honeybee
New Member
I bought some Timothy hay from the pet store. It is very dry. Can sulcata tortoises eat something that dry? Should I cut it up? Soak it in water? Help.
Hay?
- Thread starter honeybee
- Start date
My sulcata is 2 years young and has no problems eating dry hay he actually chooses it over fresh grass
Dry hay is fine for older, larger ones. Most of them will need an introductory period to get them used to the idea of eating dry hay. When that time comes, Timothy hay is not the way to go. Orchard grass hay and Bermuda hay work best.
Real, fresh, tender, young grass is better for babies.
You can try soaking it in water until it softens, but usually babies won't eat hay.
I’m pretty sure that I purchase the same Timothy Hay ... that said, even for our 70 lb plus Sully, i find it not very appetizing straight from the bag. Dry, dusty, scratchy, doesnt even smell much.
Good luck
- I take a bucket and put a gallon or so of warm water inside, then add a few large handfuls of the hay. After awhile, this dry, scratchy product turns into a sweet smelling fresh outdoorsy food. I drain the water off (into my plants) then pile a bunch of greens on top or mix it all together, along with some dry Mazuri nuggets. Makes a big difference, smells great - tastes great. Our Sully readily eats it “fresh” like this, not so much in the very dry state.
Good luck
Yeah, that hay you buy in pet stores is very old and dry. It's much better to find a feed store and ask if you can bag up some of the 'leavings' around their stack of hay bales.
