Timothy pellets and Mazuri?

[Chango]

Greetings from Indiana! I'm going to vary my Sulcata's diet. However I would like to have these two things as base of the diet. Here is the link to the Timothy pellets has anyone tried these? If so how did it go over with your tortoises? I was thinking of soaking it before offering it with normal feedings. I have no idea of her age got her from a petstore who rescued her.. She's 16"-18" or so. Thanks in advance.

Certified Timothy Grass Pellets | Standlee Forage

Certified Noxious Weed-Free Timothy Grass Pellets for horses. High-density 1/4 inch pellets, low protein & high fiber. Approved for national parks & forests.

standleeforage.com

 

[Tom]

Greetings from Indiana! I'm going to vary my Sulcata's diet. However I would like to have these two things as base of the diet. Here is the link to the Timothy pellets has anyone tried these? If so how did it go over with your tortoises? I was thinking of soaking it before offering it with normal feedings. I have no idea of her age got her from a petstore who rescued her.. She's 16"-18" or so. Thanks in advance.

Certified Timothy Grass Pellets | Standlee Forage

Certified Noxious Weed-Free Timothy Grass Pellets for horses. High-density 1/4 inch pellets, low protein & high fiber. Approved for national parks & forests.

standleeforage.com

Those pellets should be fine, but its unlikely that your tortoise will just walk up and eat a pile of it. Start by soaking just a few pellets until they are mushy and then mix the mush in with some of the tortoise's favorite greens. Keep doing this for a while until the tortoise begins to get used to the new smell, taste and texture, and begins accepting the new mix. It can take weeks. Then you can gradually mix in more and more of the pellets, but you'll probably still need a base of greens.

I wouldn't feed Mazuri more than a couple of times per week. If your tortoise loves the Mazuri, you can use that to introduce the pellets too.

At 16-18 inches, you should also be introducing grass hay. I prefer orchard grass hay, or Bermuda hay. I don't like Timothy hay because its too stemmy. I simply make a bed of the dry hay on the tortoises feeding tray and begin feeding all the other foods on the bed of hay. You can also finely chop some hay with scissors, soak it for an hour, and mix that in with the day's greens too.

Also look at getting some of the many dried leaf offerings from Will @Kapidolo Farms , and the "herbal hay" mix from @TylerStewart at Tortoisesupply.com. Both are an excellent and easy way to add variety and fiber to the rest of the diet.

 

[jsheffield - In Memoriam]

I don't live with Sulcatas, so I cannot speak to that with the voice of experience, but...

I bought a bag of the timothy pellets from my local feed store and supplement my tortoises' diets with it 1-2 times a week... I use it softened with water, mixed in and over other foods.

It's my understanding that Sulcatas should primarily eat grasses and weeds and flowers... the timothy pellets are in keeping with that if the real thing is scarce, but Mazuri (especially the m521, original formulation) is too high in protein and sugars to be healthy as a major component of their diets... instead, I would consider thinking about it as a supplement, or treat, to be given sparingly, with the other foods you feed.

I'm sure more knowledgable keepers will chime in....

Jamie

ETA: Tom posted his response while I was writing mine, and while I'll leave mine up, his is the one you should read. - JS