hay and grass

[Homerist]

hi all star lovers, do your star eat grass and/or hay?

I have tried, timothy, alfafa and orchard hay of different brands but my star doesn't like them at all. he tried to chew but spit it out again.

as for fresh grass, I have not tried to bring him to a grassy area to graze.

I read so much about high fibre diet for stars but my star only takes green leafy vege, cactus and mazuri.

would very much like to hear your experience in introducing hay/grass to your tort.

 

[dmarcus]

Most hatchlings will not eat grass hay. It's not until they get older that they get the taste for it. You might have to find other things to feed that have fiber...

 

[wrmitchell22]

My Sulcata hatchling will not eat hay of any kind. I grow tort pasture mix, flowers and weeds for him in his pen. He hasn't tried those yet either so I still feed mazuri and spring mix along with other greens (bok choy, green and red leaf, romaine, hibiscus, weeds, marigolds, pansies).

 

[Homerist]

today just bought some timothy hay cubes and dried rose.
my star, Homer, just walk past the dried rose, sniff alittle on the hay cube, took a small bite, and sticks out his tongue and spit out the hay.... =(

now he's eating some carrots and mazuri...

 

[dmarcus]

My little ones wont touch it either, I use it as bedding in there outside enclosure..

 

[wrmitchell22]

today just bought some timothy hay cubes and dried rose.
my star, Homer, just walk past the dried rose, sniff alittle on the hay cube, took a small bite, and sticks out his tongue and spit out the hay.... =(

now he's eating some carrots and mazuri...

How old is your tort, the majority of hatchlings won't eat hay. I wouldn't waste your money on it until your little one is older, I am assuming he/she is young based on the pic in your thread

 

[Homerist]

hi wrmitchell22,

my star is 19months old. still small i believe. i wonder how old will he start to take hay.
for now, he will have to dine in to vege and mazuri, which i think are good stuff but not as natural as grass/hay which is stars' staple. =)

 

[razerx]

I understand the ideal diet for stars should comprise largely of hay. Some resources recommend no spring mix at all and very sparingly only as a supplement pellets such as Mazuri. I have been lurking on tortoise forums learning how to best care for my stars and seems I have yet to come across anyone successfully feeding their tort hay aside from grazing on grass and weeds out in the yard but that is not the same is it? The closest I have come is mixing wet Mazuri with Grassland.

The hay I use (or trying to use) is a brand called Ox Bow and has a picture of a tortoise on the bag so I assume it was made for this purpose. It is a timothy hay mix. While I am sure I can grind it up so the tort can inadvertently eat it somehow like mixing it with wet leaves, how do you get the tortoise to voluntarily eat it? Seems if hay is supposed to make up half of its diet then why is it rejecting it?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi razerx:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

I don't know anything about star tortoises, but if your star is a very young tortoise, that's the reason it won't eat hay.

When you read that tortoises should be eating hay, they are referring to adult tortoises. Babies just aren't interested in it. And the brand you're talking about, Oxbow, while a good brand, is quite old and stale (which means it is VERY hard and dry). It would be much better if you could find a feed store and buy hay from them... much fresher and soft and palatable.

In my opinion, hay is something you feed when fresh grasses and weeds aren't available. Its nice to be able to feed your tortoise something like hay, during the lean times.

 

[Sky2Mina]

Mine does eat hay. In small quantities. I chop it up, soak it in water for a minute and then sprinkle and mix it with the spring mix or veggies I give my tortoise. So she eats small bits and pieces... I've seen it in her poop.

Unfortuneally I can't easily get fresh grass/natural plants (I live in a polluted city), that's why I try to get her to eat more hay with the greens. If you can get fresh grass, I think that works well too, instead of spring mix etc. (e.g. 70% grasses, 30% spring mix)

 

[razerx]

Hi razerx:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

Hi! My name is Ray and I live in Hong Kong aka the Concrete Jungle. The only grass we see are in the median dividers on the freeway! We are at the mercy of whatever the supermarket offers when comes to feeding our pets. Unfortunately most of what is recommended are not available here. The Spring Mix we get are actually imported from California but seems no one imports grass and weeds However cactus pads are sometimes available at the flower market. Right now I am feeding my Stars (I have two with about 3" carapace) Mazuri, Grassland, and cacti as a treat. Local vegetables are a hit and miss. Somethings they go for it but mostly not.

 

[razerx]

Hi Sky2Mina,

Bangkok is absolutely my favorite city!

I have tried all the tricks but it would be good if they actually like it and go for it!

 

[Sky2Mina]

Hey razer
I don't think they will go for hay by themselves (unless you starve them, maybe? But wouldn't recommend it). But the 'sneaking it in' approach works for me. At least they'll get a little bit here and there. Seems you have the same problems (even worse) finding 'natural' food, living in Hong Kong. Just went there in may this year. Nice city, very international, but it really is a concrete jungle.

 

[j156ghs]

For what it's worth, I have a 2-yr-old Hermanns, and he eats Bermuda grass and Timothy hay (with marigold flowers) only when I cut them into small pieces (1/4" or so) and mix them in with his moistened pellet mix. He's doing fine and growing well.

 

[DesertGrandma]

You might try grazing seed miix from carolinapetsupply.com. You can grow it yourself in a tray with some soil and sunshine. It grows fast and if you have more than one tray you can keep it coming all year long.

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Just plant it in cycles.

 

[Neal]

They will graze on live stuff...good luck trying to get him to eat hay.