Tortoise food

[Big Charlie]

I soak him every day in warm tapwater not too warm though. I cut grass Out of my grandmas yard and sprinkle it on his food. And sometimes slice of banana and all different kinds of fruits and vegetables that are allowed. There's this website telling you which ones are good and which ones are bad.

Fruit shouldn't be a major part of the diet.

 

[Big Charlie]

I also read that too much kale is not good for them

There are some foods that are high in oxalates, like kale. Too much might cause kidney stones.

 

[Stevieturtlelady]

Nope!haha

 

[Stevieturtlelady]

Fruits are not a major part of his diet only once a week he has them

 

[Tom]

I soak him every day in warm tapwater not too warm though. I cut grass Out of my grandmas yard and sprinkle it on his food. And sometimes slice of banana and all different kinds of fruits and vegetables that are allowed. There's this website telling you which ones are good and which ones are bad.

You should not be feeding them banana or other fruits. I would not take advice form that site anymore.

 

[Tom]

I also read that too much kale is not good for them

Too much of anything is not good for them. Kale is okay once in a while but the bulk of the diet should be weeds and grass.

 

[Tom]

The tapwater is treated I also use distilled water

If the tap water is safe for you, it is safe for your tortoise. Distilled water is okay for rinsing after the soak or to spray the tortoise and enclosure to prevent hard water stains, but I wouldn't use it for soaking or drinking.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

You should not be feeding them banana or other fruits. I would not take advice form that site anymore.

There is no room around this sound advice. Fruits of any type should have no place in your sulcata's diet. The digestive system of a sulcata tortoise is not designed to digest the sugars that fruits contain. Often times internal parasites will have a "bloom" as a result of a fruit added diet for sulcata tortoises.

 

[Meeks k]

Tap water will not hurt them. Bottle water is great until there so big it takes you gallons for a soak, If the tap water is drinkable for you it will be for them. Also remember to spray them with a sprayer and make a very moist hide area, this will keep them from pyramiding. Please watch fruit of any kind when they are small, it is very hard for them to digest. If you want to do some type of fruit to help hydrate DO NOT give sugar type fruit, give a very small piece of watermelon, strawberry, blue berry. stay away from bananas, apples, peaches ect... If you do store bought , although weeds grown out side are best, get collard greens, mustard greens. spring mix, ect.. last try to give good real sunlight when ever you can, just remember when they are getting their sun make sure they can get into the shade to cool off if they need. after all that have fun and try not to worry, Sulcatas are hardy little guys and will with stand your learning curve. I dont claim to know it all, I have had torts and turtle for over 40 years and have only lost one. I lost my six year lod leopard a month ago, to heart problems. She came from a very bad breeder. but my Sulcatacs, leopard, Russians, eastern box turtles, and spotted turtles have all done great

 

[Meeks k]

Oh and cucumber does not have the nutritional value but the little bit you have in pic will hydrate and not hurt him, but may make his poop runny also you may want to change your substraight to something that holds more moister, like cypress mulch. holds a good water spray and does not grow mold. your little guy looks really good and healthy tpp

 

[Stevieturtlelady]

The substrate I use is very absorbent! Thank you though.

 

[Alaskamike]

I hear the distilled water thing often. I think it is not a good idea. There are many folks that have bought into the idea that it's better for use humans too.

Yes , city water can have fluorides , chlorine and other stuff in it to make it safe to drink. But distilled water has most trace minerals removed and is acidic. It can actually drain minerals FROM the body.

The chemistry of this is a bit complex. But , not impossible to understand.

Here is an excerpt from an M.D. , well qualified ( I see if I can find his name ) on the subject. Saved it when my elderly mom got on the distilled water kick.

"Distilled water is an active absorber and when it comes into contact with air, it absorbs carbon dioxide, making it acidic. The more distilled water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Distilled water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive, in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact. Notably, carbon dioxide from the air is rapidly absorbed, making the water acidic and even more aggressive. Many metals are dissolved by distilled water."

