# St Augustine Grass as food - report



## Kapidolo Farms (Apr 9, 2013)

http://www.feedipedia.org/node/369

Hi,

Been using a great deal of St Augustine grass as the grass component of the diets for some pancakes, Egyptians, and Leopards. I wondered more about it's qualities as a food item and came across the web resource listed above. 

It is mostly about hoof stock use of the different plants. But good information about the quality of foods on-the-less.

Will


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## DeanS (Apr 9, 2013)

I had St Augustine back when I lived in Pasadena (CA). Every animal I ever had that fed on it...thrived! Everyone I know that keeps tortoises...they're thriving too! I'd be willing to bet that it ranks #1 or 2 as far as the best grass to feed your tort!


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## Cowboy_Ken (Apr 9, 2013)

Back when I lived in KROQ country, I'm sure this was what we had growing for our lawn. Stays green with little water, can be cut tight and short. My California Desert tortoise loved it.


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## kathyth (Apr 9, 2013)

My torts successfully thrive on this grass among other things.


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## Greg T (Apr 10, 2013)

My leopards love it. In fact, they eat it down to the root and then love to eat the new growth so much that they end up killing it over time. I need to re-sod half my backyard now.


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## theelectraco (Apr 10, 2013)

I grew st Augustine in my backyard. My Redfoot really likes it.


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## Kapidolo Farms (Apr 10, 2013)

This is great feedback, thanks so much. I have patches of it growing in the indoor enclosures, closed chambers and open top. It does endure a wide range of micro-climate, and the tortoises seem to "like" just sitting on it, but they don't eat what is growing in their enclosures, but eat it in the mixed salad of weeds and leaves, and grocery greens I feed to all the torts mentioned in post #1.

The Egyptians take great 'fun' in forcing their way through it as a route around their indoor enclosure, almost like they are running an obstacle course with long pauses in the grass. The pancakes and leopards like to sit in it, they hunker down in there and seem to find a great deal of security in that posture even though they are in plain sight.

Under the ZooMed T5 HO 5.0 UV tubes and the BlueMax tubes it grows real fast, and so I am now harvesting it in the enclosures for food for that enclosure's torts, as well as some areas outside where I have it in container gardens.

I am still shaking my head as to why they don't eat it directly from that which they sit on. Maybe they just don't recognize it as food in a growing posture, but cut and laying down they do?

Will


Hi Dean, so what would be the other # 1 or 2 grass?

Will



DeanS said:


> I had St Augustine back when I lived in Pasadena (CA). Every animal I ever had that fed on it...thrived! Everyone I know that keeps tortoises...they're thriving too! I'd be willing to bet that it ranks #1 or 2 as far as the best grass to feed your tort!


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## theelectraco (Apr 10, 2013)

Will said:


> This is great feedback, thanks so much. I have patches of it growing in the indoor enclosures, closed chambers and open top. It does endure a wide range of micro-climate, and the tortoises seem to "like" just sitting on it, but they don't eat what is growing in their enclosures, but eat it in the mixed salad of weeds and leaves, and grocery greens I feed to all the torts mentioned in post #1.
> 
> The Egyptians take great 'fun' in forcing their way through it as a route around their indoor enclosure, almost like they are running an obstacle course with long pauses in the grass. The pancakes and leopards like to sit in it, they hunker down in there and seem to find a great deal of security in that posture even though they are in plain sight.
> 
> ...





My tortoise does the same thing! He will occasionally graze, but if I cut some grass and put it on his feeding tile he goes to town on it.


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## Doc Holliday (Apr 12, 2013)

I have two small Sulcatas and just tried this out last night (as a 18" x 24" square of St Augustine and two 5 1/2" bricks (for sun bathing and fill in the 6" gap from the 24" square and 30" enclosure) from Home Depot cost less than half the price of a $8 bag of eco earth and if I can keep it growing will be permanent I hope? Even if the torts out grow the terrarium in a year... anyhow here it is. I have a 1/2" layer of river rocks and 1" layer of soil under the sod, a 10UVB bulb and mist 6-12oz (half bottle) daily for the torts.


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## theelectraco (Apr 12, 2013)

Doc Holliday said:


> I have two small Sulcatas and just tried this out last night (as a 18" x 24" square of St Augustine and two 5 1/2" bricks (for sun bathing and fill in the 6" gap from the 24" square and 30" enclosure) from Home Depot cost less than half the price of a $8 bag of eco earth and if I can keep it growing will be permanent I hope? Even if the torts out grow the terrarium in a year... anyhow here it is. I have a 1/2" layer of river rocks and 1" layer of soil under the sod, a 10UVB bulb and mist 6-12oz (half bottle) daily for the torts.



That's a great idea, I also thought of doing something similar. Your enclosure is very small for the size of those tortoises, and they should probably be separated...have you thought about upgrading them and/or separating?


