Eating Machine

Unkapunka

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Is there a limit on how much food sulcata should eat. I have a 18 month old guy and he will eat everything i give him. I try to give him small amounts thru the day, i just don't want to overfeed him.
 

Tim Carlisle

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I tend to give mine just enough to where there's a little left over when he's done eating. That's kinda how I gauge how much to feed him.
 

Unkapunka

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Well i feel better about it now. He hardly ever leaves a bite. I don't know where they put it all. Lol
 

Maro2Bear

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I agree, I have no idea where they put it all, but they are grazers for sure. A little now, a little later, a lot more later, then some more!

Then, a bowl of Mazuri for dessert.

Good luck
 

Tom

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You can't over feed the right foods. Sounds like you might need to start adding more grass, or re-hydrated grsss hay to the diet.
 

vladimir

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I agree, I have no idea where they put it all, but they are grazers for sure. A little now, a little later, a lot more later, then some more!

Then, a bowl of Mazuri for dessert.

Good luck

Vlad always stops at his Mazuri dish at least once after he's done with his greens for the day. :D
 

Florida

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You can't over feed the right foods. Sounds like you might need to start adding more grass, or re-hydrated grsss hay to the diet.
Any particular kind of grass? The last frost killed all my natural grasses and weeds and since I'm a newbie I worry about everything. I have been feeding collards and dandelions but the boys seem to be eating less. Open to all advice.
 

Tom

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Any particular kind of grass? The last frost killed all my natural grasses and weeds and since I'm a newbie I worry about everything. I have been feeding collards and dandelions but the boys seem to be eating less. Open to all advice.
For a little one its best to sprout your own grass, or buy sprouted grass from the pet store or supermarket. You can sprout it yourself pretty easily in trays inside your house, or outside if the weather is nice. Lots of Youtube vids on how to do it.

Using soaked ZooMed Grassland or Forest tortoise Pellets, can also add some fiber and variety to the diet. I soak one pellet for a little tortoise and mix it all up with the day's greens.

When they get bigger, you can use soaked horse hay pellets with no additives, or grass hay.

Wheat grass, or any grass intended for pasture animals is fine. Don't buy any grass seed from the hardware store. They put all sorts of weird additives in that stuff. Tyler and Sarah over at Tortoisesupply.com sell several excellent seed mixes. I've been using their stuff for years and it has all been excellent. They also sell the "herbal hay" that you mentioned. This is another great way to add variety and fiber to grocery store greens. I just got a big new bag from them and my tortoises love it.
 

Florida

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For a little one its best to sprout your own grass, or buy sprouted grass from the pet store or supermarket. You can sprout it yourself pretty easily in trays inside your house, or outside if the weather is nice. Lots of Youtube vids on how to do it.

Using soaked ZooMed Grassland or Forest tortoise Pellets, can also add some fiber and variety to the diet. I soak one pellet for a little tortoise and mix it all up with the day's greens.

When they get bigger, you can use soaked horse hay pellets with no additives, or grass hay.

Wheat grass, or any grass intended for pasture animals is fine. Don't buy any grass seed from the hardware store. They put all sorts of weird additives in that stuff. Tyler and Sarah over at Tortoisesupply.com sell several excellent seed mixes. I've been using their stuff for years and it has all been excellent. They also sell the "herbal hay" that you mentioned. This is another great way to add variety and fiber to grocery store greens. I just got a big new bag from them and my tortoises love it.
Thanks Tom. Looks like I'm on the right track. I had just bought some ZooMed Grassland Pellets and soaked a couple mixed with collards. After they were ignored I ground a couple of pellets dry with greens to see if that would be enticing. My torts are only a month old so maybe sleeping 18 hours a day is normal. I'm just concerned because they aren't eating as much as they were.
 

Florida

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I just ordered some of those grassland pellets also. I'm sure my tort will eat
I did too. So far my little guys haven't shown much interest in eating them so I'm trying mixing their favorite greens in to see if that will help.
 

Tom

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I did too. So far my little guys haven't shown much interest in eating them so I'm trying mixing their favorite greens in to see if that will help.
Most tortoises don't like those pellets at first. I've had to introduce them slowly. I soak one small broken piece of a pellet and then mix it all up with the day's greens. I take time, but eventually they like it. Its a good food supplement, so its worth the effort.
 

Archie's mom

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For a little one its best to sprout your own grass, or buy sprouted grass from the pet store or supermarket. You can sprout it yourself pretty easily in trays inside your house, or outside if the weather is nice. Lots of Youtube vids on how to do it.

Using soaked ZooMed Grassland or Forest tortoise Pellets, can also add some fiber and variety to the diet. I soak one pellet for a little tortoise and mix it all up with the day's greens.

When they get bigger, you can use soaked horse hay pellets with no additives, or grass hay.

Wheat grass, or any grass intended for pasture animals is fine. Don't buy any grass seed from the hardware store. They put all sorts of weird additives in that stuff. Tyler and Sarah over at Tortoisesupply.com sell several excellent seed mixes. I've been using their stuff for years and it has all been excellent. They also sell the "herbal hay" that you mentioned. This is another great way to add variety and fiber to grocery store greens. I just got a big new bag from them and my tortoises love it.
Hi Everyone, Just wondering about Chia grass (AKA chia pets), could it be grown inside the enclosure and let them nibble on it??
 

Maro2Bear

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Hi Everyone, Just wondering about Chia grass (AKA chia pets), could it be grown inside the enclosure and let them nibble on it??

Quick answer is yes. Many of us have sprinkled chia seeds in an enclosure and had them grow & eaten. Problem is that a hot, humid, enclosure isnt all that conducive to them lasting very long, coupled with a crawling, hungry tort. But yes, you can sprinkle & grow.
 
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