Just feed less. The Mazuri needs to be soaked in warm water to soften it before it can be fed. Just start by soaking one pellet and feeding half of it daily.
Sulcata Tortoise not growing
- Thread starter iLykeTuRtL3z
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Shes gaining weight !! She doesnt like everything in the spring mix . ..Is that fine ? I have another question. . . the back of the shell is still very pliable, I give her calcium and shes outside in the sun for like 4 hours a day, and the rest in the shade. So, is she getting enough sun ? How is the shell supposed to harden ?? How long should it take for it to harden up completely ??
Thanks for your help <3
Thanks for your help <3
Sounds like everything is progressing nicely. The shell can take a while to harden. Add opuntia (prickly pear cactus) pads to her diet. You can chop it up in a food processor! Try Doris Carter...she sells the ONLY true spineless I've seen...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-CACTUS-PA...672?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa2e19520
Another excellent source of Calcium is cuttlebone...you can grind that up to and put it in your little one's food!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-CACTUS-PA...672?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa2e19520
Another excellent source of Calcium is cuttlebone...you can grind that up to and put it in your little one's food!
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DeanS said:
Can I just buy the ones they sell at Food4Less and take off the spines ?? My grandma eats these and Im sure she'll teach me how to remove the spines.
Oh ! and what will the cactus do ? WIll it help the shell harden ??
You're better off with fresh grown...that stuff at food for less and all the Mexican markets have been sitting around...this is the BEST source of fiber after grass and weeds...and has the perfect calcium
hosporous ratio...as long as it's FRESH! And you can feed it EVERYDAY!
hosporous ratio...as long as it's FRESH! And you can feed it EVERYDAY!
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ok, I got the nursery people at Lowes to order me a plant . .. . 3 weeks though. .ugh
I was thinking I saw a post somewhere from someone who sells the pear pads online and was going to order some (ours are all frozen outside now). I cant find that old post though. If anybody know of a good place online to order the prickly pear pads, let me know!
M
Maggie Cummings
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There's 4 important things involved in growing a healthy Sulcata. 1. Strong UVB...you've been taking her outside so that's good. 2. exercise. In the wild Sulcata walk for miles getting food to eat. They take a bite here and a bite there for miles. I make an exercise area for my small tortoises so I can take them out of their habitat and put them in the exercise area so they can play. They climb over rocks and walk under branches. It's fun for them and fun for me to watch them. 3. A good diet. Feed a good varied diet and she'll grow like crazy. Fresh greens and green grass and weeds, dandelions and stuff like that is best. Mazuri is a good "supplement", feed softened Mazuri twice a week with the greens, and 4. Hydration, soak in warm water daily for about 15 minutes. If they are going to drink they will do it in the first 10 minutes in the water. Mostly you can tell when they're done as they start trying to climb out. Some like to drink then soak quietly.
That's my way of growing healthy tortoises. Keep to that example and you can't go wrong.
That's my way of growing healthy tortoises. Keep to that example and you can't go wrong.
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How do I know she is eating enough ? She eats like 3 -5 leaves from the spring mix ( or similar sized pieces of Collard greens or Kale) and I still give her like of those tortoise bites, just to make sure she eats something that day . . .and cuz I just dont want to throw them away . .
Is that enough ?? Shes only gained like 2g
. . Is that enough ?? Shes only gained like 2g
That seems like a little (3-5 leaves from spring mix and one treat) to me, but I am just going by my tortoises.
I second cactus and mazuri. I would try other nutrient-dense foods, too, but those two are generally reliable.
2g, but at what rate? Over how many days did it take for the 2g to be added? Intestinal contents can induce great variance, too, that can mask the smaller gains and losses.
I second cactus and mazuri. I would try other nutrient-dense foods, too, but those two are generally reliable.
2g, but at what rate? Over how many days did it take for the 2g to be added? Intestinal contents can induce great variance, too, that can mask the smaller gains and losses.
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Baoh said:
Its more like 3- 5 spring mix leaves and 3 -4 tortoise cubes, I only give her the tortoise bites when she doesn't want to eat anymore spring mix so I break out he tortoise bites; they are also a way from me to give her calcium because I roll them around in it, My tortoise REFUSES to eat the spring mix if she sees the white of the calcium, but if it's on the tortoise bites, she will attack them.
It took like 2 weeks for her to gain the weight
What other "nutrient-dense foods" should I try ? what do you all recommend ?
