New mom and needing help!

[Laurcha!]

Hello to my fellow Tortoise lovers!

I am a new owner of an adopted 1 year old Sulcata Tortoise. We named him Norman We love him very much already. I am however, COMPLETELY overwhelmed by the wealth of information we have got on what to feed them. Literally everyone says something different... From vets, pet store employees, online articles, to books. I am so so confused. I put romaine lettuce in there at first. A mistake I know now. He had diarrhea yesterday (Im very sad about this) then I put Timothy hay in, he wont touch it. Then I put grass from outside, he wont touch that either. When we go outside he will nibble on it there. Then a vet tech told me grass from outside is a no no! Then I read that they eat spring mix! I'm ready to lose it over here. I feel like Im trying so hard to make him healthy and happy and nothing is working... So, is spring mix what I need to do? How much a day? Is grass from outside bad? What kind of grass do I need to grow if so? What about pellets? Do they need them or not? He wont touch the alfalfa pellets I put in there... I haven't seen him drink yet either... is this normal? I do soak him a little in luke warm water for a bit every other day but stopped. Please Lord someone help me. Im sorry Im ignorant... I just love him and need some help. Thanks so much guys...

 

[ZEROPILOT]

forget everything you've heard and read up on Sulcata care in our links.
And welcome from a fellow Floridian.
many of us keep Sulcatas. I do not. help will arrive very soon.

 

[Laurcha!]

Thank you! I feel terrible about being so confused.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

No. don't be. at first it IS confusing but it gets MUCH easier.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

We have up-to-date info here on the Forum. You can trust what we tell you.

Spring Mix is good, however, there's a little too much spinach in it. Grocery store greens don't contain enough fiber, but they're ok to use in a pinch. The very best way to feed your new little guy is by finding edible weeds, grasses and plants growing naturally. I use a combination of mulberry leaves, grape leaves, hollyhock leaves and flowers, dandelion, and whatever else I can find outside. To that I add some endive, escarole and radicchio. Because I'm feeding tiny babies, I chop this all up into small pieces and mix it all together. If I have someone that isn't eating well, I'll add some grated cucumber or chopped up watermelon to it and mix it all up. He still gets the good greens and plants, but it all smells like cucumber, which is very tasty to them.

 

[Alaskamike]

Welcome. It does get easier very quickly. Don't worry.

@ZEROPILOT. Has given you very good advice. The accumulated and appropriate information you need can all be found on this forum. The vast majority of advice " out there " from vets , pet stores , books & Facebook is outdated and just plain wrong.

The hobby of tortoise husbandry has greatly improved in the last few years and those on the leading edge of " best care " practices are on this forum.

The Stickies at the top of the species specific tab under Sulcata are very good. If you read & follow the info there your baby will grow up big & strong

Good fortune to you !

 

[Speedy-1]

Here is a good source of diet info ; http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-diet-sheet.64290/ Mazuri pellets are also a good source of nutrition !

 

[Maro2Bear]

I agree with all the advice already posted here. Follow the giudance for sully diet that Yvonne, Alaska Mike and others have posted. Stay away from pet store advice and advice from your " vet tech ". Why would he advise you to NOT provide natural, outside grass?

See if you can purchase some Mazuri tortoise pellets as a supplement to what else your feeding. Keep him warm, hydrated, high humidity, etc. All in the guide sheets provided under this Forum!

Send some pix!

Good luck

 

[Tom]

Some of this is conflicting info and some of it is info with certain caveats. Let me explain: Outside grass that has been treated with typical yard sprays, fertilizers and pesticides can be deadly. But grass grown in a known safe, chemical free area is ideal sulcata food. Same thing for all your weeds and leaves. Most of us grow our own foods and/or have sympathetic friends, neighbors and relatives whose houses and yards we raid for tortoise food. Likewise, hay is a great tortoise food, but small ones will seldom eat it. Once your little guy starts topping 12", he will likely start to take an interest in the hay.

Another detail: Tortoises are creatures of habit and they eat what they are used to eating. The introduction of new and unfamiliar foods needs to be done gradually, or as you've seen, even good stuff will be ignored. Try finely chopping and mixing very small amounts of the new stuff into older, more familiar foods. Tortoises live for decades and possibly centuries, so there is no rush to get this done. Take your time and introduce the new stuff slowly.

All of this will help you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Read these and then come back with any questions.

 

[Laurcha!]

