Hay for my tort

[jpeck425]

Pet stores carry small pre packaged bags of timaothy hay orchard hay and alfalfa for rabbits. If you have room to store it, the best price is a bale of hay, but it can go bad if you dont use much. Most feed stores that sell horse supplies will let you buy a part bale if they have a broken bale, or a 'flake' of hay. A flake is a section of a bale about 3-4 inches wide. you can store it in a large trash bag. keep it dry.

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oh and Walmart is where i have found the best price for the bagged hay.

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Thanks for the info laura.

I called this morning to the feed store and they only have the hay in bags in stock. I will try to call to a farm feed store, that will not be easy to find though, because I live in the city.
If I dont find any, should I buy the one they sell at the pet store and wash it in the water before giving it to Hermy, or should I just wait for the next time I will go to the states to buy the one at Carolina Pet supply?

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Hi Isa,
If you are in a city and the feed stores are inconvenient, the prebagged grasses will work fine, particularly if you need smaller portions. Timothy hay, Orchard Grass, Bermuda Grass are all good. I like to blend several types. I have also have used a type from Petsmart called "Meadow Mix". It is a blend of grasses and clover hay. It even has the occasional clover flowers in it. The tortoises love it! It runs about $4.99/ bale and would probably last you several months for smaller tortoises. You can use scissors and clip the hay into smaller pieces if you have smaller tortoises.
Hope this helps

 

[Isa]

Hi Isa,
If you are in a city and the feed stores are inconvenient, the prebagged grasses will work fine, particularly if you need smaller portions. Timothy hay, Orchard Grass, Bermuda Grass are all good. I like to blend several types. I have also have used a type from Petsmart called "Meadow Mix". It is a blend of grasses and clover hay. It even has the occasional clover flowers in it. The tortoises love it! It runs about $4.99/ bale and would probably last you several months for smaller tortoises. You can use scissors and clip the hay into smaller pieces if you have smaller tortoises.
Hope this helps

Thanks Jeff
I will try to find a feed store and if I do not find one, I will buy the hay at the petstore until I go to the US and order one at Carolina Pet supply.
Do you know how much time a week should I give Hay to Hermy?

 

[awebb]

Should there be enough hay left in the enclosure for the tort to graze on? A follow up question, kinda off topic . What exactly is the waste supposed to look like?

 

[jpeck425]

Should there be enough hay left in the enclosure for the tort to graze on? A follow up question, kinda off topic . What exactly is the waste supposed to look like?

Isa and Awebb,
I always leave the grass hay available to the grassland species. In nature they are constant grazers. The nutritonal values of the grasses are not as high as the veggies we have in our grocery stores and markets. However this is what their systems are set-up to digest. Their waste pellets will smell less on a grass-based diet and will be firmer.

I offer the fresh leafy greens and other fresh produce every other day. These items I like to scatter throughout the enclosure. They seem to like exploring and finding these little treasures. I know tortoises are not deep thinkers, but I like to keep their environments stimulating.

Hope this helps

 

[Kristina]

I keep hay in my enclosure at all times also. In fact, I use it as a substrate.

I feed one meal a day of chopped hay with dried greens and weeds sprinkled on, and then dampened slightly. The rest of the day the girls pick at the grass hay as they see fit, and I often find them grazing.

Like Jeff said, the droppings should be firm and contain fibrous material, like horse poop In fact it is the closest thing to horse manure I have ever seen. There isn't to much smell.

Kristina

 

[Isa]

Thanks Jeff & Kristina
I never give dried food to Hermy, is it important to give some dried food?

 

[jpeck425]

Thanks Jeff & Kristina
I never give dried food to Hermy, is it important to give some dried food?

Hi Isa,

It's not the dry aspect that is important, it is more about the higher fiber grasses for species coming from harsher environments. Fresh grass and weeds would always be the first choice, but for those of us in colder climates the dried grasses are sometimes the only option 2/3 of the year.

Sometimes, when the weather is still too cool for them to be outside, I will bring in the last bag of lawn clippings after mowing. That way they can still get the fresh grasses for a longer period. They seem to eat it just as well.

All of this mainly applies to grassland and savanna-living species. Rainforest and temperate species(Redfoots, Elongates, etc...) do not tend to eat grasses as much.

Hope this helps

 

[Isa]

Hi Isa,

It's not the dry aspect that is important, it is more about the higher fiber grasses for species coming from harsher environments. Fresh grass and weeds would always be the first choice, but for those of us in colder climates the dried grasses are sometimes the only option 2/3 of the year.

Sometimes, when the weather is still too cool for them to be outside, I will bring in the last bag of lawn clippings after mowing. That way they can still get the fresh grasses for a longer period. They seem to eat it just as well.

All of this mainly applies to grassland and savanna-living species. Rainforest and temperate species(Redfoots, Elongates, etc...) do not tend to eat grasses as much.

Hope this helps

Thanks for the info Jeff

 

[Kristina]

It isn't important to give dried food, but for me it is the easiest option. I live in a state where fresh grasses and weeds are inaccesable for at least 6 months out of the year. By having dried plaintain, dandelion, grass hay, and other items I know that my torts are getting what they need year round, because I can store it. I LOVE my food dehydrator, lol!

Kristina

 

[Isa]

It isn't important to give dried food, but for me it is the easiest option. I live in a state where fresh grasses and weeds are inaccesable for at least 6 months out of the year. By having dried plaintain, dandelion, grass hay, and other items I know that my torts are getting what they need year round, because I can store it. I LOVE my food dehydrator, lol!

Kristina

Thanks Kristina,
I never thought of that, it is a very good idea

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I just came back from the feed store. I buy other products from them so they let me take 30 gallon trash bags and fill them with loose hay. I probably shove in close to 1/2 a bale, I'm pretty sure they don't think I'm getting that much. But I know how to shove it in tight...Then I leave a large pile in the shed for Bob. It's a combination of marsh grass and locally grown grass hay. It's soft and smells really sweet. I don't have any substrate for him because at his size it's easier to clean up without any substrate.
Bob puts out big poops that are mostly pieces of hay held together loosely by feces. It smells wild like the elephants at the zoo. It doesn't smell bad at all. It's the massive pee puddles that are hard to clean with a substrate