The most toxic commercial beverages that people consume (i.e. cola beverages and other soft drinks) are made from distilled water. Studies have consistently shown that heavy consumers of soft drinks (with or without sugar) spill huge amounts of calcium, magnesium and other trace minerals into the urine.

The more mineral loss, the greater the risk for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and a long list of degenerative diseases generally associated with premature aging."

 

[KODY CORDUAN]

If you are soaking this baby daily for 30-40 minutes, as you should be, you probably won't see him drinking very often.

Here is what you should be feeding. Most of the foods on the list are not cheap. They are FREE!!!!
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

And this is just a little starter list. There are many more good things to feed if you will invest the time in learning about the plants and weeds around you.

Alright Tom, another one for you. Do I need to be concerned about any harmful plants growing in my yard, naturally and without any pesticides? More to the point, are there weeds or grasses or plants of any sort that grow naturally in southern california that are toxic to sulcatas?

 

[Tom]

Alright Tom, another one for you. Do I need to be concerned about any harmful plants growing in my yard, naturally and without any pesticides? More to the point, are there weeds or grasses or plants of any sort that grow naturally in southern california that are toxic to sulcatas?

Any plant that you are not sure of should be pulled. Yes, you should be concerned. There are several plants and weeds that grow here that are toxic. Usually they won't eat these, but some times they do. Don't let your tortoise have access to any plant that you have not ID'd and verified safe to eat. We will help you ID them if you post pics, or you can take samples to a local nursery and figure out who your local plant nerd is.

 

[Taylor T.]

Any plant that you are not sure of should be pulled. Yes, you should be concerned. There are several plants and weeds that grow here that are toxic. Usually they won't eat these, but some times they do. Don't let your tortoise have access to any plant that you have not ID'd and verified safe to eat. We will help you ID them if you post pics, or you can take samples to a local nursery and figure out who your local plant nerd is.

This was something I was wondering about. It is fairly easy to remove all toxic plants from my Russians outdoor enclosure, but it is only 20'x 8'. Only a fraction of the size of an enclosure for a larger tortoise, say, a full grown Sulcata. So how do people with that large of an enclosure make sure there are no toxic plants inside it?

 

[Tom]

This was something I was wondering about. It is fairly easy to remove all toxic plants from my Russians outdoor enclosure, but it is only 20'x 8'. Only a fraction of the size of an enclosure for a larger tortoise, say, a full grown Sulcata. So how do people with that large of an enclosure make sure there are no toxic plants inside it?

Mine is 7000+ square feet, and I constantly walk around it pulling unknown weeds one by one. Odd ones pop up now and then, and I assume its from bird droppings. As long as I get them early and don't let them go to seed, I usually never see them again.

I also intentionally collect weed seeds from the good weeds all over the place and seed my pens with the good stuff.

 

[KODY CORDUAN]

Any plant that you are not sure of should be pulled. Yes, you should be concerned. There are several plants and weeds that grow here that are toxic. Usually they won't eat these, but some times they do. Don't let your tortoise have access to any plant that you have not ID'd and verified safe to eat. We will help you ID them if you post pics, or you can take samples to a local nursery and figure out who your local plant nerd is.

Ok very good, I will. My lawn is quite thick and I don't often get any weeds.. it is less than 500 sq ft, so not hard to manage. What is the protocol for tortoises when using nitrogen for the lawn?

 

[Tom]

Ok very good, I will. My lawn is quite thick and I don't often get any weeds.. it is less than 500 sq ft, so not hard to manage. What is the protocol for tortoises when using nitrogen for the lawn?

As long as the fertilizer is soaked in and they don't have access to the actual product, it should be fine. It sounds like you are already aware of this sort of thing, but I should mention it for the benefit of people reading: Most lawn fertilizers have other chemicals too. "Weed n feed", etc… Regular plain old fertilizer is safe. The toxic chemical insecticides and weed killer combos that are sold in so many lawn care products are not safe.

 

[KODY CORDUAN]

well I'll probably just grab a kiddie pool and give him his own yard!