Does hay need to be chopped up for sulcata?

[Rex1718]

My sulcata Rex, is about 4 years old around 25lbs. He has grass in his enclosure year round, but I supplement with greens and such at least twice a week.

I have given him hay in the past and he hasn’t been to fond of it, but recently my girls we feeding our goats and putting hay in the chicken boxes, one of the through a big pile of hay in for Rex. He must have been in an eating mood because he devoured it.

I’m just worried if eating so much dry hay is gonna stop up his gut. When I offered it to him earlier, I would chop it up fine. But how he ate it the other day, was right off the hay bail. I give him cucumbers regularly to help keep him hydrated, along with soaks. He has a large water bowl, but the most he does with that is March through it.

Any benefits to eating dry hay, over fresh grass? How should I prepare it.

 

[Markw84]

Hay is a blessing for a large sulcata owner. I went through a couple of bales a year for my large sulcatas. It was probably over 50% of their diet along with grasses they grazed on in their enclosure. The long fiber is actually good for their digestion and moving things along in their gut.

Use the grass hays, not timothy or the stiffer, stemmy hays.

I normally wouldn't start Sulcatas eating grass hay until they are about 20 lbs + When first introducing I did chop it up a bit - into 1' - 2" pieces, but when larger, they simply eat the hay right out of the bale.