UVB

[lovesulcata]

The types of fruit bought at a grocery store are not good for sulcata. It is too sugary and it can wreak havoc with their gut flora and fauna. Best to skip fruit like berries or citrus. Opuntia cactus fruit are okay once in a while. Squash or pumpkin is technically a fruit and those are okay in moderation, but you should be looking for weeds, leaves and grasses primarily.

Is papaya and mango and dragon fruit safe ?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Is papaya and mango and dragon fruit safe ?

Almost all cultivated fruit are too sweet for sulcatas. Dragon fruit is much like prickly pear, can be fed in small quantities but green part of the plant is better. Can you get mango and papaya leaves? Maybe leaves of banana plants or moringa?

 

[Tom]

Is papaya and mango and dragon fruit safe ?

I wouldn't call it safe or unsafe. It's just not good food for a sulcata that should be eating mostly grass and high fiber, high calcium weeds and leaves. Those fruits aren't "dangerous", but they are't the right foods for the species.

 

[lovesulcata]

I wouldn't call it safe or unsafe. It's just not good food for a sulcata that should be eating mostly grass and high fiber, high calcium weeds and leaves. Those fruits aren't "dangerous", but they are't the right foods for the species.

Oh ok
U recommend me repcal and zoomed calcium powder right? Which one ? And can u give me a picture of mazuri pellets that are for 5-8cm baby sulcata and untill adult? i want to change the pellets to mazuri.

 

[lovesulcata]

Almost all cultivated fruit are too sweet for sulcatas. Dragon fruit is much like prickly pear, can be fed in small quantities but green part of the plant is better. Can you get mango and papaya leaves? Maybe leaves of banana plants or moringa?

ohh So it means sulcata doesnt need to eat fruit??

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

ohh So it means sulcata doesnt need to eat fruit??

Correct!

 

[lovesulcata]

Correct!

But i’ve seen lots of people gives greens (like mixed with fruits?

 

[lovesulcata]

Yesterday i went to the vet, And they recommended me calcium powder brand repasy Is it good? And they said sulcata should get sun everyday, But you said it's okay if it doesn't get sun too?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

But i’ve seen lots of people gives greens (like mixed with fruits?

I know, it’s an all too common thing to see online, I’ve seen endless photos as well, but it doesn’t make it ok, none fruit eating species really shouldn’t be fed fruit. Species like red foot’s eat fruits, but not Sulcutas.

Yesterday i went to the vet, And they recommended me calcium powder brand repasy Is it good? And they said sulcata should get sun everyday, But you said it's okay if it doesn't get sun too?

I can’t speak that specific brand, but I believe I’ve seen lots of folk recommend the rep cal powder
An adult sulcata should be getting sun everyday, but a baby with indoor uv doesn’t need sun as they’re getting their uv from the t5 bulb, if temps are warm enough, a supervised hour in a secure area would be ok, but not necessary at this stage. If temps are low, avoid it altogether.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Yesterday i went to the vet, And they recommended me calcium powder brand repasy Is it good? And they said sulcata should get sun everyday, But you said it's okay if it doesn't get sun too?

Any of these three brands will work (Repashy is good too). Calcium powder can be with vitamin D3 or without. I would get one without D3.

Tortoises ideally should have access to sunlight or UVB lamps every day. However, if you skip some days, this won't harm your tortoise: they store some amount of vitamin D3 in their body.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

ohh So it means sulcata doesnt need to eat fruit??

They definitely do not *need* fruit (they can grow just fine without it). While some small amount of low-sugar fruit (like pumpkins or prickly pear) is fine, it's important not to overdo. Easier just to focus on leafy, high-fiber foods and skip fruit.

 

[lovesulcata]

Any of these three brands will work (Repashy is good too). Calcium powder can be with vitamin D3 or without. I would get one without D3.

Tortoises ideally should have access to sunlight or UVB lamps every day. However, if you skip some days, this won't harm your tortoise: they store some amount of vitamin D3 in their body.

Will anything happen if i get one with d3?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Will anything happen if i get one with d3?

In theory, you can oversupplement D3 (when your tortoise has enough time outside and you feed pellets and multivitamins with D3 sprinkled with calcium powder with D3 on the same day). Risk of overdose is not very high but you should pay attention to what you feed - you can just add pellets, vitamins and calcium powder on different days of the week.

 

[lovesulcata]

In theory, you can oversupplement D3 (when your tortoise has enough time outside and you feed pellets and multivitamins with D3 sprinkled with calcium powder with D3 on the same day). Risk of overdose is not very high but you should pay attention to what you feed - you can just add pellets, vitamins and calcium powder on different days of the week.

can this works? btw does mazuri has calcium/d3 in it? I use mazuri small tortoise LS now. I dont know if i should buy the calcium with d3 or without

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

View attachment 383385
can this works? btw does mazuri has calcium/d3 in it? I use mazuri small tortoise LS now. I dont know if i should buy the calcium with d3 or without

Mazuri does not contain D3. The schedule is good. You can reduce calcium to one day a week (Mazuri has some calcium added as well). Also, if your tortoise is not picky you can mix Mazuri with greens too instead of feeding it alone.

 

[jaizei]

Mazuri contains some amount of D3. idk if they say exactly how much anywhere, but since its purposefully included, and Mazuri is intended to be a complete food, it is more than trace amounts.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Mazuri contains some amount of D3. idk if they say exactly how much anywhere, but since its purposefully included, and Mazuri is intended to be a complete food, it is more than trace amounts.

Yes, you are right. I have overlooked it in the long ingredients list. Thank you for the correction!

P.S. - Vitamin D3, IU/kg 3,325 (per this data sheet https://www.kiezebrink.eu/public/attachments/Droogvoer/Mazuri/NZ103 Tortoise LS Diet.pdf)

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

P.P.S. - in this post https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/vitamin-d-supplements-dosage-information.21330/ recommended dose of D3 is 5-10 IU per kilogram of body weight. Mazuri recommends portion of 4% of body weight, so it's about 120 IU of D3 for 1 kilogram tortoise (high dose but several times less than critical dose). I would cut down Mazuri portion and use calcium without D3.

 

[lovesulcata]

Mazuri does not contain D3. The schedule is good. You can reduce calcium to one day a week (Mazuri has some calcium added as well). Also, if your tortoise is not picky you can mix Mazuri with greens too instead of feeding it alone.

In theory, you can oversupplement D3 (when your tortoise has enough time outside and you feed pellets and multivitamins with D3 sprinkled with calcium powder with D3 on the same day). Risk of overdose is not very high but you should pay attention to what you feed - you can just add pellets, vitamins and calcium powder on different days of the week.

ohh but If i use repashy lod (calcium+low d3) There is repashy calcium plus too (calcium+d3). But if i use repashy lod will oversupplement d3 happen? Because Since 3 months ago or 4 i dont remember,
there is no sunlight coming through the windows in my apartment so they didnt get sun. Or should i just buy Cuttlebonefish powder? But im scared they will get mbd because theres no d3 in the cuttlebonefish powder.

 

[lovesulcata]

In theory, you can oversupplement D3 (when your tortoise has enough time outside and you feed pellets and multivitamins with D3 sprinkled with calcium powder with D3 on the same day). Risk of overdose is not very high but you should pay attention to what you feed - you can just add pellets, vitamins and calcium powder on different days of the week.

Oh and i wanted to ask, I have 2 sulcata baby, one is 8cm, one is 5-6 cm? And i bought the mazuri Small ls one, And the pellet is too small for the 8cm sulcata, What if I give a bigger portion of pellets for the 8cm sulcata? Heres the pictureSee the pellet is too small