Grasses and hays?

[TaylorLO]

What grasses and hays should I be feeding my 5-6 month old sulcatas? And where can I find somewhere that sells them, any normal feed store?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings. At that age lots of mixed greens, weeds, fresh grasses. Too young to eat dry hay, but you could chop/cut small pieces and incorporate it with the greens n weeds.

From the Sully care sheet:

Great Weeds and Grasses for a High Fiber Tortoise Diet

• Fescue/Festuca/turf grass, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fescue
• Barley Grass/ Hordeum murinum/False Barley, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hordeum_murinum
• Bermuda Grass/Cynodon/Dog’s Tooth Grass, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Grass
• Buffalo Grass/Buchloe dactyloides/Prairie Grass, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouteloua_dactyloides
• Chia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_hispanica
• Dandelion/ Taraxacum, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandelion
• Big Bluestem/Andropogon gerardii/big bluestem/turkeyfoot/tall bluestem, and bluejoint, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bluestem
• Blue Grama/Bouteloua gracilis, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_grama
• Broadleaf Plaintain/Plantago major/Greater Plantain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadleaf_Plantain
• California Poppy/Eschscholzia californica/golden poppy/California sunlight/cup of gold/ State Flower of California, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschscholzia_californica
• Chickweed/ Stellaria media, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickweed
• Chicory/ Cichorium intybus, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicory
• Clover/ Trifolium (not to be confused with Oxalis, which may be toxic), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clover
• Flowering maple/ Abutilo/ Indian mallow/velvetleaf, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowering_maple
• Geranium /Pelargonium/Storksbills, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelargonium
• Globe Mallow/Sphaeralcea/falsemallows, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globe_mallow
• Henbit/Lamium amplexicaule/ henbit deadnettle/greater henbit, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamium_amplexicaule
• Hibiscus, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus
• Hollyhock/Alcea, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollyhock
• Kentucy Blue Grass/ Poa pratensis/ smooth meadow-grass/common meadow-grass, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_blue_grass
• Little Bluestem/ Schizachyrium scoparium/beard grass, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Bluestem
• Mallow/Malva Sylvestris, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malva_sylvestris
• Oat Grass/Arrhenatherum/Bottom Grass, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oat_Grass
• Orchard Grass/Dactylis/ Cocksfoot Grasses/Cat Grass, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchard_grass
• Common purslane/Portulaca oleracea/verdolaga/pigweed/little hogweed/ pursley/moss rose, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea
• Rye Grass/ Lolium, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rye_grass
• Sowthistle
• Strawberry Leaves/ Fragaria, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry
• Timothy Grass/Phleum pratense/ cat's tail, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Grass

 

[lismar79]

Timothy or orchard hay is easy to find in farm and feed stores. Even pet stores. At that yound he prob will not show anyinterest in hay so cut itup into real small pc and wet it down. Mix with other greens until he gets used to it as he grows.

 

[TaylorLO]

I will try that. Right now they eat collards, dandelion greens, romaine once a day, and the grasses and weeds in our backyard. So I wasn't sure what hays and when to introduce them

 

[Tom]

They usually won't eat plain dry hat until they are around 12". I start feeding them on a bed of grass hay when they are around 8-10".

You can get little organic wheat grass plots at most grocery or pet stores and these work well. Just chop it onto the other food and leave it in a window sill. With a little sun and water it will regrow several times.

I also like to grow my own. This is the best stuff ever: http://www.groworganic.com/premium-horse-pasture-mix-irrigation.html

 

[Dizisdalife]

I also like to grow my own. This is the best stuff ever: http://www.groworganic.com/premium-horse-pasture-mix-irrigation.html

I'll second that. I planted two 8'x10' patches of the premium horse pasture mix a couple of years ago. In the cooler, wetter months it grows so well that I cut it for hay. It produced enough to supplement my tortoise's diet and provide bedding in his night box. In the warmer, drier months it grows much slower, but is still good grazing for my 50lb. sulcata.

 

[Tom]

I'll second that. I planted two 8'x10' patches of the premium horse pasture mix a couple of years ago. In the cooler, wetter months it grows so well that I cut it for hay. It produced enough to supplement my tortoise's diet and provide bedding in his night box. In the warmer, drier months it grows much slower, but is still good grazing for my 50lb. sulcata.

That is interesting Joe. Here at my place this grass slows way down in our winter, but it grows like wildfire all summer long. I have to cut it weekly in summer or it will get so long that it folds over on itself and/or goes to seed. Sounds like the opposite of your results.

 

[Dizisdalife]

Tom, I don't have an explanation for it. In my summer the rye grass disappears first. Then the orchard slows down and by August produces barely enough for Chuck to graze on. I thought that since orchard and rye are "cool" weather grasses that this was the norm. I have tried growing Timothy, but it dies off faster than the rye. Now the orchard has started to grow faster and some rye is coming in. By the end of January I will probably cut some orchard grass for hay.