It sounds like you have a great transition going, the only thing I would do is lay off the tortoise cubes, maybe only one or two rolled in Calcium. I know you want your baby to eat but you could probably get more spring mix in her after a couple days of fewer cubes. Levi's breeder gave me something similar and I've decided that they are like tortoise candy, not bad in small doses and tasty, but not good for any real nutrition. But if it gets her to eat calcium that's good, sounds like her shell needs it. And you said she's spending about 4hrs a day outside? She's probably eating yummy weeds in your lawn too, I know Levi never eats much after he's been out.
OHH and have you tried a cuttlefish bone? Mine loves to naw on his so it's a good source of calcium and a built in beak trimmer.
OHH and have you tried a cuttlefish bone? Mine loves to naw on his so it's a good source of calcium and a built in beak trimmer.
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ShadowRancher said:
Yes she spend about 4hr average in the sun, from about 10am - 2pm. Then I put her in a turtle pen that is under a tree, so shes shaded until like 4pm-5pm then I bring her back inside. I don't think she eats anything while shes out, I don't really have weeds, and shes so small that she cant rip the grass that she bites on.
I had some cuttlebone that i bought in bulk for my parakeets and gave her a chunk, she doesn't seem interested in it.
One question this time, I have been reading mixed reviews on Dandelions, Some say the prevent calcium from being absorbed, and others say its good; which is it ?? I don't want to give it to her if it stops calcium from being absorbed because of her shell
Hi iLykeTuRtL3z:
This is why we always say feed a nice variety of greens. If you feed a variety, then it doesn't really matter that dandelion greens are high in oxalates. But you should know which greens are high in oxalates so you don't always use those in your "wide variety."
This is why we always say feed a nice variety of greens. If you feed a variety, then it doesn't really matter that dandelion greens are high in oxalates. But you should know which greens are high in oxalates so you don't always use those in your "wide variety."
iLykeTuRtL3z said:
I like to give them turnip greens better than spring mix. I think that maybe the more intense scent is more attractive to them. I prefer giving Mazuri sprinkled with Minerall to most other treats. Rabbit food pellets can also work if the animal will consume it. For more extreme caloric density, I have had good results with giving tortoises avocado. A little goes a long way, but I would not limit it initially if an underweight animal is willing to consume a larger amount of it. If you really wanted to get a nice mix for growth, you could create a mixture from avocado, Mazuri, Minerall, protein powder (soy or whey should be fine), and a probiotic capsule's contents. The last item tends to improve feed efficiency. I would use one with a variety of organism types (and not acidophilus alone) so that the possibility of several colonizing or the "best" one colonizing could occur. Mix them all into a tacky mush and see if the tortoise will eat it. If so, I would let it eat to satisfaction and stop giving the treats/bites. You may need to experiment with the amounts of ingredients in the mix, but it probably will not change anything too much unless you go to the extreme with any particular supplemental ingredient. I would also sprinkle chia seeds all over the enclosure on moist substrate. My babies tend to nibble the tops off of the sprouts in random bites as they roam. I would only do baby food soaks until growth rate and eating habits improve and then transition to typical water soaks.
What is the variability on your balance/scale (it should be listed somewhere on the balance or in its manual)? If it is genuine growth, then anything is better than nothing in this case, but that is much slower than any of my current animals. Despite most sulcatas being quick-growing future monsters, there are occasionally outlying animals that are on the left tail of the bell curve. I had a dwarf weirdo once. He ate like crazy, had no detectable parasites, was well hydrated, and well supplemented. The very slight growth he had was normal in appearance. Cases like his are quite uncommon, though.
Also, it takes quite some time for the animal to harden to the point of not flexing if pressed and will be a function of size gained in addition to mineralization. A small plate of steel flexes in my hand when pressed, too. I would stop applying that sort of stress to the animal. I think it does not add anything positive.
jaizei said:
Thanks!
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I have a question, she ( my tortoise) has be dropping a lot of urates when I soak her, She has done it probably like 4 times now. It seems like way too much to come out of such a little body ! I soak her everyday, most of the times 2 times a day, sometimes even 3. She drinks sometimes so I think she is hydrated. I give her calcium everyday, Is that just the extra getting flushed out ??
IS that normal ??
IS that normal ??
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Anyone . . . . She did It again so I stopped offering as much calcium to see if that would stop it
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