Refuses to eat grass

SweetKaykes

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I keep reading that grasses should be a huge part of a Sulcatas diet, but I can’t get him to eat it at all. I do however remember something about age possibly being a factor? But I’m not completely sure.
 

Maro2Bear

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How big/old is your Sully? It takes awhile (age) for them to transition from green grass, and other green tender goodies to hay. I tend to chop some hay up, wet it down a bit and mix with greens. Then transition to not wetting it at all, feed your greens on top....slow transition sometimes works best.

Again, young hatchlings usually won’t eat old dry hay....

Good luck.
 

daniellenc

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Yes just cut it up real small and mix in a small amount with his greens dampened so it sticks to the greens. As he starts chowing down add more over a period of time.
 

SweetKaykes

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How big/old is your Sully? It takes awhile (age) for them to transition from green grass, and other green tender goodies to hay. I tend to chop some hay up, wet it down a bit and mix with greens. Then transition to not wetting it at all, feed your greens on top....slow transition sometimes works best.

Again, young hatchlings usually won’t eat old dry hay....

Good luck.
If the place we got him from was accurate, he would be almost 4 months old now. I haven’t even tried hay yet, he still won’t eat wheat grass or cat grass or niri grass. I give him different choices of food every day, and the grasses and collard greens are never touched.
 

Maro2Bear

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Out of curiosity, what exactly are you feeding if it’s not eating any grasses at all? Weeds or flowers or dandelion greens. Any Mazuri pellets?

Upload some pix of your Sully too.

Happy torting.
 

drew54

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Just cut up some grass mix it with some greens spray it and leave it in there freshen when needed. He will eventually eat it and he won't starve himself
 

SweetKaykes

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Out of curiosity, what exactly are you feeding if it’s not eating any grasses at all? Weeds or flowers or dandelion greens. Any Mazuri pellets?

Upload some pix of your Sully too.

Happy torting.

I’ve been feeding him spring mix, kale, Bok Choy, cactus, dandelion greens, collard greens (although he doesn’t like this either. Lol) I have tried several times to give him Mazuri he refuses, I’ve tried smearing it onto his favorite foods and he still won’t eat it, I give him reptocal every few days as well. he has a little garden that he roams through and there’s italian dandelion, ladino clover, red clover, chicory, and alfalfa.
When I try to feed him something he doesn’t like he just grazes his garden. Lol
What’s sad is I am looking for pictures to post and realize I have more pictures of Kame than anyone. Haha!
 

SweetKaykes

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Just cut up some grass mix it with some greens spray it and leave it in there freshen when needed. He will eventually eat it and he won't starve himself

The problem is, he has food growing in his house, so if I feed him something he doesn’t like he grazes his garden instead. His garden has dandelion and clover and chicory and alfalfa, so he’s getting good stuff, just no grass.
 

Tom

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Don't worry too much about grass for a little tiny baby.

Most breeders don't introduce a whole lot of different good foods. When you buy a baby that was never fed grass, or other good stuff, when it was first hatch, it becomes the new owners job to teach it what is food, and to introduce the baby to all the good stuff. Its a slow process. Start with just a tiny bit of the new item, and cut it up super fine. Then wet the old favorite with a spray bottle and sprinkle the minced new stuff on top and mix it in. When I say start with only a little, I'm talking like 1 or 2% of the total food pile. Hardly any at first. It takes time to get them used to new things. Over time, gradually add more and more of the new stuff. No rush. You tortoise will live for decades. You have time to get it right, and when they get a little bigger, they will hoover up anything you put in front of them.

What type of grass are you offering? If you are using mature grass from the yard, its too coarse and difficult for a babu to eat that. Try buying one of those little sprouted wheat grass plots from petco. If you keep it watered and in a sunny window sill, you can get 8 or 9 cuttings from it. Babies need tender, soft, young, freshly sprouted grass. Older ones can eat just about any king of grass, but make sure it isn't grown with chemicals.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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It's a matter of conditioning. They are not saying "no", they just are not accustomed to it. It takes some conditioning.
 

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