New Sulcata Owner

[laurencamile]

We recently got our first Sulcatta Tortoise, it has been a great pet so far, we are really enjoying it! I have read information about caring for them and I have tried to educate myself as best I can. The people we got the tortoise from fed them mainly vegetables from the grocery store, we have since put the tortoise on a green grass and hay diet. We do give her pumpkin and a little lettuce from time to time for a treat!
My question is, is the grass/weeds in our yard safe for the tortoise to eat? We have been taking it outside to graze and it does really good, it loves to be outside. However last night it was raining and ugly so we couldn't go out, I went and picked some grass, clover, just the stuff it normally eats... I went in to check on it and it was foaming at the mouth and stretching its neck out, it almost looked like it was chocking. I started looking for answers on the Internet and held the tortoise in my hand under luke warm running water. I noticed immediately it was doing better but from what I read it sounds like she got some type of poison. We do not use anything on our yard like pesticide or fertilize. I really have no idea what it could have been, she has been eating the grass from our yard for several weeks and this is our first problem. After about five minutes of running water it was back to normal, she went back in her box and I gave her a dab of pumpkin. She ate it just fine, she has been normally ever since...
Any advice?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi laurencammile:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

Is your name "Lauren?"

And may we know where appx. in the world you are?

A couple of things cause foaming...usually the #1 cause is over heating.

Glad the tortoise is ok now.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum...

 

[Jacqui]

Hi and welcome to TFO! That must have been a scarey time, when he was foaming. He could have eaten a plant that wasn't good for him. Sometimes they hide really good among the "good" plants. With a little guy, there is so little body mass, so it doesn't take as much. Now you mentioned clover and that is a plant that often is mistakenly named. You might want to post pictures of it to be sure.

As for the chemical and fertilizer thing, while you may not use it, does a neighbor? Was there enough rain for a runoff onto your place from another potential chemical applied area? Could he have eaten something like perhaps manure from another animal which may have either eaten or been treated with chemicals? Even a dead mouse or bird body. Just because we ourselves do not use chemicals, does not mean it won't come onto our place by itself.

Just a few thoughts. Glad your here and he is doing better.

---

A couple of things cause foaming...usually the #1 cause is over heating.

so very true.

 

[Tom]

Where in the country are you?
How is the tortoise housed?
What are your temps?
How old is your tortoise?
Have you ID'd EVERY weed and plant your tortoise has access to? Sometimes they will eat things they shouldn't.
Are you sure your clover is clover and not oxalis? What type of flower does it produce?

 

[Zamric]

Welcome to the Forum~!

 

[DesertGrandma]

Welcome to the forum. Glad your tort is okay now. Must have been scary for you.

 

[laurencamile]

Thank you all so much! Please, call me Camile! We live in the Northwest Florida Panhandle and we have had Fergie our Sulcata for about a month. We are still not certain if it is a boy or girl so the name may have to change slightly if she turns out to be a boy! She is about 4 months old.
Currently she is housed in a rubbermaid container, it is about 3 inches deep and 3 ft long. We put a layer of packed dirt on the bottom and then covered it with a layer of hay, we didnt want her to be trying to eat the dirt. We also give her fresh greens from our yard every day.
I have not ID'd all the grass/weeds that she has access to but from what I have researched, we have dollar weed, chickweed, clover, and oxalis. I looked the clover/oxalis up on the internet and it appears we have both in our yard. Please, let me know if these are bad for her!
We are also looking for a light to buy. The one we have now does the job but we are not comfortable leaving it on when we are not home.

 

[Laura]

welcome..
i would lose the layer of hay, it molds to easily.. and most babies dont eay hay at this age.. if you chop it fine and sprinkle it over damp greens they can eat it that way..
what type of heat do you have?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome.

 

[Jacob]

Welcome,
i recommend getting a zoomed power sun 100w mvb, and as for food items you can feed
cactus, grass, weeds, spring mix, dark leafy greens, dandilions, mulberry tree leaves, hibiscus flowers and leaves, muzuri.
you can chop up grass and hay and mix it in spring mix or any leafy greens

 

[Tom]

Oxalis is bad for them. Very high in Oxalates which bind up the calcium and make it unavailable to their growing bodies. A small amount fed to larger ones will not be a big deal, but a little one eating a lot of it could turn into a serious problem.

Have you seen this?
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies#axzz1nwHAEoaR

Here's another really good one:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...ive-or-Beginner-Tortoise-Owners#axzz1nwHAEoaR

 

[laurencamile]

Thank you all so much!