Advice on growth rate and care

[Rhaenan]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this site, and after just looking around a bit, I'm super impressed with the quality of it.

I am a fairly new owner of a sulcata tortoise, and am going in half blind. I rescued him from an owner that clearly couldn't care for him, and have been doing my best with him so far.

My real question is how fast do they grow, and what is normal? Spike (aka Stampers) is about 6" right now...actually he's grown about 1/4 inch in a little under a month. Is this normal? Is he still considered a hatchling? He's too small to stay outside right now as we have hawks in the area, and I will be building him a table soon, but I am curious how soon I need to do it.

Also, on a side note, I am feeding him about 2 handfuls of grass a day (a combination of orchard hay and Bermuda hay) with a leaf of collard green every few days. He also has access to a cuttle bone whenever he wants. Is this too much? Too little? I want to make sure he grows up big and healthy, so any advise that you have would be deeply appreciated.

Thank you all!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Rhaenan:

Welcome to the forum!!

No, at 6" he's not a hatchling anymore. He's probably about two years old, maybe not quite that.

Can you give him access to grazing outside on grasses and weeds? I'm really surprised that he'll eat hay...usually the small ones won't. You can also give him some dark leafy greens (escarole, endive, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale) and it wouldn't hurt to give it to him every day along with the hay.

Here's a link to a good article on how to raise healthy bablies:

http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies

 

[Rhaenan]

I can give him grazing access outdoors when I am out back with him. I take him out for 30-45 minutes a day at least. The hawks get quite close, and I'm worried that they'd try to make off with him.

He prefers collard greens over all the others. I just have read so much about people saying not to give supermarket greens to sulcatas that I have been trying not to over do it. He actually loves greens though. Everyday you think?

Thank you for the link, and for the advise! I really appreciate it!

 

[franeich]

I think if you start giving to many greens he will stop eating the hay. I am definitely not an expert but I think the way you are feeding him sounds good and would not give him greens every day.

 

[Annieski]

I also agree about the hay., that is what they should eat. If that is what he is used to eating--- I would only offer the "greens" every couple of days, almost as a "treat" to get in some varied nutrition. I would offer cuttle bone [the same used for birds], as this will get in some calcium and keep his beak in good condition. Don't forget to have fresh water for him to drink and "bathe" if he so chooses.
Not sure where you are located-- but temperatures should be around 85-95 degrees during the day and can drop to about 65-70 safely at night. Good luck and Welcome!

 

[Rhaenan]

Thank you! He does have cuttle bone whenever he wants, and he seems to love it. I have to replace his 2 water dishes several times a day because his favorite thing is to bathe in it (and poo in it).

When I got him, they fed him mostly on greens, and his shell was a bit brittle. Since giving him the hay more often and cutting back on the greens, his shell seems to have improved, and he stomps around a lot more.

I'm in Phoenix, so the temperatures aren't a problem here!

 

[Yvonne G]

We all have our own opinions about how to take care of our animals, and we encourage each member to share those opinions. That way all the readers can read the different opinions and make an informed decision on how to care for their tortoises. I'm so very glad that other members feel comfortable enough to post differing opinions!!

In MY OPINION, "hay" is something that should be fed when there isn't anything else to feed the tortoise. Hay is a back-up food. In the real world, a tortoise doesn't eat dried grasses and weeds all throughout the year. The only time he has to resort to dried grass is long after the rainy season when all the growing and alive plants die back. That is usually only one or two seasons out of the four. So I'm thinking that the majority of the year, a wild tortoise grazes on green and growing plants and grasses. So why do we think a pet tortoise should be fed dried up old hay all year long?

My sulcata, Dudley, only eats what grows in his pen. During most of the year that would be green and growing bermuda grass, dichondra, weeds and clover. During the winter, the grass is brown and dormant, with only a little bit of clover and weeds. He still has to make do with what is there, and I don't supplement his food. He still eats the dried up old brown grass. After a bit of rain, the weeds start to grow. There's maybe a month or less of time when he has to graze on brown, dead grass. He weighs 107lbs and seems healthy.

 

[Rhaenan]

We all have our own opinions about how to take care of our animals, and we encourage each member to share those opinions. That way all the readers can read the different opinions and make an informed decision on how to care for their tortoises. I'm so very glad that other members feel comfortable enough to post differing opinions.

