidity out through the open ends. If you hang a CHE over the tank it should keep the whole thing warm. It is very important that they do not get cool with humidity. And yes, they do need it dark at night.


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## PEEEETE (Aug 14, 2011)

Thanks again, Tom. You continue to educate me well, and soon enough I will have a home for PÃ©pe that you will approve of. Once that happens, I will be able to rest easy! I really just want what's best for him. So far he is 5 weeks old, and his shell looks awesome.


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## DeanS (Aug 14, 2011)

Keep in mind...any produce (cactus included) you pick up from the store...NEEDS TO BE CLEANED! You don't want any lingering chemicals to kill your baby! Here are two GREAT sources for cactus...

www.rivenrock.com
www.tortoisesupply.com

If you buy it on ebay...dorisviola sells the only truly spineless cactus I've ever seen. You can also find good (inexpensive) deals on Mazuri through ebay.

Also! Stater Bros carries Santa Barbara Mix...this is a better option than Spring Mix...because it contains no lettuce...only endive, escarole and radicchio...ALL three are GREAT for your little one.

God luck and keep us posted on his progress!


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## PEEEETE (Aug 14, 2011)

DeanS said:


> Keep in mind...any produce (cactus included) you pick up from the store...NEEDS TO BE CLEANED! You don't want any lingering chemicals to kill your baby! Here are two GREAT sources for cactus...
> 
> www.rivenrock.com
> www.tortoisesupply.com
> ...


Great post! Thank you very much, Dean. I will check out all of those sources


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## Robert (Aug 14, 2011)

I have been happy with the cactus from DorisViola on eBay.


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## DeanS (Aug 14, 2011)

PEEEETE said:


> DeanS said:
> 
> 
> > Keep in mind...any produce (cactus included) you pick up from the store...NEEDS TO BE CLEANED! You don't want any lingering chemicals to kill your baby! Here are two GREAT sources for cactus...
> ...



Hey! I just noticed, you're in Vacaville. I just sent my resume to work elephants at Six Flags!


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## PEEEETE (Aug 14, 2011)

DeanS said:


> Hey! I just noticed, you're in Vacaville. I just sent my resume to work elephants at Six Flags!



That's pretty freakin cool! Good luck with the new job, I hope you get it! I haven't been to six flags in a quite a while, I didn't know that they had some elephants. Like I said, I haven't been there in ages. It's changed a lot since when I was younger, and it was still called "Marine World" You would relocate way up here in Nor-Cal to work there?




Robert said:


> I have been happy with the cactus from DorisViola on eBay.



Do you skin the catctus pads before feeding them to your torts? Does the same thing apply to a hatchling? Also, how long are those pads good to keep in the fridge (whole, not after cutting up) because I only have 1 tiny hatchling, and I'm guessing most of each order is going to spoil before he can eat it


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## DeanS (Aug 15, 2011)

PEEEETE said:


> DeanS said:
> 
> 
> > Hey! I just noticed, you're in Vacaville. I just sent my resume to work elephants at Six Flags!
> ...





If all the tangibles are in place...yes! I would relocate! The wife is already looking for houses! 

You don't need to skin the cactus...if you have a food processor, you can chop it in there just fine!


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## dmarcus (Aug 15, 2011)

PEEEETE said:


> dalano73 said:
> 
> 
> > Opuntia cactus pads is a good option that can be found at most Mexican food stores.
> ...



Yes they are sold fresh in the produce section...

They can keep for a while, I just found a pad in the back of my fridge and it had to be there atleast a month and it was still nice and firm...


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