Leopards and grass.

[kingskettle]

My two are now out most of the day in their new all grass pen as the temps are pretty high now (in the high 20's). However, I've never seen them eating any grass. Sometimes when I've gone to bring them in one of them has a blade of grass in their beaks BUT I've still never seen them grazing per se. Do they do it when I'm not there??? They are still gaining weight and I give them a feed of leaves,flowers and weeds each evening but would still like to see them chomping on some grass! They are 6 years old.

 

[wellington]

The babcocki leopards do not really like the grass as much as the paradeli(?spelling) leopards. Same with the hays. Mine won't eat it either, but loves the clover and dandelion that is mixed in with the grass.

 

[kingskettle]

Just after I wrote my post I looked at another post on the feed forum and saw my answer there! Leopards don't really eat grass much,preferring weeds,leaves and flowers etc. Mine are pardalis. So I guess I know now why I don't see them munching their way round their enclosure!!

 

[wellington]

Just after I wrote my post I looked at another post on the feed forum and saw my answer there! Leopards don't really eat grass much,preferring weeds,leaves and flowers etc. Mine are pardalis. So I guess I know now why I don't see them munching their way round their enclosure!!

I thought the pardalis, preferred the grass. Mine is a babcocki and doesn't eat it either. Maybe more when they are older one or both will eat more of it.lol if not I will have to start cutting it down, darn it, I was hoping the tort would take care of it

 

[Baoh]

Mine will eat grass, but not as avidly as my sulcatas. They tend to be more likely to eat it if it has been cut/chopped. I make sure they have a lot of non-grass growth available.

 

[Jacob]

Its very easy if you wash the grass and chop it finely and mix it with whatever you feed daily

 

[Hallbomber]

Both my babcockis graze on grass well. One is 1 year and other is 7 months.

 

[Greg T]

Mine live outside and while they prefer to eat the spring mix and stuff I give them in the morning, they will graze on both the St. Augustine and Bermuda grasses in the yard. They wander around and eat the grass, weeds, clover, whatever they can find.

 

[Yvonne G]

I have three babcock leopards who live outside year round. Their pen is planted in Bermuda grass. Occasionally a broad-leaf weed will pop up, and sometimes, when I remember to water it a lot, the dichondra will grow, but mainly they eat the grass. I don't feed them at all.

 

[coreyc]

I grow tortoise grazing mix for mine it has a few differant grasses in it. they love it as soon as I put a new tray in they go crazy for it when outside I see them eating it as well

 

[kingskettle]

They're probably eating grass only not when I look in on them. They do tend to freeze when they see us humans and can stay motionless forever (or until I get fed up standing watching them!!) BUT---in the evening,when I usually give them a pile of mixed num nums, they both head in my direction expecting the hand out. Clever little devils! I'll catch them at it one day!

 

[Katherine]

Geez I must have exceptionally graze-happy leopards, mine eat grass every waking moment, so much so I have started to rotate them between different enclosures to avoid the ground cover getting grazed to the dirt in some areas. I would be so surprised/confused to meet a leopard who disliked grazing.

 

[Peaches bts]

Ours would graze a bit but they rather have spring mix and mazuri.

 

[Tortoise Hub]

Mine eat grass all day long but they'll never turn down a nice warm meal of mazuri lol

 

[Baoh]

Since it has been mentioned, I have not observed any differences in the grazing preference for grass between the two subspecies. Behavior is individualized, too, in my observations. I currently have polar opposite Gpps and have had a number of Gpbs that ranged from shy to outgoing, although the bulk tended towards shy. Again, no difference in grazing for mine, and the animals in my care tend to prefer non-grasses to grasses in terms of proportion.

 

[Neal]

How often are you feeding your 6 year olds? At that age, I would think they would graze quite a bit regardless of what subspecies they are, but not if they are well fed.

I have only observed grazing differences between both types as young animals...not adults. The SPP I have will eat grass all day long. Even when they were kept indoors I would pick a big plate of grass and every last one would eat the grass all by itself. I've never been able to do that with young SPB, even grazing they don't do much of until they are larger. In the wild, the diet of SPP contains more grass than that of the SPB as we know them.

 

[kingskettle]

Well,you may be right! Sometimes I feed them in the morning when I put them out and sometimes I don't. It's drying up here now as we've had no rain for months and months. They get pansy,petunia,hollyhock,hibiscus----leaves and flowers, plus a few weed leaves though they are drying off now. I grow clover and dandelions in large trays and cut that for them now and again. Vine leaves as well,got plenty of those. I always give them a feed at night before they go to bed, after their second soak of the day. These feeds aren't huge, about a largish double handful each time between the two. Should I cut those out do you think? Make 'em hungry enough to eat the grass?

www.cactusinspain.com

 

[kingskettle]

Thy're eating grass!

---

The clover I grow in a big tray has mildew. Can I treat this with anything or can I still feed it with a slight haze of mildew on or should I chuck it away and start again??