feeding hay

Ayushjain101 said:

I want to feed my tort some hay but cant get what type. One of my friend have cows and he feed his cows dry hay but he himself doesn't know which type... Is is cool if I feed my tort same?

Also a question- Do you guys feed weat grass to your torts? Its easy and fast to grow so was thinking to grow some[emoji846] Thanks. Have a great holiday

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Yvonne G said:

Not all species of tortoise will eat hay. When we say to offer them hay, we're talking about grass-eating tortoises. So if you have a grass-eating species of tortoise, you would buy grass hay (orchard grass, bermuda grass, etc. ) You don't want to offer alfalfa all the time, but occasionally is ok. I'll bet your cow friend feeds alfalfa.

Yes, wheat grass, oat grass, any of that kind of grass is ok until it goes to seed. The seed heads might be hard for a tortoise to swallow.

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Markw84 said:

What type of tortoise? I believe you have an Indian Star? How old?

Wheat grass is good to add to the diet, so that would be a good choice. Young tortoises that are grass eaters normally do best with grass clipping or the wheat grass you mention. I normally do not start them on hay their first year. When I do use hay, a grass type hay is what you need. Not the thick-stemmed types. Here, we get what is called grass hay, or orchard hay. Cutting it up in smaller pieces - 1/2" - 1" and soaking the hay makes it easier for the tortoise to accept. Perhaps you can find hay cubes. Again, an orchard grass or perhaps orchard/alfalfa mix. They are compressed cubes of chopped hay that when soaked, expand and soften and are a good consistency and length for a tortoise.

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