What species of plants do Sulcata's EAT EXACTLY IN THEIR WILD HABITAT?

[Renee_H]

It wasn't a sulcata, it was @Renee_H s leopard

She STILL does this! She hides food under her tall grasses were she likes to hide. As a mental health counselor and RN I can’t help but wonder if it’s a trauma based food insecurity I am certain she was never starved by her loving previous keepers, I am mostly joking I can’t tell you how reassuring it is to see others torts out there somewhere do this too. It’s not just my girl. I was feeling a bit insecure FOR her. LOL

 

[ryan57]

This is very informative indeed. I have made the same observations about rocks, pebbles, twigs, carrion, etc. I had to pull a dead baby bird out of my large sulcata's mouth recently after he swallowed half of it. Partly why he went to the vet yesterday and to get a parasite check, etc. on his stool. Correct that they are eager to swallow feces but have also noticed that many times it passes completely undigested.

He's clearly going with the "no hoarding" plan because there will seemingly always be new grass tomorrow. I'm sure it's never entered his mind and he's obviously never gone to bed hungry.

 

[jaizei]

Here you go.

From The Crying Tortoise by Bernard Devaux:

"At the end of 1997, M. Benoil from ORSTOM observed a G. sulcata behaving in a Strange manner in W Park. In October the rainy season is over and the grass starts to wither. This naturalist saw the animal mow the dry grass with its forked gular and bring these small hay bundles into its burrow, carrying them between fork and neck. This action was repeated several times, as if to store food. In this region, tortoises spend part of winter in their burrows, being mainly active in May and June. M. Benoit thinks that they heap up a store in case of scarcity."

Thank you.