For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...
- Thread starter Tom
- Start date
sandrarz
New Member
I never use poisons on my plants in my yard or in my goldfish pond. My feeling are take care of it naturally. With secondary poisoning it is never an option. Kill a mouse with rat poison and maybe you kill an owl. You may even kill a hummingbird with insecticides. You even have to watch plants from home depot and alike stores. They are grown with insecticides and fertilizer.
Thank you!!! You won’t believe how many times on our daily walks (yes, I take my boys out on walks) that I hear, “they eat a lot of lettuce right?”🤦♀️ We use our walks as “educational walks.” We educate anyone that wants on what they eat (and especially don’t eat), what they need (sunlight is best if you have it over a UV light), etc. And, one of the exciting things that I have learned…Nationwide Pet Insurance covers tortoises! Whoot whoot!Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas.
These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From the moment they hatch, until the day they die, grass should be a large part of their diet. Spring mix, romaine, kale and other greens are okay as a small part of a varied diet, but should not be the bulk of the diet. If someone must feed grocery store foods, the pile should be sprinkled with grass clippings or "Salad Style". For those who like the convenience of pre-packaged, easy to handle stuff, "Salad Style" is basically finely blended up grass hay that can be sprinkled over any other food to add bulk and fiber. I got my "Salad Style" from Tyler at tortoisesupply.com.
For those that have a lawn, or access to one: Get a tub, get some scissors, get down on your knees, and go to work! It is so EASY to cut a few handfuls of fresh, green, tender, young grass, and dramatically improve your baby sulcatas diet. Any kind of grass will work. Finely chop it for little tortoises and sprinkle it all over the other food, or feed it by itself in a pile. Do be careful about lawn chemicals and pesticides. If you have a gardener, or its not your lawn, use extreme caution. Live in a condo or apartment complex? Don't do it. Not worth the risk, no matter what they tell you. Just grow your own grass in pots on your patio or window sills. Friends, family and neighbors might be able to help you out here.
For those who still just love the grocery store: Most stores are now selling little plastic pots of live, freshly sprouted, organic wheat grass. You can find it at many pet stores too. This is a great way to add grass to the diet of a young sulcata. Get your scissors, hold the pot over the food pile and chop away. Water it and keep the pot in a window sill, and in a few days, you'll have more. You might need several pots as your baby grows, or you can buy seed from one of our site sponsors (Thank you Carolina Pet Supply) and sprout even bigger trays of it yourself.
Some of you may find that your "grass eating" tortoise wants nothing to do with eating grass. This should surprise no one, since most breeders and most keepers never even attempt to feed actual grass to their grass eating tortoise babies. So sad! I can tell you from first hand experience with literally HUNDREDS of babies, they WILL eat it. It may take a month or more to slowly introduce it, but PLEASE, slowly introduce it.
Other items that are good for babies and young sulcatas:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads
Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard
Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food
When sulcatas get a little older and bigger, usually around 10-12" for me, they will start munching on plain, dry grass hay, all on their own. I like orchard grass hay the best for this, but I also used bermuda grass hay for years too. When they hit this stage, life gets MUCH easier. Just make sure you have drinking water readily available when they start eating hay, and consider soaking regularly if you are not 100% sure your tortoise is drinking enough, or if you live in a really dry area, like me.
I live in a desert and yet there is still green stuff all around me. I beg you to take a walk and learn about all the green stuff around you, INSTEAD of driving to the store again. Instead of a trip to the grocery store, take a trip to a local nursery for some weed IDs, and tips on growing your own stuff. What could be better than stepping out into your backyard and collecting all the free, healthy tortoise food you can carry? Think of the gas savings! Anyone who is a tortoise keeper, ought to be somewhat of a gardener too.
I beg of you... PLEASE stop the grocery store MADNESS!!!
ProblematicBean
New Member
I haven't seen this question in the thread yet and I don't know if it's a stupid one, but I feel it's safer to ask than never know.
Can sulcatas eat sunflowers?
Can sulcatas eat sunflowers?
ProblematicBean
New Member
This comment right here has me a bit shook.
I recently took over the care of a baby sulcata from mother. I'm brand new to this and did what research I could online, but it's difficult to find good info (thankfully this forum has been incredibly helpful). My mother swears the baby is 16 months old but she's only 4in long!!
She can't possibly be 16 months and be that small, can she???
ProblematicBean
New Member
Can I ask how old your sulcata is in this photo? This looks to be about the same size as mine currently.
Yes, but the information I found when I looked it up led me to believe it was okay once in a while, but shouldn't be fed to them every day.
That is not too bad for one that was started dry, housed dry, and probably not kept at the right temperatures and/or hydrated.
Mimi&Poppi
New Member
I’ve purchased everything and started growing his/her(Franklin/Frankie) food myself
Wheat grass, Timothy hay, clover, dandelion, pansy, petunia, aloe Vera.
Introducing new greens and grass.
He/she seems happy in her humid warm home❤️
Thanks for all the info Tom!
