Cheapest way to feed adult sulcata?

[Nellie Rose]

Hi!
Just curious to hear everyone's tips and advice. I know feeding a sulcata is never going to be "cheap" since they are cows with shells. But I was just curious what tips and tricks those with more experience have discovered.

Also, are banana trees safe for sulcatas? I'm building a tortoise yard and thought some bananas would provide some nice shade.
Again, just curious! I grow my own weeds right now but won't be able to keep up with the demand once my little one gets bigger.

 

[TammyJ]

What's the age and size of your tortoise? Can we see pictures?

 

[Nellie Rose]

What's the age and size of your tortoise? Can we see pictures?

Sure!
Unsure of her age but I theorize around 1.5 to 2 years. I will have had her one year in November. She's maybe 5 inches long now. I adopted her from MATTS, a local turtle rescue in Baltimore.
She is quite a ways away from becoming an expensive tortoise, and a ways away from moving outside, still needs to grow quite a bit, but I'm getting her future home set up now while I have time and funds available.

Here are some pictures.

 

[Megatron's Mom]

Having lots of outside food growing. Weeds, hibiscus, mallow, grape leaves, opuntia. When they are much much bigger they will eat orchard grass hay. You can get that at farm stores.

She is pretty small for almost 2. I would take at look at the link below to make sure you are up to date on her care. The Internet is full of outdated information. https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/

 

[TammyJ]

Thanks for the information and pictures. Someone who knows more than I do will be along soon to help you with a few good husbandry tips. @Tom

 

[Nellie Rose]

Having lots of outside food growing. Weeds, hibiscus, mallow, grape leaves, opuntia. When they are much much bigger they will eat orchard grass hay. You can get that at farm stores.

She is pretty small for almost 2. I would take at look at the link below to make sure you are up to date on her care. The Internet is full of outdated information. https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/

Ok, and what about during the winter? I know grocery store foods aren't a good substitute. I also kill all things green, I have a small weed garden for her but can't imagine growing enough to feed a full grown sulcata.
I already suppliment her diet with hay, which she eats readily, and mazuri tortoise food.

Yeah I don't really know how old she is. Those pictures are also close to a year old, taken in December, I just didn't have any new ones, so she is a little bigger now. Maybe she was younger than the rescue said?

Thanks for the information and pictures. Someone who knows more than I do will be along soon to help you with a few good husbandry tips. @Tom

Thank you, I've spoken with Tom a lot on here about her, he's been so helpful and patient as I've been learning. I've had my hermanns tortoise Johann Hermann for 11 years but am totally new to African species. It's been a lot of fun learning though! She is a very personable tortoise.

 

[Nellie Rose]

She is pretty small for almost 2. I would take at look at the link below to make sure you are up to date on her care. The Internet is full of outdated information. https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/

also the foster she was at wasn't providing the best care. She was in an open Rubbermaid bin and being fed grocery store greens mostly so maybe her growth got stunted a bit? Idk I admit I haven't really thought about her size and assumed she was just slow growing. I'll get a weight on her later, maybe that'll help figure out how old she is.

 

[Megatron's Mom]

also the foster she was at wasn't providing the best care. She was in an open Rubbermaid bin and being fed grocery store greens mostly so maybe her growth got stunted a bit? Idk I admit I haven't really thought about her size and assumed she was just slow growing. I'll get a weight on her later, maybe that'll help figure out how old she is.

I don't think we can ever truly know how old they are unless we hatch them ourselves or a good breeder. I know you can sort of get a good guess if they still have an egg tooth. It's ok if she's small, now that you have her you can get her all the right care. She's a pretty tortie and will give you lots of years to enjoy her.

 

[Nellie Rose]

I don't think we can ever truly know how old they are unless we hatch them ourselves or a good breeder. I know you can sort of get a good guess if they still have an egg tooth. It's ok if she's small, now that you have her you can get her all the right care. She's a pretty tortie and will give you lots of years to enjoy her.

She is amazing, I love her. She comes out to see me in the morning and everything, runs right up to the glass to say hi. I can't wait until she gets bigger and I can move her into her new home. I think she's going to love it.

I thought about buying from a breeder but there are so many in shelters, so I went with adoption. I wish I knew more about where she came from though, there wasn't a lot of information offered.

 

[Megatron's Mom]

Ok, and what about during the winter? I know grocery store foods aren't a good substitute. I also kill all things green, I have a small weed garden for her but can't imagine growing enough to feed a full grown sulcata.
I already suppliment her diet with hay, which she eats readily, and mazuri tortoise food.

