A few questions

[Dobby The Tortoise]

Hello I just wanted to ask a few questions,
Dobby is about 3 1/2 - 4 inches long and the pet store said about a year old, how much should he eat a day? i feed him the Zoomed Natural Grassland Tortoise food and occasionally romaine lettuce. but how much should i feed him a day?

Also, this is a strange question i'm sure, how much should he poop when he does? Because it seems like he poops alot when he goes!

thanks

 

[ascott]

I would offer up more than romaine...perhaps offer ip organic spring mix...dandelion greens and flowers (without herbicides/pesticides/fertilizer) along with a dark leafy green per week mixed with the spring mix....romaine is a good food...as long as it is part of a varied diet and not as the primary green/lettuce....

I would say a pile of food each day that is the size as your torts shell as well as high as your torts shell....

 

[drgnfly2265]

ascott gave a lot of better options to feed other than romaine. I also like to feed Bowser yellow squash and hibiscus flowers and leaves. Those two are her favorites!

Sulcatas are pooping machines. They can lay some huge turds. Sometimes I wonder how they can do it, lol. Not to mention the pee they can let loose.....

 

[Anastasia]

My 3 lb sulcata has the same size poops as my 15 lb dog! It's crazy! I've never paid attention to who poops more each day, but I betcha it's the Sully!

 

[Dobby The Tortoise]

Where can I buy hibiscus flowers and leaves? Sorry, i'm new at this

 

[JoesMum]

Where can I buy hibiscus flowers and leaves? Sorry, i'm new at this

I'm not sure you can. Most people plant a bush

Have you seen the Tortoise Table Plant database where you can look up plants that you can buy (in supermarkets and garden centres) and plants that grow around you for suitability?

This Plant Booklet is good to download and print or keep on a smart phone as a reference when you're out looking for stuff to feed.

 

[Dobby The Tortoise]

thanks
i just switched Dobby's bedding from sand to eco-earth coconut coir and he keeps eating it. is that bad?? :-/

 

[tyrs4u]

Safe...

 

[Dobby The Tortoise]

So it's not bad for him and it's not going to hurt him?

 

[Tom]

No he should not be eating it. If he accidentally takes in a little bit stuck to the food he is eating, that is no problem. If he's intentionally eating mouthfuls of the substrate, then you have a problem and you need to get him out of there.

Click in the link below and go to the care sheet. You can also find it at the top of the sulcata page. There is a whole paragraph on what to feed.

When they eat substrate like that, it is usually due to one of two things:
1. Are you using any colored bulbs during the day time? Sometimes these make things look funny to them and they will start eating the substrate as if it were food.
2. Often they do this to make up for dietary deficiencies. This seems likely in your case given the extremely narrow diet you've been feeding. They need variety and lots of different foods. Broaden your horizons and his palate. There are a ton of different foods available, and the best ones are free. Also, do you ever give him any supplements like calcium or vitamins?