In future we plan to build an enclosure outside. We live on 10 acres in south Texas. I’m planning ahead and will plant all his yummy foods in there.
Wheat grass, Timothy hay, clover, dandelion, pansy, petunia, aloe Vera.
Introducing new greens and grass.
He/she seems happy in her humid warm home❤️
Thanks for all the info Tom!
In future we plan to build an enclosure outside. We live on 10 acres in south Texas. I’m planning ahead and will plant all his yummy foods in there.
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cihuyMarihuy
New Member
When I bought it, it was approximately 1 month old, that was also the information from the seller.
I kept him until I posted in this thread for about 2-3 months
I took our Poquito (Po) to the vet last week. Po is about 4 months old. She recommended making sure Po gets enough protein in her diet. Mostly she has been doing the store-bought greens and then the dried "salad topper" from Tortoise Supply. I have this one that my Russian Tortoise will occasionally snack on. I find if it is okay for my Sulcata or not. Does anyone have experience with this?
Attachments
I have no experience with that product, but because of the fruit listed on the front, I wouldn't use it with Russians or sulcatas.
The main diet should be weeds for the Russian and weeds and grass for the sulcata. The salad topper is good to add some fiber to grocery store greens, but their Herbal Hay would add variety too.
Its best to stay out of the grocery store in the first place, which was the subject of post number one of this thread. If you must use grocery store greens it needs to be amended with fiber, calcium and variety. There are many ways to accomplish that. I like soaked horse hay pellets for fiber and an assortment of dried leaf options from kapidolofarms.com for added variety.
The main diet should be weeds for the Russian and weeds and grass for the sulcata. The salad topper is good to add some fiber to grocery store greens, but their Herbal Hay would add variety too.
Its best to stay out of the grocery store in the first place, which was the subject of post number one of this thread. If you must use grocery store greens it needs to be amended with fiber, calcium and variety. There are many ways to accomplish that. I like soaked horse hay pellets for fiber and an assortment of dried leaf options from kapidolofarms.com for added variety.
Renee_H
Member
And this list applies to Leopards as well right? I’m beginning to collect seeds starters and start gardening.Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas.
These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From the moment they hatch, until the day they die, grass should be a large part of their diet. Spring mix, romaine, kale and other greens are okay as a small part of a varied diet, but should not be the bulk of the diet. If someone must feed grocery store foods, the pile should be sprinkled with grass clippings or "Salad Style". For those who like the convenience of pre-packaged, easy to handle stuff, "Salad Style" is basically finely blended up grass hay that can be sprinkled over any other food to add bulk and fiber. I got my "Salad Style" from Tyler at tortoisesupply.com.
For those that have a lawn, or access to one: Get a tub, get some scissors, get down on your knees, and go to work! It is so EASY to cut a few handfuls of fresh, green, tender, young grass, and dramatically improve your baby sulcatas diet. Any kind of grass will work. Finely chop it for little tortoises and sprinkle it all over the other food, or feed it by itself in a pile. Do be careful about lawn chemicals and pesticides. If you have a gardener, or its not your lawn, use extreme caution. Live in a condo or apartment complex? Don't do it. Not worth the risk, no matter what they tell you. Just grow your own grass in pots on your patio or window sills. Friends, family and neighbors might be able to help you out here.
For those who still just love the grocery store: Most stores are now selling little plastic pots of live, freshly sprouted, organic wheat grass. You can find it at many pet stores too. This is a great way to add grass to the diet of a young sulcata. Get your scissors, hold the pot over the food pile and chop away. Water it and keep the pot in a window sill, and in a few days, you'll have more. You might need several pots as your baby grows, or you can buy seed from one of our site sponsors (Thank you Carolina Pet Supply) and sprout even bigger trays of it yourself.
Some of you may find that your "grass eating" tortoise wants nothing to do with eating grass. This should surprise no one, since most breeders and most keepers never even attempt to feed actual grass to their grass eating tortoise babies. So sad! I can tell you from first hand experience with literally HUNDREDS of babies, they WILL eat it. It may take a month or more to slowly introduce it, but PLEASE, slowly introduce it.
Other items that are good for babies and young sulcatas:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads
Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard
Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food
When sulcatas get a little older and bigger, usually around 10-12" for me, they will start munching on plain, dry grass hay, all on their own. I like orchard grass hay the best for this, but I also used bermuda grass hay for years too. When they hit this stage, life gets MUCH easier. Just make sure you have drinking water readily available when they start eating hay, and consider soaking regularly if you are not 100% sure your tortoise is drinking enough, or if you live in a really dry area, like me.
I live in a desert and yet there is still green stuff all around me. I beg you to take a walk and learn about all the green stuff around you, INSTEAD of driving to the store again. Instead of a trip to the grocery store, take a trip to a local nursery for some weed IDs, and tips on growing your own stuff. What could be better than stepping out into your backyard and collecting all the free, healthy tortoise food you can carry? Think of the gas savings! Anyone who is a tortoise keeper, ought to be somewhat of a gardener too.
