How much do I feed my 5 yr. old Sulcata?

[Lorielei2001]

Hi Tortoise Family

I just adopted my Sulcata, he is 5 years. He has my backyard with tons of nice grass to graze on all day.
Usually before work I give him a paper plate full of kale, collards etc then when I get home give him another plate of greens.

is this enough?

Please advise?

thanks
Lori

 

[Gillian M]

Hi Tortoise Family

I just adopted my Sulcata, he is 5 years. He has my backyard with tons of nice grass to graze on all day.
Usually before work I give him a paper plate full of kale, collards etc then when I get home give him another plate of greens.

is this enough?

Please advise?

thanks
Lori

A very warm welcome to the forum.

Please post a picture of your tort and one of your tort's enclosure.

Reading the so-called "Beginners' Mistake Thread" and different care sheets will certainly help you.

Good luck!

 

[Jodie]

If he has plenty of grass, and it is warm enough to graze, I would feed him very little else. His diet should be mostly grass. If he is still small my answer might change some.

 

[Dizisdalife]

Welcome to the Forum. My 5 year old grazes on grass and weeds. I seldom need to feed greens for him. I prefer to supplement his grazing with mulberry leaves, grape leaves, opuntia cactus pads, or a mixture of maturity and hay. How much they eat depends on their weight and appetite.

 

[Lorielei2001]

where do I find Mulberry Leaves, grape leaves & cactus pads?
tugie has a large fenced in yard to graze in. he grazes all day and I give him an occasional baby carrot or a strawberry once a week. not much fruit very litte. he lives in Miami, so he's stays nice and warm.

 

[Tom]

where do I find Mulberry Leaves, grape leaves & cactus pads?
tugie has a large fenced in yard to graze in. he grazes all day and I give him an occasional baby carrot or a strawberry once a week. not much fruit very litte. he lives in Miami, so he's stays nice and warm.

To answer your first question: Feed him as much as he wants every day. Sulcatas are grazers and need to munch all day.

To answer the above quoted question:
These things are growing everywhere. You can either grow your own, or find safe sources for them in friend's, family and neighbor's yards. At this age and size, you should also be introducing grass hay. I prefer orchard grass hay or bermuda grass hay. You can get hay at any "feed" store that sells horse supplies. At first he probably won't be interested, but feed him all his other stuff on a bed of the dry hay and eventually start putting a little hay on and mixed in with the greens. Over time, he will start to eat it on his own, plain, and you can breathe a big sigh of relief.

Here is a list of good stuff to feed them:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

 

[Dizisdalife]

Well, I really meant MazurI and hay and not maturity and hay. Like Tom said, a lot of the leaves and cactus come from outside my yard. At least initially they did. Over the years I have collect cuttings and seeds or purchased plants to grow for feeding my constantly growing sulcata. For me it's part of the fun of keeping a tortoise.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

If you do acquire food from outside locations and other peoples yards ensure that no pesticides or other chemicals have been used on them.