In MY OPINION, "hay" is something that should be fed when there isn't anything else to feed the tortoise. Hay is a back-up food. In the real world, a tortoise doesn't eat dried grasses and weeds all throughout the year. The only time he has to resort to dried grass is long after the rainy season when all the growing and alive plants die back. That is usually only one or two seasons out of the four. So I'm thinking that the majority of the year, a wild tortoise grazes on green and growing plants and grasses. So why do we think a pet tortoise should be fed dried up old hay all year long?

My sulcata, Dudley, only eats what grows in his pen. During most of the year that would be green and growing bermuda grass, dichondra, weeds and clover. During the winter, the grass is brown and dormant, with only a little bit of clover and weeds. He still has to make do with what is there, and I don't supplement his food. He still eats the dried up old brown grass. After a bit of rain, the weeds start to grow. There's maybe a month or less of time when he has to graze on brown, dead grass. He weighs 107lbs and seems healthy.

I would love to be able to have Spike eat only what is growing around him. However for the moment he is indoors only, being only 6" long. I have offered him fresh grass in his pen, but he isn't interested unless he's outside grazing for his 40 minutes or so a day.

Did you feed Dudley live or fresh grasses and clover when he was that small? How did you entice him to eat it?

 

[Yvonne G]

I feed my small, grazing tortoises dark, leafy greens from the grocery store. I also buy the "salad style hay" from Carolina Pet Supply. I take just a bit of the cut up hay and drop it into a bowl of water for a few minutes, then I sprinkle it over the greens. I use a lot of Spring Mix too for the babies.

 

[Tom]

In the spirit of sharing differing opinions, here is mine:

I have a little sulcata about that size, Daisy, and here's what I feed her: Spring mix and various grocery store greens-including endive, escarole, bok choy, swiss and red chard, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, carrot tops, parsley, cilantro, red and green leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, weeds-including mallow, filaree, hawksbeard, sow-thistle, plantain, wild mustard, wild onion and a few others sporadically, two kinds of cactus, hibiscus leaves and flowers, grape leaves, rose leaves and flowers, fresh grass clippings from my yard, clover, dandelion leaves and flowers, occasional succulents- including elephant bush, ice plant, jade plant, aloe and red apple... I know there is more, but I can't think of it all now. I also mix in soaked Mazuri Tortoise chow and or Zoomed Grassland Tortoise food a couple times a week.

I try to stay away from the grocery store stuff, but at certain times of the year, I need some. The best thing is to grow your own. There are lots of lists of edible plants for tortoises around and it doesn't take much to feed a little one like that.

I don't bother with dry hay for little ones. Most of them won't eat it. I usually start introducing hay at around 12". When I do introduce it I usually cut it up into small pieces, rehydrate it, and mix it in with other foods.

I agree with Yvonne that the best thing is to let them graze all day on their own in a yard with grass and weeds, but all I have at my high desert ranch is dry dirt for most of the year. Grass just won't grow. When the rains come and the weeds start sprouting, I pretty much stop feeding them and they eat weeds all day.

As far as quantity, I just feed her as much as she wants. I usually make a pile about as big as she is and most of the time there is just a little bit left over. I used to really restrict their food and feed light in the mistaken belief that it would prevent pyramiding. That is totally wrong and what I ended up with was stunted, pyramided adults. My two 12 year old males are 42 and 48 pounds respectively. They should be around 100.

I also have hatchlings and I've been feeding them a big pile twice a day. They are getting HUGE, but they are growing completely smooth due to humidity and hydration... but that's another thread.

Anyhow, that's my two cents. Between that and the care sheet that was posted above, you should be all set. Please don't hesitate to ask lots of questions.

 

[Jermosh]

For outdoor unsupervised care and cheap. Just get a large kiddie pool, turn it over and cut out half of it. That way they can get some much needed sun, grazing, shade, and protected from predators.

As for food, everyone has different opinions and success. You cannot go wrong with a organic yard that is free of toxic plants, with some treats of greens and some rare fruit. I chiffonade my collard greens, and find that kale lasts pretty long in the fridge. Just stay clear of anything high in proteins.