How to get leopard to eat dried grasses

[Lyn W]

Hi everyone,
Lola the leopard (about 10 years old I think) is quite a fussy eater, she loves dandys. forget-me-not leaves and will eat salad leaves etc when allowed; she happily grazes on the lawned area I laid for her outside and also uses a tray inside, but it has been too cold and wet here in the UK this last week to let her out and her indoor tray is coming to an end. In the couple of months I have had her I have tried to get her to eat Readigrass, Timothy hay and meadow hay etc but she won't touch it - even if I mix it with food she likes! She manges to pick out the good stiff and leaves the grass - she won't even touch fresh grass that I have picked from her outside grazing area! I have also tried using a food chopper to make the hay softer and added water to moisten or make it smell more appealing etc but to no avail.
So with winter approaching I am really trying to get her to eat some sort of dried grass because fresh things will soon be difficult to find and even though I am growing my own weeds they aren't going to last 4-6 months! If anyone has any suggestions at all I would be very grateful to hear them.
Many thanks
Lyn

 

[Tom]

Some people chop it up and blend it in a blender into almost a powder. Then mix it with damp chopped greens and it will stick to the greens. She can't eat around that. I would start with a very small amount at first.

 

[Lyn W]

Thanks Tom I will buy a blender and try that.

 

[Amanda81]

Hi everyone,
Lola the leopard (about 10 years old I think) is quite a fussy eater, she loves dandys. forget-me-not leaves and will eat salad leaves etc when allowed; she happily grazes on the lawned area I laid for her outside and also uses a tray inside, but it has been too cold and wet here in the UK this last week to let her out and her indoor tray is coming to an end. In the couple of months I have had her I have tried to get her to eat Readigrass, Timothy hay and meadow hay etc but she won't touch it - even if I mix it with food she likes! She manges to pick out the good stiff and leaves the grass - she won't even touch fresh grass that I have picked from her outside grazing area! I have also tried using a food chopper to make the hay softer and added water to moisten or make it smell more appealing etc but to no avail.
So with winter approaching I am really trying to get her to eat some sort of dried grass because fresh things will soon be difficult to find and even though I am growing my own weeds they aren't going to last 4-6 months! If anyone has any suggestions at all I would be very grateful to hear them.
Many thanks
Lyn

Try grass pellets softened w warm water. My sulcata hatchlings wouldn't eat grass, same as your leopard, if they were outside one might nibble but not inside, I chopped it so fine it was almost invisible but they would either eat around it or not eat at all. I got some Timothy grass pellets from the feed store to give my big guys and just out of curiosity I softened a handful and put in the hatchlings enclosure, they gobbled it right up, I was so excited. Gave them more today, same thing, they ate if, no problems. And the great thing is, it's cheap and a lot easier to store and deal w then hay.

 

[Lyn W]

Thanks Amanda
I haven't seen those in any of the pet shops I've been to yet but will certainly look out for them. Tom's suggestion of blending the grass is working so far and Lola is eating dandys with grass stuck to them so I am getting some into her, but not as much as she should have. I will persevere though and try the pellets if I find them.
Regards
Lyn

 

[Amanda81]

Thanks Amanda
I haven't seen those in any of the pet shops I've been to yet but will certainly look out for them. Tom's suggestion of blending the grass is working so far and Lola is eating dandys with grass stuck to them so I am getting some into her, but not as much as she should have. I will persevere though and try the pellets if I find them.
Regards
Lyn

I tried Toms suggestion too but mine just wasn't having it. Lol. I got the pellets at tractor supply. Their in a big 25 or 50lb bag, I can't remember which, course if you just have that one tort you wouldn't need that much, it would might go bad before you used it all, I'm not sure. I have larger torts and a goat so I use the pellets in a timely manner. I would prefer to do it the way Tom suggest if mine would cooperate with me but they won't. Tom really knows his stuff. When I decided to get torts, I started reading the care sheets he did and when I finished those I started reading all his threads, very informative, I would suggest it. I follow his care sheet (I have sulcata hatchlings, leopard hatchlings, and 2 yr old sulcatas) as close as I can, making a few adjustments for my climate of course but I would really suggest you start reading all the threads he does, I have picked up a lot of tips from them.

 

[Lyn W]

Yes have read and followed several of Toms tips. Good to have someone who knows what they are talking about when there is so much conflicting info out there - it can be very confusing for a novice like me.
Thanks again, Amanda
Lyn

 

[lismar79]

I got mine to eat hay cubes (soften in water) by mixing with mazuri which is my sulcatas favorite. Over time I increased the ha to the mix. You will have to keep at it. Torts are creatures of habit so a change will take a while. Don't give up

 

[Lyn W]

Thanks Lismar,
I didn't have any luck finding pellets today and not seen hay cubes on my travels either, but on a positive note Lola has eaten a lot of fresh grass I picked from her grazing area this afternoon which I am thrilled about because up until now she has even been turning her nose up at that! So hopefully I will be able to add more of that to her food. My home grown weeds are doing well too, but will carry on blending the dried grass as it is a sneaky way of making sure she her diet is OK.
Best wishes
Lyn W