Best grass for a south Texas outdoor enclosure?

[tortugatamer]

My search feature is not working, so I'm asking something that I'm sure has been asked before. I live in south Tx and want to find a good grass for my outdoor enclosure (for a leopard tortoise) . I was going to do a pasture grass, but I'm not sure if I want 2'-4' of grass in the enclosure. I was thinking of a turf grass like zoysia or a bermuda grass. I just need to know if the pasture grass can be trimmed to a shorter height, and if zoysias and bermudas are as nutritious as the pasture grasses. Also a lot of the pasture grasses down here have Johnson grass included in them, that can go through a toxic period during times of drought.... anything you have to share would be appreciated.

 

[Yvonne G]

I have regular old Bermuda grass in all my pens. When I first planted my Aldabran pen many years ago, I decided to be different and bought a couple rolls of Hybrid Bermuda turf. It looks great, however, it must not be very tasty because the tortoises avoid it.

 

[Tom]

I would lean more toward broadleaf weeds and succulents. According to what I've seen, that is a more "natural" diet for a leopard. Not that they won't eat grass. Many of them do, but the studies of wild diets that I've seen don't show grass as a large component of their diet, unless we are talking about South Africans. Grape vine leaves, hibiscus leaves, spineless opuntia, african hibiscus and lavatera are all good choices. I would try some various Testudo seed mixes too.

I don't know if the pasture grass mixes can be mowed and kept short. I've never tried that, but sometimes when my sulcatas graze it down, it seems to come back okay.

 

[tortugatamer]

Thanks guys! The enclosure is heavily planted with prickly pear cacti and flowers.