The more righter I try to do, the more wronger I am. Doesn't make sense to me.
Update On Alice's Diet
- Thread starter waretrop
- Start date
I don't think you are wrong or wronger.
All this info is about W Shaw's russian tortoises. Unlike the russians sulcatas are most definitely grass eaters. I'm just always curious about where these diet percentages come from.
I have Alice on about 80 percent organic orchard grass, accept I soak it for half a minute and spin it in a salad spinner. I now give her a few large leaves of kale, 5 dandelions, and 2 mustard leaves to make up the 20 percent and she gets diarrhea. It's all washed and spun. Tomorrow I will let her have 2 cactus pads with her orchard grass.
I realize the things that I do today, I have to wait for 4 or 5 days to see the results. She has had diarrhea 5 times today. I will give her this grass for at least 5 more days before I make any more judgements or changes.
Thanks for clarifying this issue Tom. This has been a very hard journey for me. I had a very hard time just learning what squash was, and then finding that it was all wrong to feed to her. Them I had to learn what kale, mustard greens, and dandelions were and looked like only to learn that she should not be eating 100 percent of that. Then there was the struggle to get her to eat the grass....it's been a large learning curve for me. I will say that having the experience with all this food that, even at 65 years old, I had learned to eat squashed, egg plant and even mustard greens, a little.... LOL
I realize the things that I do today, I have to wait for 4 or 5 days to see the results. She has had diarrhea 5 times today. I will give her this grass for at least 5 more days before I make any more judgements or changes.
Thanks for clarifying this issue Tom. This has been a very hard journey for me. I had a very hard time just learning what squash was, and then finding that it was all wrong to feed to her. Them I had to learn what kale, mustard greens, and dandelions were and looked like only to learn that she should not be eating 100 percent of that. Then there was the struggle to get her to eat the grass....it's been a large learning curve for me. I will say that having the experience with all this food that, even at 65 years old, I had learned to eat squashed, egg plant and even mustard greens, a little.... LOL
Well, It's the 4 or 5 day and Alice is showing signs of the grass going through her system. FINALLY..... It's been a long haul for me as well as being very stressful. Her stool was a little wet but I could pick it up with a piece of toilot paper. That is good news.
Stool consistency can change for a variety of reasons. Its not just about the food. They can have well formed stools on grocery store food too. Just like dogs, big changes in a short period of time can cause things to loosen up too.
You sound a little stressed. That's kind of a bummer for me. This is supposed to be enjoyable for you. If there is one thing that I have learned about sulcatas over the years, its that they are VERY adaptable. I've seen so many people feeding them so many things over so many years, and I can't think of one time where any reasonable diet didn't work for a sulcata. All grocery store foods, lettuce, grass only… Heck, I know one guy who feeds almost nothing but alfalfa hay and he thinks it works great. He gets thousands of sulcata babies a year, so it can't be all that bad, right?
What I'm trying to say is: Go ahead and do your research, try to give your tortoise the best diet you can, but don't worry too much, as sulcatas will adapt to most anything and be fine.
I guess you are right for she lived for her first 5 years in kitchen house temps eating fruits and veggies and fruit pellets for tortoises. And she only has a little pyramiding.... I am just trying to get as best as I can. We will both live...but cleaning up all the poop just may kill me... LOL
Things will firm up in time. One way or the other.
Well, I am sure relieved to see this today. I hope this will keep up. I have never taken sooo many pictures of poop in my life. It's just a very good way to document the consistency and date...
Haha. I'm always amused by this practice of all of us posting poop photos too. Glad to see some improvement.
In all seriousness though, poop evaluation is a useful tool in assessing the health of any animal. I've been studying poop my whole life! We have a joke in my business. We refer to ourselves as high paid fecal engineers. Its always fun to be walking around somewhere with some famous animal one one hand and a bag of their poop in the other, while looking for the absolute nearest trash can you can find!
Glad to see some improvement.In all seriousness though, poop evaluation is a useful tool in assessing the health of any animal. I've been studying poop my whole life! We have a joke in my business. We refer to ourselves as high paid fecal engineers. Its always fun to be walking around somewhere with some famous animal one one hand and a bag of their poop in the other, while looking for the absolute nearest trash can you can find!
