I am new here would love any advice

[menkerose]

Hello I have two approx two year old sulcata tortoises and they seem very small for their age by what I am reading. What would be the best thing for them food wise to help them grow healthy and at a good safe rate? I live in Midwest Illinois and feed some grasses and I buy red leafed lettuce from the grocery store and they love it. Exactly how often do I NEED to feed them? The person I got them from said a couple times a week and I don't feel like that is enough and want to know for sure from more experienced sulcata owners. I plan on posting tons of pics of them once I can figure out how btw they both have perfect shells with absolutely no pyramiding so I hope that means they are pretty healthy and I just want to keep them that way

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Menkerose!

Have you read the "important threads" at the top of the "Sulcata Section?" There are also some good threads for beginners at the top of the "Tortoise Health" section.

In my opinion, babies should be fed every day. You can add a little more variety to your babies' diet if you buy a different bunch/head of greens every time you shop. So let's say, today you buy a bunch of turnip greens. You chop that up and mix it with your Spring Mix and feed it daily until the turnip greens are either spoiled or gone. Then you buy a head of escarole and do the same thing, changing the type of greens whenever the one you have on hand is gone. If you have a mullberry tree, those leaves are very nutritious. Also grape leaves. And you can pick weeds to add to your tortoise salad too.

I soak my babies every day and I also have a waterer in their habitat that is big enough for them to climb into.

 

[kanalomele]

Feed the babes everyday. A couple times a week is not enough for anything to thrive!

 

[Jacqui]

Hi and welcome! Along with the proper diet, make sure you also have proper temps for them to want to eat and to digest what they do eat. Glad to have you joining us!

 

[mainey34]

Hello and welcome. You can also look into mazuri to feed maybe once or twice a week.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[menkerose]

Thank you everybody for your advice I will use all I am given. And I just ordered some mazuri to try and see if the babies like it. I have also given them some fresh picked grass and am going to offer them mulberry leaves since I have about six mulberry trees do you think I can bag and freeze some leaves for over the winter or just stick with fresh greens from the grocery store over the winter?

 

[menkerose]

Hello and welcome. You can also look into mazuri to feed maybe once or twice a week.

So should I not feed that everyday? Just feed my regular tort salad every day and mix some mazuri in there every couple days?

 

[pam]

Welcome