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## Doc Holliday (Apr 12, 2013)

Yeah, I really need to. I have two of these attached and put up in a larger (for dogs & cats) fenced in yard at work with hide spots and a water dish where I leave them half the week when I work. So, this is mostly their night enclosure, weekends, and when I'm out of town space. But yeah they could both use more space. I plan on getting or making (out of plexiglass to add the soil & grass) a turtle box/table thing for them.


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## Kapidolo Farms (Apr 12, 2013)

I have made squares of sod on my deck and place them in 8 inch square plastic pans that are 1.5 inches deep which are then placed in the enclosures. When one gets trampled I rotate it out and another in. So far the St Augustine grass is the most durable of the plants I have started in those pans. I have also used 'cat grass' micro clover, alfalfa, and a few others, they last a few weeks but don't seem to grow, the St Augustine is now growing and despite the tortoises walking on them, the others just sorta looked beat up after a few weeks, and did not grow. As very limited eating of the live plants is occuring, I figure it is more important that the plant be both non-toxic AND thrive.

Will


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## DeanS (Apr 12, 2013)

I basically consider these four as perfect tortoise grass...any or all could be your tortoise's sole source.

Alfalfa
Bermuda
St Augustine
Orchard


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## BeeBee*BeeLeaves (Apr 12, 2013)

Yay! Great! No wonder grandpa's CDTs did so well! St Augustine had been/has been a staple of their diet. His 4 babies were born in one-nine-five-two. All still thriving and spoiled by the bro. Family heirlooms and we have always had St. A because we have farm gardens and it seems to do great with the dappled sun from the trees. My leopard hatchling loves the stuff. Rips right in to it like the big kids from where he came. Gonna get big and strong like his mum and pop! : )


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## Tom (Apr 12, 2013)

Thanks Will.

I feed it whenever I can find it and my tortoises LOVE it. It just doesn't do well up here in the dry desert.

Dean, alfalfa is a legume and I think its too rich and high in protein to be a staple. Good as part of a varied diet, but not as a sole source of food, in my opinion.


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## Kapidolo Farms (Apr 12, 2013)

I looked at the page that I posted the URL for in post 1 of this thread - St Augustine is 6% protein, bermuda is 9.7%, Orchard is 15.9%, while alfalfa is 18.3%, that averages, if all four are in the same pasture, as about 12.5% which seems pretty good. 

As many of the ideas are a mixed and varied diet, it would seem these four plants would not be a bad pasture for any species, including 'grass eaters'. Maybe not, but the math looks good for the protein.

That link has some spectacular data associated with it.

Will

Will


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## DeanS (Apr 12, 2013)

Tom said:


> Dean, alfalfa is a legume and I think its too rich and high in protein to be a staple. Good as part of a varied diet, but not as a sole source of food, in my opinion.



You're right! I meant the three grass species. But alfalfa can be a sole source...if the hydration factor is taken into consideration!

Climber eats alfalfa (hay) mixed with his Mazuri...actually they all do now...and the (quality) growth has to speak for itself.

Of course, I do feed only (alfalfa) hay...I do not grow it as you do! 

But, I have four lawn areas separated by three areas of concrete ...One is an orchard mix...one a St Augustine... and another made up of fescues, rye and bluegrss. The latter is about to be worked out in favor of an ALL season bermudagrass. The fourth area is the frontyard...which is also comprised of fescues, rye and bluegrass.


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## Tom (Apr 12, 2013)

This all stuck me funny! Sulcata owners don't have lawns. We have grass farming areas where we promote and propagate food for our animals! 

I came home the other day to find the gardeners had been there and mowed the lawn. I was pissed! I was just about to go hand cut about four Spring mix tubs full of fresh grass and they weren't supposed to come for another two days!!! All that good food wasted!





DeanS said:


> Tom said:
> 
> 
> > Dean, alfalfa is a legume and I think its too rich and high in protein to be a staple. Good as part of a varied diet, but not as a sole source of food, in my opinion.
> ...


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## erica anne (Apr 12, 2013)

Tom said:


> This all stuck me funny! Sulcata owners don't have lawns. We have grass farming areas where we promote and propagate food for our animals!
> 
> I came home the other day to find the gardeners had been there and mowed the lawn. I was pissed! I was just about to go hand cut about four Spring mix tubs full of fresh grass and they weren't supposed to come for another two days!!! All that good food wasted!
> 
> ...



Too funny! I realized that our lawn went from being a nicely landscaped backyard into a tortoise enclosure when I started to refuse to spray the weeds. Now I'm excited when we get those dandelion weeds!


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## DeanS (Apr 12, 2013)

Ironic! I have four lawns...two of which are immaculate and two are sulcata worn...from traversing...not eating. Where they eat seems to grow back which vengeance. Of course, with Aladar gone, the only mass eating is from 15 pound Jamie...and 30 pound Climber!


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