Feeding Questions

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melbeebe1980

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Hello, I am Melissa. I am a new Sulcata owner. I have read many different things on what to feed my sulcata. I read that 70% of my torts diet should be grass. How much should the tort eat and how often. I have also read that overfeeding causes prymiading, but I don't want to starve the litlte guy either!
Help!
 

jensgotfaith

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Hi Melissa and welcome! You'll find tons of super knowledgeable people here who are passionate about Sulcatas. I am very close to adopting a 6 year old 40-45 lbs Sulcata. Like you I am super excited. If you spend a little time roaming through the different threads here you'll find so much really good information. How old is your Sulcata? Do you have a name yet? Post a pic when you can. People here, including me, just can't get enough Sulcata pics!
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Melissa:

The overfeeding-causes-pyramiding school of thought is old school. The new way of thinking is humidity. You must provide your growing sulcata with humidity to help him grow smoothly.
 

Missy

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Yep I agree with Yvonne, if your sulcata is a hatchling you need to do daily soaks in warm water for about 15-30 min. You can set the pan on a heating pad to keep the water warm. Some keep a spray bottle handy and mist several times a day. If your sulcata is a hatchling to about 2 or 3 you can feed organic spring mix and give him supervised time in the grass so he can graze. Make sure there is no chemicals on the lawn. As he gets bigger and older add in new things so that he don't get spoiled on a small diet.
 

RevoltinglyYoung

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you know I have a similar question, my little guy is about 4-5 months old, how much should I be feeding him, and how often? I feed him a small amount of hay and greens daily, and he's in great shape, but should I really be feeding him every day? I've heard otherwise..

oh! and Melbeebe, I had the same question about substrate less than a week ago, (roughly lol) I was bedding him in super dry alfalfa bedding, but was advised to switch to a more humid substrate, I used a 50/50 mix of organic topsoil and coconut husk and my little guy is more active, his skin is noticablly softer, and he seems to thoroughly enjoy his new environment, so the humidity really does make a huge difference. : D
 

Tom

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Hello and welcome Melissa.

In the 90's the experts all said to keep them hot and dry. They also said that too much protein, or just too much food was the cause of pyramiding. SOOOOO, I fed mine small amounts and even skipped a day once in a while. I even fed iceberg lettuce occasionally since it has so little "food" value. I also kept them hot and dry, think beef jerky maker. The end result of this is 12 year old 42-48 pound, pyramided, "mini-sulcatas".

We all know better now. Here's what I do for my hatchlings: Keep them humid and warm 24/7. Give them a humid hide box. Warm water soak them every day. Give them a shallow water dish in their enclosure. Spray their shells with plain water 3-4 times a day. These thing will make them grow smooth and healthy.

For food, I give them a varied diet and feed them "a big handful" daily. I supplement with Repcal (no D3) twice a week and Herptivite once a week.

I also get them out in the sun for an hour or two almost everyday. As they get older, I leave them out more and more until eventually they just live outside, with a heated house, year round.
 
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