Yeah I don't really know how old she is. Those pictures are also close to a year old, taken in December, I just didn't have any new ones, so she is a little bigger now. Maybe she was younger than the rescue said?


Thank you, I've spoken with Tom a lot on here about her, he's been so helpful and patient as I've been learning. I've had my hermanns tortoise Johann Hermann for 11 years but am totally new to African species. It's been a lot of fun learning though! She is a very personable tortoise.

For winter, some ppl add toppers from https://www.tortoisesupply.com/TortoiseFood. I've started drying hibiscus flowers. I'm lucky and here weeds grow well in our winter. Some grocery stores sell dandelions, Fresh Market here does. Also endive, arugula, radicchio and cilantro and a good grocery store food. Just keep trying to find good weeds and the best grocery store foods you can find.

 

[Nellie Rose]

For winter, some ppl add toppers from https://www.tortoisesupply.com/TortoiseFood. I've started drying and hibiscus flowers. I'm lucky and here weeds grow well in our winter. Some grocery stores sell dandelions, Fresh Market her does. Also endive, arugula, radicchio and cilantro and a good grocery store food. Just keep trying to find good weeds and the best grocery store foods you can find.

Gotcha. I'll take a look at the tortoise supply. I buy dried hibiscus for my tortoises, they love it, and I'm trying to grow spineless cactus for them but not having much luck.
Unfortunately in Maryland we can have some pretty extreme winters. I'll do some research though and try to find some cold tolerant weeds and flowers. I have a mini greenhouse so maybe they'll grow in there.

 

[wellington]

Ok, and what about during the winter? I know grocery store foods aren't a good substitute. I also kill all things green, I have a small weed garden for her but can't imagine growing enough to feed a full grown sulcata.
I already suppliment her diet with hay, which she eats readily, and mazuri tortoise food.

Yeah I don't really know how old she is. Those pictures are also close to a year old, taken in December, I just didn't have any new ones, so she is a little bigger now. Maybe she was younger than the rescue said?


Thank you, I've spoken with Tom a lot on here about her, he's been so helpful and patient as I've been learning. I've had my hermanns tortoise Johann Hermann for 11 years but am totally new to African species. It's been a lot of fun learning though! She is a very personable tortoise.

During winter, hay, grocery greens like arugula, escarole, endive, riddichio, just to name a few but then you can order some of the dried toppers from either tortoise supply.com or @Kapidolo Farms. The second one has much more variety and you add that to the grocery greens to make them better. Also mazuri tortoise food pellets, horse grass hay pellets, chicken layer feed.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Hi!
Just curious to hear everyone's tips and advice. I know feeding a sulcata is never going to be "cheap" since they are cows with shells. But I was just curious what tips and tricks those with more experience have discovered.

Also, are banana trees safe for sulcatas? I'm building a tortoise yard and thought some bananas would provide some nice shade.
Again, just curious! I grow my own weeds right now but won't be able to keep up with the demand once my little one gets bigger.

When people ask for 'tips and tricks' it already seems like there will be problems. There are no 'tricks', it'a all about husbandry. Trick implies a short cut to a quality outcome, there are none.

Bales of orchard, and Burmuda grass with an occasional flake of alfalfa are the low cost way to go. If you have a mulberry tree the leaves are a great food source as would be opuntia cactus. Another good crop is weedy 'native' chicory.

Depending on your cost for water and space to grow things you might consider a lawn area for grazing. About 500-800 square feet of irrigated lawn will/should be enough per adult.

Banana leaves work well for some species not so well for others, but a good idea to try. If your tortoise like it, it will be smashed over and fully consumed. I've not tried banana leaves with a sulcata.

I really glad you asked here instead of so many FB groups that are heavily polluted with crap advice.

 

[Nellie Rose]

When people ask for 'tips and tricks' it already seems like there will be problems. There are no 'tricks', it'a all about husbandry. Trick implies a short cut to a quality outcome, there are none.

Bales of orchard, and Burmuda grass with an occasional flake of alfalfa are the low cost way to go. If you have a mulberry tree the leaves are a great food source as would be opuntia cactus. Another good crop is weedy 'native' chicory.

Depending on your cost for water and space to grow things you might consider a lawn area for grazing. About 500-800 square feet of irrigated lawn will/should be enough per adult.

Banana leaves work well for some species not so well for others, but a good idea to try. If your tortoise like it, it will be smashed over and fully consumed. I've not tried banana leaves with a sulcata.

I really glad you asked here instead of so many FB groups that are heavily polluted with crap advice.

