Won't eat grass

[kingskettle]

My Sulcata is now 14 months old. He spends most of the day, from 11am til 6pm in an outside pen. At night he's in his closed chamber. When I first put him outside, he more or less stopped eating with the change of surroundings and it was several weeks before he'd eat any amount of food again. At that time, there were still ample weeds in the garden for him which I'd mix with chopped grass. Now, everything is dead. He won't eat grass on its own. If I mix it with mulberry or hibiscus leaves or lettuce, he picks out what he wants and leaves the grass. He weighs 830 gms at the moment. I have a nice little grass run for him which is perfectly green and growing strongly as I cut it and water it weekly. Should I just put him in the grass run and hope he gets over the shock of that quickly and starts eating again? The run is covered with smallmesh panels with a shade corner and a den for him to hide in. I'd continue to bring him in at night. Also, are Hibiscus moscheutos and Hibiscus coccinea safe for him to eat ?

 

[Tom]

If the breeder of your tortoise didn't take the time to introduce grass, you will have to. This can take weeks or months in some cases. Chop up the grass super fine. Then mince up the day's greens and wet them. Then mix in a tiny amount of your finely chopped grass and it will stick to the wet greens. For such a small sulcata you will need to use freshly sprouted tender young grass. Your lawn grass is probably too tough and the pieces too large.

Its also normal for them to slow way down on the eating when they suddenly find themselves outside all day. I suggest a more gradual introduction to the great outdoors. There is no harm in leaving the tortoise in its known, comfortable, temperature and humidity controlled indoor enclosure. Everyone is in such a hurry to get them outside all day, and its actually better for small ones to be INDOORS most of the time. Some outside time is good, but outside all day every day causes the problems that you are seeing first hand. Try one or two hours outside every other day, and increase the time more gradually. You don't have a location in your profile, but this info applies regardless of climate and location.

 

[kingskettle]

OK Tom, thanks. Basically what I'm doing really. The grass is new, young grass as I cut it once a week. It is cut small with chopping but he still manages to pick out what h wants leaving grass. Do you know if tortoises can eat Hibiscus moscheutos and Hibiscus coccinea ?

 

[Dizisdalife]

Try wetting the chopped grass so that it sticks to other foods. That way your tortoise can't pick around it as easily.

 

[Tom]

OK Tom, thanks. Basically what I'm doing really. The grass is new, young grass as I cut it once a week. It is cut small with chopping but he still manages to pick out what h wants leaving grass. Do you know if tortoises can eat Hibiscus moscheutos and Hibiscus coccinea ?

Freshly mowed is not the same as brand new freshly sprouted grass. I shave my beard regularly. What grows back is not soft and tender by any means. For a baby tortoise you need grass that just sprouted from the seed. They sell it in little plots in pet store and some grocery stores. If you keep the little plot watered and in a window sill, you can get 8 or 9 cuttings from one plot.

I don't know about those hibiscus plants. I've never heard of any hibiscus being toxic, but I've never heard of those species at all.