I agree with all the advice already posted here. Follow the giudance for sully diet that Yvonne, Alaska Mike and others have posted. Stay away from pet store advice and advice from your " vet tech ". Why would he advise you to NOT provide natural, outside grass?

See if you can purchase some Mazuri tortoise pellets as a supplement to what else your feeding. Keep him warm, hydrated, high humidity, etc. All in the guide sheets provided under this Forum!

Send some pix!

Good luck

The advice for the not giving him outdoor grass was because of other animals that are in the yard and possible pesticides from the landlord... Which makes sense. I did buy my own grass though better safe than sorry

 

[Laurcha!]

Some of this is conflicting info and some of it is info with certain caveats. Let me explain: Outside grass that has been treated with typical yard sprays, fertilizers and pesticides can be deadly. But grass grown in a known safe, chemical free area is ideal sulcata food. Same thing for all your weeds and leaves. Most of us grow our own foods and/or have sympathetic friends, neighbors and relatives whose houses and yards we raid for tortoise food. Likewise, hay is a great tortoise food, but small ones will seldom eat it. Once your little guy starts topping 12", he will likely start to take an interest in the hay.

Another detail: Tortoises are creatures of habit and they eat what they are used to eating. The introduction of new and unfamiliar foods needs to be done gradually, or as you've seen, even good stuff will be ignored. Try finely chopping and mixing very small amounts of the new stuff into older, more familiar foods. Tortoises live for decades and possibly centuries, so there is no rush to get this done. Take your time and introduce the new stuff slowly.

All of this will help you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Read these and then come back with any questions.

Some of this is conflicting info and some of it is info with certain caveats. Let me explain: Outside grass that has been treated with typical yard sprays, fertilizers and pesticides can be deadly. But grass grown in a known safe, chemical free area is ideal sulcata food. Same thing for all your weeds and leaves. Most of us grow our own foods and/or have sympathetic friends, neighbors and relatives whose houses and yards we raid for tortoise food. Likewise, hay is a great tortoise food, but small ones will seldom eat it. Once your little guy starts topping 12", he will likely start to take an interest in the hay.

Another detail: Tortoises are creatures of habit and they eat what they are used to eating. The introduction of new and unfamiliar foods needs to be done gradually, or as you've seen, even good stuff will be ignored. Try finely chopping and mixing very small amounts of the new stuff into older, more familiar foods. Tortoises live for decades and possibly centuries, so there is no rush to get this done. Take your time and introduce the new stuff slowly.

All of this will help you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Those were awesome links and they are very much appreciated. Thanks so much! It means more than you know.
Read these and then come back with any questions.

 

[Laurcha!]

Guys... I just found out about pyramiding. Is this reversible? Any links to help me with this? I am sure glad I rescued Norman from his old home... It looks like he is pyramiding...

 

[Laurcha!]

I agree with all the advice already posted here. Follow the giudance for sully diet that Yvonne, Alaska Mike and others have posted. Stay away from pet store advice and advice from your " vet tech ". Why would he advise you to NOT provide natural, outside grass?

See if you can purchase some Mazuri tortoise pellets as a supplement to what else your feeding. Keep him warm, hydrated, high humidity, etc. All in the guide sheets provided under this Forum!

Send some pix!

Good luck

This is Norman! I bought my own grass and collards for him and he ate! we provided a calcium supplement and he enjoyed a lukewarm bath My husband and I are working on his humidity hut tonight to insure his pyramiding stops

 

[Carol S]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[Tom]

This is Norman! I bought my own grass and collards for him and he ate! we provided a calcium supplement and he enjoyed a lukewarm bath My husband and I are working on his humidity hut tonight to insure his pyramiding stops

His pyramiding is very minor, and I would not give it much thought. Offer him the right temps and conditions, along with the right diet, and he will grow up to be strong, beautiful and healthy.

 

[Edizzle888]

Dyshdnhxbxnxnz

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Dyshdnhxbxnxnz

Huh?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Norman.
It's great you are here, doing the best you can for your tortoise.
Try http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/nutrientanalysis.htm
also to see which foods are good and why.
The ones in bold are particularly good.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome to you and Norman.
Don't panic! I too had a steep learning curve with my leopard but the members here are great and are willing to share their tried and tested methods to help us all out, it gets easier as you become familiar with the caresheet and if you post pics of his enclosure, help will be available to make sure you have the best possible set up for Norman. There's lots of do's and don'ts you'll soon learn about. A quick don't from me is - don't use coiled or long thin loop type bulbs. Good luck!