10 year old sulcata tortoise (2yr owner)

[Hollywood]

Good day everyone. I have a 10 year old tortoise(Hollywood), second summer in El Paso TX with him. I just had a question about growing grass. I’ve notice when I sod my enclosure the first summer the grass grows to about 5-6 inches Hollywood mows it down and it never regrows. I end up having to feed Romain lettuce for the remainder of the summer. This year I have two sections of sod, I am trying to move him from one to the other to allow the first to regrow. Does anyone else have problems with the grass regrowing? Do they just eat it too low? Is this just a desert issue? Currently I am fertilizing with chicken manure, and lots of water while he is in the second enclosure, in hopes it will regrow.

 

[Yvonne G]

Here in California my experience with sod is that it's held together with plastic mesh. This could be dangerous. The mesh sometimes comes up to the surface and tortoise legs or neck might become entangled. It happened to one of my desert tortoises. He was grazing and his head went through a loop. When he couldn't go forward he tried turning. He ended up with the mesh twisted around his neck. Luckily I found him before it was too late.

Best way to grow grass for an already ensconced tortoise is to section off the yard and keep the tortoise in one section while you plant seed (I like Bermuda because it's hardy) in the other section and keep the tortoise off until the grass is established.

 

[TammyJ]

Grass or romaine lettuce? There are many other options for a sulcata anyway, if the grass is a problem, right?

 

[Tom]

Good day everyone. I have a 10 year old tortoise(Hollywood), second summer in El Paso TX with him. I just had a question about growing grass. I’ve notice when I sod my enclosure the first summer the grass grows to about 5-6 inches Hollywood mows it down and it never regrows. I end up having to feed Romain lettuce for the remainder of the summer. This year I have two sections of sod, I am trying to move him from one to the other to allow the first to regrow. Does anyone else have problems with the grass regrowing? Do they just eat it too low? Is this just a desert issue? Currently I am fertilizing with chicken manure, and lots of water while he is in the second enclosure, in hopes it will regrow.

Sod should never be used for tortoises. In addition to the netting mentioned by Yvonne, sod is grown with all sorts of chemicals to keep it green, pretty and free of bugs.

Sulcatas are very destructive and tend to turn their enclosures into deserts no matter what you do.

Fresh grass is an ideal food for them, but as you've seen, it is very difficult to grow and maintain. I grow the grasses in separate areas and then cut it and mix it in with their other food.

Let's talk about what to feed your tortoise: Grass is great, romaine is poor. There are many many other options to consider. The main staple of any sulcata should be grass hay. Orchard grass hay works the best, but Bermuda of teff hay can work too. Avoid Timothy or alfalfa. It will take time to get your tortoise eating it, but it is worth the effort.

You should also be looking for mulberry leaves, hibiscus leaves, grape leaves, spineless opuntia pads, kudzu leaves, and a large assortment of suitable weeds and flowers. If you must use grocery store foods, favor endive and escarole. Use arugula, cilantro, collards, kale, and many more for vareity. Mix in things to make it more suitable as tortoise food. You can mix in:
-Soaked horse hay pellets (Timothy is fine in this application)
-Chopped and rehydrate grass hays.
-Mazuri tortoise chow, either the LS type or the original 5M21 type.
-Either of the ZooMed pellets. They have Grassland and florist type and both are good when soaked and mixed in.
-Herbal hay from tortoisesupply.com or Flower Topper from ZooMed.
-@kapidolo farms sells a whole bunch of dehydrated leaves and other product that you can mix in. I use these daily.
-Purina Equine Senior pellets.
-Some calcium powder can be mixed in once or twice a week too.

With grass hay as a base, and spineless opuntia for moisture, calcium and fiber, you can use all these other things as occasional treats.

Questions are welcome!