Diet for sulcata

[Mimi32910]

I have a 3 yr old sulcata named George. Im concerned about his urine. Im used to the urates but his urine has turned brown over the past few days. Now today it looks like milk. Is this normal??

 

[Golden Greek Tortoise 567]

Welcome to the forum! Read this care sheet to make sure everything you’re doing is right. It could be the diet which is also explained in this care sheet.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

I have a 3 yr old sulcata named George. Im concerned about his urine. Im used to the urates but his urine has turned brown over the past few days. Now today it looks like milk. Is this normal??

It could be normal, but we need to know more about what you are feeding him and how you are caring for him. Do you soak him often? What does he normally eat? Any recent changes?

In addition to the care sheet, check out this thread:

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...

Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas. These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Mimi32910]

Welcome to the forum! Read this care sheet to make sure everything you’re doing is right. It could be the diet which is also explained in this care sheet.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Thank you for the info. I have found a few things that I need to change. My George has grown quite a bit since I got him as a hatchling. I leave him outside in the back yard a lot during the day right now. He crawls under the deck if he wants out of the sun. And we bring him in for the night. How big of an enclosure does he need if I leave him out permanently?

 

[Tom]

How big of an enclosure does he need if I leave him out permanently?

What size is he?

 

[Mimi32910]

What size is he?

He's about 7" long.

 

[Tom]

He's about 7" long.

He needs to grow a bit more before moving him outside full time with a heated night box. Like this:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

I don't like to move them outside full time until they are around 10 inches. At that time I like them to have a minimum of 30x30 feet, but 50x50 or more would be better. What would be nice is if you could have section around the outside of the enclosure closed off to let weeds and grass grow, and let him in to eat it all once in a while. Having multiple closed off sections will allow him to graze in one area, while the other areas re-grow.

 

[Mimi32910]

It could be normal, but we need to know more about what you are feeding him and how you are caring for him. Do you soak him often? What does he normally eat? Any recent changes?

In addition to the care sheet, check out this thread:

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...

Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas. These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From...

tortoiseforum.org

He eats kale, cucumbers, and grazes on grass outside. I also add Herptivite multivitamins once or twice a week. He gets a soak 2 or 3 times a week. His heat stays 70-80 with 75% humidity in his indoor enclosure. Please let me know if there is anything I need to change?

 

[Tom]

He eats kale, cucumbers, and grazes on grass outside. I also add Herptivite multivitamins once or twice a week. He gets a soak 2 or 3 times a week. His heat stays 70-80 with 75% humidity in his indoor enclosure. Please let me know if there is anything I need to change?

Kale is not good to feed as a staple. Once in a while its fine. Cucumbers are not a good food because they lack fiber and nutrition. Again, once in a while they are fine, but not as a regular food item. Grass is excellent, but your tortoise needs better foods and much more variety.

At three year old and in your humid climate, soaking two or three times a week should be fine.

70 is too cool for this species. It shouldn't dip below 80 at night, and ambient should climb to around 90 each day, with a basking area around 100.

If you read the two threads I linked for you, they will explain all of this in more detail.

 

[Mimi32910]

Kale is not good to feed as a staple. Once in a while its fine. Cucumbers are not a good food because they lack fiber and nutrition. Again, once in a while they are fine, but not as a regular food item. Grass is excellent, but your tortoise needs better foods and much more variety.

At three year old and in your humid climate, soaking two or three times a week should be fine.

70 is too cool for this species. It shouldn't dip below 80 at night, and ambient should climb to around 90 each day, with a basking area around 100.

If you read the two threads I linked for you, they will explain all of this in more detail.

Thank you so much!! I will adjust everything.