Sulcata hatchling diet?

lionheartHC

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Hey everyone! I know this has been posted a thousand times so pardon the repetition, I just want to make sure I’m giving my little Sulcata the best life possible. I have a young hatchling that is doing great! I’m keeping his enclosure at ~80% humidity and soaking twice a day for 20-30 minutes. As of now, I have a mixture of collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens and spring mix that I’ve been feeding him.

Here’s where my uncertainty comes in.. there is SO MUCH different information online. I’m aware that different people will do things different ways but I’m at a loss of what to do. I’ve read a lot that the focal point of the diet should be grasses. This little guy will eat anythinggg I put in front of it except grass.. I know store bought greens will have a lot of nutrients that they aren’t accustomed to getting in the wild so should I be feeding every other day?

Also, how frequently should calcium be given? Online the recommendations are anywhere from once a week to twice a day! Should I also be supplementing a repti-vite type supplement at all?

Thank you for taking the time to read this! It’s been an absolute pleasure bringing this little tortoise home and I can’t wait to give him the best life possible.

-Ben
 

Chubbs the tegu

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Go out to ur yard if its pesticide free and grab som safe weeds to mix with his greens..get a handful of grass and cut it to tiny pieces and sprinkle it over his pile of food. Calcium can be giving twice a week.. and u can leave a cuttle bone in his enclosure
 

Chubbs the tegu

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Heres a great thread to read through
 

Tom

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Hey everyone! I know this has been posted a thousand times so pardon the repetition, I just want to make sure I’m giving my little Sulcata the best life possible. I have a young hatchling that is doing great! I’m keeping his enclosure at ~80% humidity and soaking twice a day for 20-30 minutes. As of now, I have a mixture of collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens and spring mix that I’ve been feeding him.

Here’s where my uncertainty comes in.. there is SO MUCH different information online. I’m aware that different people will do things different ways but I’m at a loss of what to do. I’ve read a lot that the focal point of the diet should be grasses. This little guy will eat anythinggg I put in front of it except grass.. I know store bought greens will have a lot of nutrients that they aren’t accustomed to getting in the wild so should I be feeding every other day?

Also, how frequently should calcium be given? Online the recommendations are anywhere from once a week to twice a day! Should I also be supplementing a repti-vite type supplement at all?

Thank you for taking the time to read this! It’s been an absolute pleasure bringing this little tortoise home and I can’t wait to give him the best life possible.

-Ben
Unless they were introduced to grass as a baby, which almost no one does, you will have to spend time getting them used to it now. Start with a tiny tiny amount and chop it up super fine. Mix it in with the wet greens. Over time, add more and more grass. The grass needs to be soft tender young freshly sprouted grass for a baby.

Here is another trhread:
 

lionheartHC

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Unless they were introduced to grass as a baby, which almost no one does, you will have to spend time getting them used to it now. Start with a tiny tiny amount and chop it up super fine. Mix it in with the wet greens. Over time, add more and more grass. The grass needs to be soft tender young freshly sprouted grass for a baby.

Here is another trhread:

Great information there Tom, thanks a lot! I'm sure it gets tiring answering the same questions over and over but I really do appreciate your time.
 

lionheartHC

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Unless they were introduced to grass as a baby, which almost no one does, you will have to spend time getting them used to it now. Start with a tiny tiny amount and chop it up super fine. Mix it in with the wet greens. Over time, add more and more grass. The grass needs to be soft tender young freshly sprouted grass for a baby.

Here is another trhread:


I do have a follow up question if you have the time Tom. I have a garden full of squash, zucchini, watermelon and other vine plants. I see on your other post these are good things to add to a sulcata diet. How frequently should these be fed since they're in season right now.
 

Tom

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I do have a follow up question if you have the time Tom. I have a garden full of squash, zucchini, watermelon and other vine plants. I see on your other post these are good things to add to a sulcata diet. How frequently should these be fed since they're in season right now.
Sulcatas and most of the other commonly kept species are very adaptable. There are many ways to feed them well. I feed mine seasonally with whatever is available. In summer its a lot of grape vine leaves, mulberry leaves, cactus pads, and a wide assortment of other stuff, including squash leaves. In winter when we get our rains, mine graze on weeds and grass that grows in their pen.

I think you can feed some squash leaves mixed with other foods every day if you wanted to. There still needs to be variety, but in the wild they would also take advantage of seasonal food bonanzas. I fed some pumpkin leaves to mine yesterday. There is no scientifically proven and tested guideline for how much of any given food they can eat. Just individual people's feeling on the matter based on experience, preference, convenience, and any tertiary research that is to be found. It is generally accepted that a wide variety is best. It is my opinion that if that wide variety has heavy seasonal biases, this simulates what would happen in the wild.
 

lionheartHC

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Sulcatas and most of the other commonly kept species are very adaptable. There are many ways to feed them well. I feed mine seasonally with whatever is available. In summer its a lot of grape vine leaves, mulberry leaves, cactus pads, and a wide assortment of other stuff, including squash leaves. In winter when we get our rains, mine graze on weeds and grass that grows in their pen.

I think you can feed some squash leaves mixed with other foods every day if you wanted to. There still needs to be variety, but in the wild they would also take advantage of seasonal food bonanzas. I fed some pumpkin leaves to mine yesterday. There is no scientifically proven and tested guideline for how much of any given food they can eat. Just individual people's feeling on the matter based on experience, preference, convenience, and any tertiary research that is to be found. It is generally accepted that a wide variety is best. It is my opinion that if that wide variety has heavy seasonal biases, this simulates what would happen in the wild.
Awesome! That’s very valuable information. With feedings should I focus on giving him a “salad” type mixture of plants or stick to one particular food a day?
 

KarenSoCal

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It's best to make a salad with several different greens. Torts can get very picky when it comes to their foods. If you only feed one item a day, and have 6 items, by the time a week goes by he may decide not to eat that item any more. Lots of tastes all the time so he readily eats everything.
 

Tom

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Awesome! That’s very valuable information. With feedings should I focus on giving him a “salad” type mixture of plants or stick to one particular food a day?
I do both. Its pretty random at my place.
 
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