Diet

[Donna/Turbo]

This is a combo of dandelion, spring mix, zucchini, sweet potatoes, carrots, Christmas cactus, and Strawberry on top. Is this a good diet? I give a bowl one a day. It is a 9 month old sulcata.

 

[Yvonne G]

It's a little heavy on the sweet side. I'd eliminate the carrots and strawberries.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

cut out all the fruit, carrots are fine as a treat. can you collect weeds and grasses from your yard?

 

[Tom]

No it is not.

THey should be eating mostly high fiber weeds, grass, leaves and some succulents. Fruit is not good for them. Carrots and sweet potato are okay in small amounts once in a while, but not frequently. Zuccini has little nutritional value, so it is just taking up stomach space from what should be in there. Spring mix is okay as part of a varied diet, but it should be amended with herbal hay, blended grass hay or fresh chopped grass to up the fiber content. Dandelions are the best thing in your plate there, but even those should not be used every day.

Here is a diet sheet to help you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

 

[Donna/Turbo]

Thanks for the advice. I keep trying to give him Timothy hay, but no luck so far. I am going to cut some up and add it to today's meal and see if he eats any.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

Thanks for the advice. I keep trying to give him Timothy hay, but no luck so far. I am going to cut some up and add it to today's meal and see if he eats any.

babies sulcatas wont eat hay, he needs fresh grasses and weeds.

 

[Tom]

Thanks for the advice. I keep trying to give him Timothy hay, but no luck so far. I am going to cut some up and add it to today's meal and see if he eats any.

Timothy hay is much to large, dry, tough and coarse for a baby. They usually won't start eating dry hay until they are 12" or larger. You can use timothy ow, but you have to run it through a blender and get it almost powdered. Then you'll need to rehydrate a small amount if it before thoroughly mixing it in with the other greens of the day.

I prefer orchard grass hay to timothy.

For a small one it is better to just use finely chopped real grass. Sprout your own or buy it at a store in those little organic plots they sell for humans or pets. You can use scissors and just chop some onto your pile of food daily. Keep the pot watered and near a window and they will regrow many times. Have a few plots and you can use it daily.

With spring coming you will soon easily be able to find lots of the things on that list I linked for you.

 

[Donna/Turbo]

I have tons of stuff growing right next to his house in the window. It is just staring to sprout.

 

[Tom]

I have tons of stuff growing right next to his house in the window. It is just staring to sprout.

That is great news.

As he grows, you will need to start scavenging lots of food from lots of places. Sulcatas can eat A LOT! It is near this stage when you are struggling to find enough food and your tortoise eats everything in sight and still seems like he's starving to death that you will remember the plain dry hay. When this day comes, you will breath a big sigh of relief knowing that you have figured out how you are going to feed your ever growing, soon to be giant, eating machine.