I'm not really looking for a shortcut lol, just advice. The more money I save the more I can invest back into them, so I was just interested in any cost effective methods those with experience have found. I run a dogsitting side business to finance all of this and almost every penny is going into my shed build this winter. I'm so excited!

And gotcha! I wonder if I can grow a mulberry tree? I want to plant their yard with banana trees and tall grasses for shade, all edible of course.

I'm very much a novice so I appreciate the advice. I assure you I did a ton of research before I adopted my little sulcata and intend to stay up to date so I can care for her for her hopefully long, long life.

 

[wellington]

I have 3 fruitless mulberry trees. If I can grow them, anyone can. I have brown thumbs not the good green ones.

 

[Len B]

I'm not really looking for a shortcut lol, just advice. The more money I save the more I can invest back into them, so I was just interested in any cost effective methods those with experience have found. I run a dogsitting side business to finance all of this and almost every penny is going into my shed build this winter. I'm so excited!

And gotcha! I wonder if I can grow a mulberry tree? I want to plant their yard with banana trees and tall grasses for shade, all edible of course.

I'm very much a novice so I appreciate the advice. I assure you I did a ton of research before I adopted my little sulcata and intend to stay up to date so I can care for her for her hopefully long, long life.

Banana plants are easy to grow if you get musa basjoo plants. They are very hardy and need little care. Mulberry trees are easy growers also. Rose of Sharon is another good one. Wild Grape vines grow quick. Not fast growers but in time the palmetto and needle palms are great for shade. The Japanese lace leaf maples in time are great for shade also. In years to come as he gets bigger and you have an untreated lawn you can use a mower with a bag and collect the grass and weeds and feed fresh cut grass during the growing season and dry some for winter feeding. I grow all these plants and feed my lawn year round. I'm across the Potomac from Charles County in Virginia

 

[TiffFromCali]

I have a large mulberry tree and I dehydrate the leaves, and give them to Zane fresh. I chop fresh leaves mixed with the appropriate mix of powder calcium/vitamins, and a little bit of water. Once it’s a thick consistency, I dehydrate it (or you can bake it in a thick lawyer on low heat for several hrs. It should look like a dry cookie. I break it up into pieces. You can put it into baggies or mason jars. It lasts a long time. You can use any vegetables your Sulcuta likes.

Any mulberry tree owner will have NO problem giving you leaves, in fact they’ll probably thank you lol. You can also go to a grocery store and ask them to let you know when they’re going to throw vegetables away. If they know they’re not going to be consumed by a human, they should be fine with it. By law they can’t keep produce past a certain date, even through its perfectly good. I have a 60 lb Sulcuta and he is SO expensive to feed. These methods do help save money.

 

[wellington]

I have a large mulberry tree and I dehydrate the leaves, and give them to Zane fresh. I chop fresh leaves mixed with the appropriate mix of powder calcium/vitamins, and a little bit of water. Once it’s a thick consistency, I dehydrate it (or you can bake it in a thick lawyer on low heat for several hrs. It should look like a dry cookie. I break it up into pieces. You can put it into baggies or mason jars. It lasts a long time. You can use any vegetables your Sulcuta likes.

Any mulberry tree owner will have NO problem giving you leaves, in fact they’ll probably thank you lol. You can also go to a grocery store and ask them to let you know when they’re going to throw vegetables away. If they know they’re not going to be consumed by a human, they should be fine with it. By law they can’t keep produce past a certain date, even through its perfectly good. I have a 60 lb Sulcuta and he is SO expensive to feed. These methods do help save money.

Not all vegetable should be fed, so what ones are you feeding?
Also as for the mulberry leaves. I strip the leaves in early fall, before they start changing or falling off and I either freeze them in a vacuumed sealed bag or I hang them in mesh bags to dry them. Both ways are eaten right up.
Have you ever tried just dehydrating them in the low oven without mixing them with anything?

 

[Tom]

Hi!
Just curious to hear everyone's tips and advice. I know feeding a sulcata is never going to be "cheap" since they are cows with shells. But I was just curious what tips and tricks those with more experience have discovered.

Also, are banana trees safe for sulcatas? I'm building a tortoise yard and thought some bananas would provide some nice shade.
Again, just curious! I grow my own weeds right now but won't be able to keep up with the demand once my little one gets bigger.

Grass and grass hay. All the other stuff discussed here is great too, but once they hit about 12 inches, I introduce grass hay and that becomes the majority of their diet within a few months. Its relatively cheap and very easy. Weeds, mulberry leaves, opuntia, grocery store greens, and pumpkins are all great foods too, but grass is best, or grass hay if you don't have the grass.