I beg of you... PLEASE stop the grocery store MADNESS!!!
Regular leopards are not grass eaters like sulcatas. South African leopards are. Most leopards in this country are a mix of the two, so some leopards will eat grass and hay and some won't. Grass certainly won't hurt a leopard of any type.
The rest of the list of weeds, leaves, flowers, etc... is all good for every tortoise species.
Tom, thanks for your input. I wasn't as clear on
Thanks for your reply and input. I wasn't as clear on the whole diet. She usually gets some fresh wheat grass clippings, some store bought greens, the salad topper (I wish they gave a break down of the nutrition values) and calcium powder
Thanks for your input.
Po's full diet right now is wheat grass clippings, store bought greens, the toppings fro tortoise supply mentioned in the first post, and then calcium powder.
I bought the seeds from Tortoise Supply as well that I am working on getting some more grass growing.
I am just wondering what I should feed to make sure she is getting enough protein. Thanks for the pointer to kapidolifarms.com. Ordering stuff now.
While protein is not the bogeyman it was once though to be, we still have to be careful with it. Some plant protein in the diet is good, BUT, be sure your tortoise is well hydrated.
Good sources of plant protein are clover, fresh grown alfalfa, other legumes, peas, green beans, broad or narrow leaf plantain weeds... and original Mazuri is good for protein too.
TortoiseAwarness& Conserv
Active Member
Looks like its common and general for all tortoises right. !!Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas.
These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From the moment they hatch, until the day they die, grass should be a large part of their diet. Spring mix, romaine, kale and other greens are okay as a small part of a varied diet, but should not be the bulk of the diet. If someone must feed grocery store foods, the pile should be sprinkled with grass clippings or "Salad Style". For those who like the convenience of pre-packaged, easy to handle stuff, "Salad Style" is basically finely blended up grass hay that can be sprinkled over any other food to add bulk and fiber. I got my "Salad Style" from Tyler at tortoisesupply.com.
For those that have a lawn, or access to one: Get a tub, get some scissors, get down on your knees, and go to work! It is so EASY to cut a few handfuls of fresh, green, tender, young grass, and dramatically improve your baby sulcatas diet. Any kind of grass will work. Finely chop it for little tortoises and sprinkle it all over the other food, or feed it by itself in a pile. Do be careful about lawn chemicals and pesticides. If you have a gardener, or its not your lawn, use extreme caution. Live in a condo or apartment complex? Don't do it. Not worth the risk, no matter what they tell you. Just grow your own grass in pots on your patio or window sills. Friends, family and neighbors might be able to help you out here.
For those who still just love the grocery store: Most stores are now selling little plastic pots of live, freshly sprouted, organic wheat grass. You can find it at many pet stores too. This is a great way to add grass to the diet of a young sulcata. Get your scissors, hold the pot over the food pile and chop away. Water it and keep the pot in a window sill, and in a few days, you'll have more. You might need several pots as your baby grows, or you can buy seed from one of our site sponsors (Thank you Carolina Pet Supply) and sprout even bigger trays of it yourself.
Some of you may find that your "grass eating" tortoise wants nothing to do with eating grass. This should surprise no one, since most breeders and most keepers never even attempt to feed actual grass to their grass eating tortoise babies. So sad! I can tell you from first hand experience with literally HUNDREDS of babies, they WILL eat it. It may take a month or more to slowly introduce it, but PLEASE, slowly introduce it.
Other items that are good for babies and young sulcatas:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads
Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard
Other good stuff:
"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes
Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html
Homegrown alfalfa
Mazuri Tortoise Chow
ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food
When sulcatas get a little older and bigger, usually around 10-12" for me, they will start munching on plain, dry grass hay, all on their own. I like orchard grass hay the best for this, but I also used bermuda grass hay for years too. When they hit this stage, life gets MUCH easier. Just make sure you have drinking water readily available when they start eating hay, and consider soaking regularly if you are not 100% sure your tortoise is drinking enough, or if you live in a really dry area, like me.
I live in a desert and yet there is still green stuff all around me. I beg you to take a walk and learn about all the green stuff around you, INSTEAD of driving to the store again. Instead of a trip to the grocery store, take a trip to a local nursery for some weed IDs, and tips on growing your own stuff. What could be better than stepping out into your backyard and collecting all the free, healthy tortoise food you can carry? Think of the gas savings! Anyone who is a tortoise keeper, ought to be somewhat of a gardener too.
I beg of you... PLEASE stop the grocery store MADNESS!!!
Some of it is, but not all species are grass eaters. And some species, like red foot tortoises for one example, also need fruit and some meat as well.
I'm definitely not advocating that a tortoise ever escape a proper outdoor enclosure, but please rest assured, if you are not preparing its food it absolutely WILL eat without you. Unfortunately last year I lost my tortoise for exactly 1 week prior to having tracking devices on him BUT when I found him he had acquired a taste for eating grass as if he always had. To the point of walking over fresh greens to go outside and eat grass. I got the point quickly.
