Thor's Mommy
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2016
- Messages
- 13
I have a Sulcata I got as a tiny baby. I used to take care of him really well, but then I had a couple of kids and now he doesnt get nearly as much attention. I really need to take better care of him, but I am lost on a few things. He is 13 years old, about 30 pounds and we litve on the central coast of California.
1. I used to "feed him too well" I was told by an expert once and his shell started pyramiding. I fed him almost all store bought veggies as much as he could eat. He grew really fast and started getting bumpy until he was about 2 or 3 years old. Then I realized he needed more fiber. I started letting him graze on grass as much as possible then gave him a bunch of store bought veggies once per week. This slowed down his growth and made his poops look better (all grassy). Then we moved to a house when he was about 6 years old and he got a nice big backyard. We put in a lawn for him, a prickly pear cactus, and a fig tree. He ate the lawn down right away, the prickly pear cactus is still really small so he doesnt get to eat it much, but he does get a fig ocassionally. I also still supliment with a weekly feeding of veggies...usually 1 head of romain lettuce, 2 heads of broccoli and a cucumber. This is how it's been for the past 7 ish years.
My problem is he doesn't have enough to eat since his grass can't grow (he probably gets a little bit but he keeps it so short), and I am afraid to feed him too many veggies from the store because of the pyramiding. We have him fenced in his area and give him the lawn trimmings from the other areas but this is only about 2 cubic feet of grass every 2 or 3 weeks...and less right now since it's winter. I tried giving him some course grass hay bails. He ate some, but didn't seem really interested. He has a huge appetite but I don't know where to get more grass.
I have been told grass should be the bulk of his diet, is this correct? and where can I get it? And is weekly store bought veggies still a good idea?
2. Question two, is there anything I can do about the past pyramiding? Does it hurt him now?...don't think there is anything I can do but thought I would check.
3. Question three, can I get him a friend? He loves company, but as i said, i dont get to spend much time with him anymore. He is a male, however he had to get his penis amputated a couple years ago. :-( He used to drag it in the dirt and it tore once. The vet tried to repair it but ultimately ended up removing it completely. Do you think it would frustrate him if I put a female in there with him? I'm worried they will fight if I give him a male friend. Or is he better off alone?
Thank you all so much for your help! I want to be a better Thor Mommy. :-(
1. I used to "feed him too well" I was told by an expert once and his shell started pyramiding. I fed him almost all store bought veggies as much as he could eat. He grew really fast and started getting bumpy until he was about 2 or 3 years old. Then I realized he needed more fiber. I started letting him graze on grass as much as possible then gave him a bunch of store bought veggies once per week. This slowed down his growth and made his poops look better (all grassy). Then we moved to a house when he was about 6 years old and he got a nice big backyard. We put in a lawn for him, a prickly pear cactus, and a fig tree. He ate the lawn down right away, the prickly pear cactus is still really small so he doesnt get to eat it much, but he does get a fig ocassionally. I also still supliment with a weekly feeding of veggies...usually 1 head of romain lettuce, 2 heads of broccoli and a cucumber. This is how it's been for the past 7 ish years.
My problem is he doesn't have enough to eat since his grass can't grow (he probably gets a little bit but he keeps it so short), and I am afraid to feed him too many veggies from the store because of the pyramiding. We have him fenced in his area and give him the lawn trimmings from the other areas but this is only about 2 cubic feet of grass every 2 or 3 weeks...and less right now since it's winter. I tried giving him some course grass hay bails. He ate some, but didn't seem really interested. He has a huge appetite but I don't know where to get more grass.
I have been told grass should be the bulk of his diet, is this correct? and where can I get it? And is weekly store bought veggies still a good idea?
2. Question two, is there anything I can do about the past pyramiding? Does it hurt him now?...don't think there is anything I can do but thought I would check.
3. Question three, can I get him a friend? He loves company, but as i said, i dont get to spend much time with him anymore. He is a male, however he had to get his penis amputated a couple years ago. :-( He used to drag it in the dirt and it tore once. The vet tried to repair it but ultimately ended up removing it completely. Do you think it would frustrate him if I put a female in there with him? I'm worried they will fight if I give him a male friend. Or is he better off alone?
Thank you all so much for your help! I want to be a better Thor Mommy. :-(