best seed to plant for Sulcatas??

[Caleb]

I recentlely created an entire new enclosure in an area that has more sun for my two Sulcatas. The weeds there are starting to get sparse; what is the healthiest seed I could buy to plant?

Note: I have a Redfoot in the enclosure as well.

 

[Tom]

Species should never be mixed, especially when they have drastically different care and feeding requirements.

Tortoises, especially sulcatas, should not be kept in pairs.

Sound like you've gotten some bad advice in the past. I hope we can help.

Give this a read:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

There are some seed suggestions toward the bottom of this thread:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

 

[Caleb]

Species should never be mixed, especially when they have drastically different care and feeding requirements.

Tortoises, especially sulcatas, should not be kept in pairs.

Sound like you've gotten some bad advice in the past. I hope we can help.

Give this a read:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

There are some seed suggestions toward the bottom of this thread:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

My Sulcatas are both less than 10" and females, I have not had any trouble whatsoever. As for the Redfoot, she is fed separately and does not interact with the Sulcatas, nor they with her.

 

[Yvonne G]

. . . But the whole idea of not mixing species is different care requirements and different pathogens that may make the other species sick or even dead.

The redfoot comes from the rain forest and the sulcata comes from a land that is only seasonally wet, then mostly dry.

Also, tortoises from different continents have different pathogens inside them that the host tortoise has evolved to live with. When a tortoise from a different continent comes in contact with these microorganisms it may make the tortoise sick.

Bermuda grass is native to Africa, so is a good grass for the sulcata, and can stand up to heavy grazing.

 

[Markw84]

My Sulcatas are both less than 10" and females, I have not had any trouble whatsoever. As for the Redfoot, she is fed separately and does not interact with the Sulcatas, nor they with her.

Agree with the advice above.

Although sulcatas in the wild will often prefer to be together as youngsters, once they reach about the size of yours, they will become very solitary animals. Oftentimes, you will not "see" a problem. But the tortoise will constantly feel pressure and stress to want to have its own space. Occasionally, they will share space in the wild, but they always have a way to get away if one becomes more aggressive or breeding urges kick in. (which can be often!)

a Redfoot should not be kept with a sulcata. I would set up an enclosure differently for each species as there are very different requirements. Even if they don't "interact" the transmission of most parasites and many pathogens is from contact with common areas they have access to. Feces, dirty water, contaminated food from sitting on it - all can transmit. In a captive enclosure the exposure and re-exposure is repeated and levels can build up. As Yvonne states, different species often handle parasite loads differently.

 

[Tom]

My Sulcatas are both less than 10" and females, I have not had any trouble whatsoever. As for the Redfoot, she is fed separately and does not interact with the Sulcatas, nor they with her.

Only trying to prevent a disaster that I have seen many times. Everyone thinks it is fine to do this until the day they realize it is a problem and have to pay a heavy price for this lesson. We are trying to give you this lesson for free, as I and many others have already paid this price.

We can only hope that you and others reading will listen.

 

[Tom]

My Sulcatas are both less than 10" and females, I have not had any trouble whatsoever. As for the Redfoot, she is fed separately and does not interact with the Sulcatas, nor they with her.

I exceeded the time limit for editing, but I wanted to add: When two males are raised together, it can suppress the appearance of the secondary sexual characteristics of one or both of them, which makes it even more difficult to assess their gender.

I know that no one wants to hear that they aren't doing it right and they need to make inconvenient changes, but we are only trying to help and we have your tortoises best interest at heart. I hope you will stick around and join our community.