Thanks Tom.....this thread has gotten pretty "S**T*Y".... but I agree with you. You judge an animal my his stools....LOL.
Today I had to disconnect her stool from her. I have seen these things before. I think she needs a little less grass and more dandelion and cactus pad....Ya think?????
Today I had to disconnect her stool from her. I have seen these things before. I think she needs a little less grass and more dandelion and cactus pad....Ya think?????
I like to cut my grass into lengths appropriate for the tortoise. My adults can just eat it however they find it, but I chop the grass up for smaller tortoises. Usually about half the shell length. If I intend to mix it in with the other greens, I'll chop it up even more.
My orchard grass is in a 100 pound bale. I can't let it all loose at one time so I tear it out of the bundle. I can't tell how long it is. Maybe I will leave it the length it teats off the bale and see what she does with it. Tomorrow....cactus pad and dandelion leaves along with her grass...LOL
You can always chop it up with scissors. That's what I do.
I do. Remember, I put it in boiled water for half minute and spin dry it. I cut it before it goes into the water. I wash and spin with the greens I feed her also. Eventually I want to get away from soaking the grass but at least she is eating it this way.
It comes off the bale very soft but is drying a little since I brought it home even though I have it in 2 black plastic bags in the cool weather. That's how the farmer suggested I store it. Now when she gets kale or dandelions and mustard greens I only break them in half as you and my hubby suggested. Actually my hubby said I was being silly and making her a baby for chopping up her food like I had done at the beginning. LOL guess I was.....
It comes off the bale very soft but is drying a little since I brought it home even though I have it in 2 black plastic bags in the cool weather. That's how the farmer suggested I store it. Now when she gets kale or dandelions and mustard greens I only break them in half as you and my hubby suggested. Actually my hubby said I was being silly and making her a baby for chopping up her food like I had done at the beginning. LOL guess I was.....
So to revive this thread after one full year, I want to tell you all what has happened with Little Alice. We have had a great year. I got her second hand when she was 5 years and 17 pounds. In her first 6 months with me, she gained 10 pounds to 27 pounds. So in the next year she has gained 16 more pounds to 43 pounds.
I know the first owners feed all fruit, vegetables, lettuce and fruity pellets. I got my feeding habits order with all of the members help. Thank you for that. So I think she is doing well. No more pyramiding since I got her. She eats mostly orchard grass, kale, mustard and dandelion leaves, cactus pads, aloe leaves, some flowers that I grow in my greenhouse, a piece of either cactus fruit, or half strawberry or a small piece of squash.
I just wanted all of you to be up to date as I would like to become more active in this group again. I need to learn more about Little Alice's care...
I know the first owners feed all fruit, vegetables, lettuce and fruity pellets. I got my feeding habits order with all of the members help. Thank you for that. So I think she is doing well. No more pyramiding since I got her. She eats mostly orchard grass, kale, mustard and dandelion leaves, cactus pads, aloe leaves, some flowers that I grow in my greenhouse, a piece of either cactus fruit, or half strawberry or a small piece of squash.
I just wanted all of you to be up to date as I would like to become more active in this group again. I need to learn more about Little Alice's care...
Excellent news. Well done
Mine also like orchard grass hay and I also soak it before use. I also give orchard grass hay for horses in pellet form from Tractor Supply just soak the pellets until they expand and he goes crazy for it. It is just easier to keep a bag of pellets in the house then having a bale of hay around. The bag states 100% orchard grass nothing else in it.
Oh thank you Glawem. I will go get some tomorrow and try that...
@Glawem I picked up those pellets the other day. Little Alice just loves them.
So now I ask if anyone else has used this product. It seems too good to be true. Please look at the ingredients to see the worth.
I will continue to give Little Alice the few flowers I get out of the greenhouse in winter, greens, cactus and regular pellets but she loves these also.
I hope I get more replies and opinions...
So now I ask if anyone else has used this product. It seems too good to be true. Please look at the ingredients to see the worth.
I will continue to give Little Alice the few flowers I get out of the greenhouse in winter, greens, cactus and regular pellets but she loves these also.
I hope I get more replies and opinions...
