Sulcata Weekly Eating Schedule?

[Tortoise Man]

Hi everyone! I would just like to find out if anyone has an eating schedule for their Sulcata or leopard. I have a leopard that eats like a pig, yet he is very light. He will eat anything I give to him such as: St. Augustine Grass, Impatients (the actual flower), romaine lettuce with Natural Grassland Tortoise Food on top, weeds, etc. Both tortoises live outside with half shade and half sun all day in their enclosure. Maybe there is some kind of supplement I can put on his food to make him fat. Almost like a fat paste or something. Please help me out. Thanks!

 

[Tom]

Soak him more often, get a stool sample to the vet to check for worms, and add Mazuri tortoise chow to the diet a couple of times a week.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I also feed my adult Sulcata twice a day....

 

[Blakem]

I pretty much always have food available for my sulcata.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I pretty much always have food available for my sulcata.

Bob has free access to growing grass and a shed full of local grass hay...plus I collect blooms, weeds, leafs etc. so he's got a great diet....heck, that's half the fun of having a Sulcata, figuring out a good natural diet in the wrong climate, and I grow all this stuff for him, I have 21 Rose of Sharon bushes, one has red, white and blue flowers, weirdest, thing you ever saw, and the plant is about 8 inches tall....I grow most of his food in the summer.

 

[Blakem]

Bob has free access to growing grass and a shed full of local grass hay...plus I collect blooms, weeds, leafs etc. so he's got a great diet....heck, that's half the fun of having a Sulcata, figuring out a good natural diet in the wrong climate, and I grow all this stuff for him, I have 21 Rose of Sharon bushes, one has red, white and blue flowers, weirdest, thing you ever saw, and the plant is about 8 inches tall....I grow most of his food in the summer.

Wow! That's amazing. I just got my first rose of Sharon plant. I'm excited for it.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Wow! That's amazing. I just got my first rose of Sharon plant. I'm excited for it.

Oh man, your tortoise will go nuts for leaves and flowers....

 

[Tortoise Man]

Thanks. I will get to the vet and buy Mazuri Tortoise Diet asap. Congrats on both of y'all's Sharon Plants too. Thanks again for everyone's help!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Thanks. I will get to the vet and buy Mazuri Tortoise Diet asap. Congrats on both of y'all's Sharon Plants too. Thanks again for everyone's help!

Get the Mazuri direct from Purina, it's way cheaper.

 

[Tortoise Man]

Ok I will. Thanks

 

[Ariza]

I have 21 Rose of Sharon bushes, one has red, white and blue flowers, weirdest, thing you ever saw, and the plant is about 8 inches tall....I grow most of his food in the summer.

I have read on this forum lots of great stuff about Rose of Sharon and was thinking about getting one, but then read it's invasive. You've never had a problem? I suppose it depends on the climate, here we only get 11 inches rain a year so I don't know if that is a plus or minus for invasion.

 

[Tom]

Invasive? That is silly. I doubt it will survive there unless you can put it somewhere shady and humid. I planted it here and it survived, but now it is Bonsai Rose of Sharon because the ground squirrels come and eat the leaves off every spring.

Lavatera is somewhat related and will probably do much better for your there. Grape vines too. Also try blue hibiscus. Mine tolerates the heat and dryness with no problem, but it can't survive our winter freezes.

 

[Ariza]

Invasive? That is silly. I doubt it will survive there unless you can put it somewhere shady and humid. I planted it here and it survived, but now it is Bonsai Rose of Sharon because the ground squirrels come and eat the leaves off every spring.

Lavatera is somewhat related and will probably do much better for your there. Grape vines too. Also try blue hibiscus. Mine tolerates the heat and dryness with no problem, but it can't survive our winter freezes.

I think you're right, I think the invasive problem is in humid and rainy states. I just did another google and it seems it's invasive mostly in PA, Georgia, Tenn, VA. There's even a forum for people in TN and even the posters there have had different experiences, many said the seedlings are easy to pull up to 2 years of age. I doubt I would have a poblem here. Where can I buy the Blue Hibiscus? I found a Chinese Hibiscus with red flowers about a month ago at Home Depot and am keeping it inside the house for now until I transplant it in the fall and will cover it during our frosty nights (about 20 of them).

Re your ''bonsai hibiscus'', you could try making a cage of wire mesh. I bought an 8 ft roll and cut sections and tied them together, mostly to keep Ariza from killing some plants. You would have to make a top for it to stop the squirrels.

 

[mike taylor]

Or just start eating the squirrels . They are yummy cooked slow and low .

 

[Ariza]

While researching Tom's suggestion for me to get a Lavatera I found this great article about mallows, including hibiscus. Thought I would share:
http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/marvelous-mallows/