# My tortoise wont eat grass!! Is he spoiled??



## mytortrocky (Aug 9, 2010)

I have fed him romaine since he was 2 months he is now 3 and a half years and 10 pounds very mild pyramiding or maybe just growth style, sulcata, last week i tried to wean him on to theses little pellets from petco that soak and slightly enlarge first he stepped on them than i made a little salad with the grass blend and romaine but he ate around it tried many other things, i noticed that he wont even touch timothy because thats his bedding, will orchard grass make a difference he has eaten blue grass as well. and if orchard grass will change his mind is a horse feed market's orchard bale ok? sorry just very curious lots of questions thanx in advance.

the pellets are a timothy and oat hay combo mainly


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## mytortrocky (Aug 9, 2010)

Sorry about all the questions once again no need to answer all in one thank you


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## dmmj (Aug 9, 2010)

Well it is hard to say, he could be spoiled, or he could just have different tastes. Since you have been feeeding him lettuce as his main food source I am guessing, you will have to slowly introduce good food to him. He is still young and may just not developed a taste for it, or he could be spoiled. I would suggest slowly introducing him to better food, some people use a blender to finely chop it and then wet the food so it sticks to it, so he has no choice but to eat it. Then just slowly increase the amoutn of good food and decrease the amount of bad food. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like.


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## tyler0912 (Aug 10, 2010)

I am sure if you carry on weaning him on other stuff eventually he will take an intrest for what you have to give him he is still only young and is trying new things all the time like when you was a child and one day he may shock you and eat nothing butt timothy grass...
About the pyramiding i wouldn't worry yet as long as you feed him the right goods and plant material he needs he should be fine but like you said could be growth patterns .

i hope i could help and be of service 

Tyler


1.0.0-red footed tortoise (lola)

1.0.0-whippet (scud)

2.3.0-brothers and sisters (2girls 3boys)


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## Yvonne G (Aug 10, 2010)

Hi Levi:

You've been feeding him what amounts to tortoise candy. Why should he eat grass when he can hold out for romaine lettuce?

One way to get a tortoise to eat something more healthy for him is to feed it in small amounts. Get some romaine, some grape leaves, some mulberry leaves and chop it all up together. More romaine than the other stuff though. You can even add a bit of grass and clover. Over the ensuing weeks, you add more of the good stuff while cutting back on the romaine. It takes a long time, but eventually the tortoise will get a taste for the good stuff and you can quit the romaine.

Pyramiding doesn't have much to do with diet and quite a bit to do with humidity. Provide him with a moist substrate and spritz him with water a few times a day.


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## sdirks (Aug 10, 2010)

I don't think tortoises ever eat those pellets from Petco, so don't worry about that one. My tortoise wouldn't touch them, and my friend's tortoise (who is my tortoise's sister) wouldn't either. Even at Petco there's always a full bowl of them just sitting there in the Russian tortoises' enclosure.


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## mytortrocky (Aug 10, 2010)

Thank you everybody for the advice it is great to be a member of this forum. So i will start blending orchard with romaine and grape leaves sounds great and thank you for solving my worries about pyramiding. 


Levi


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## spikethebest (Aug 10, 2010)

do you have any pics of the tort you can show us?


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## Missy (Aug 10, 2010)

Levi, welcome to TFO. I would not feed the Timothy hay. The orchard hay would be better. Some times it takes tough love. He will not starve himself. I have just rescued a Sulcata that only wanted to eat bad stuff so I gave her what I wanted her to eat and she snubbed it for 2 days, not a bight. 3rd day she ate some of what I gave her. I gave her cactus this morning and she ate all of it. I also have a 2 year old Sulcata and I give him dry grass hay in the morning when he's hungry and then after he eats I put him in his out door pen to eat grass and weeds. I feel it is important to get them eating dry grass hay so that winter feeding does not cost me $$$$$. As far as the pet store food, I am not a fan of it at all. As far as pyramiding that can be several things causing it. Are you keeping him at the right temps? Does he get to go outside for UVB or does he have a UVB light? Do you soak or wet him often? Does he get enough exercise? Does he have a cuttlebone? That is some of the things that might cause pyramiding. I would love to see pics of your sullie and where you keep him


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## mytortrocky (Aug 11, 2010)

i actually dont have any pics of my tortoise new computer sorry


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## Tom (Aug 11, 2010)

All good advice above. Here's my two cents:

Hay is mainly for bigger ones, but there is no harm in introducing it now. I like the bermuda grass hay the best because its finer and they seem to have an easier time with it, even when they are smaller. To start them on it, I hold a clump in one hand and chop it with scissors in the other. Once I get a little pile, I spray it with water and let it rehydrate for a few minutes. Then I mix it in with the greens of the day. Just a little at first, but gradually more.

In my opinion, your diet needs a lot more variety. There are lots of leafy greens available at the store. Run through them all. Weeds and grass from your yard are even better and FREE. Just watch out for pesticides or other lawn chemicals. I use mulberry, grape and rose leaves and flowers, weeds, grass, cactus (despined), leafy greens and occasionally Mazuri.

Also, is your sulcata getting sunshine regularly? Very important. How about hydration?


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## Kristina (Aug 11, 2010)

There really is nothing wrong with feeding timothy. It is a bit tougher, but wetting it with some warm (not hot) water does help. My Sulcatas ate timothy with no problem.

That said, I would not buy the small packages of hay that they sell at the petstore. You had mentioned getting bales of horse hay, and this is exactly what I recommend people do. Horse hay is fresher, the stuff from the petstore has been sitting around for goodness knows how long. If you can get orchard grass bales, then go for it. It is also MUCH cheaper to get a bale. Around here I can get a little 10 oz bag of hay for $4, or a 50lb bale for $2. You do the math, lol.

Use what is available to you, use it wisely, and you should have no problem.

Does your Sully get outside time? If you can set up a secure outdoor pen, where he can run around during the day on pesticide-free grass, he may start grazing on his own.


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