Food Question...

[Lindsey28]

At what age can sulcatas start eating cactus pads?
Mine are about 10 months now.

 

[Speedy-1]

No reason you cant start now , just pull the prickers and dice it up in bite size pieces !

 

[Lindsey28]

What are the health benefits to these?

 

[Speedy-1]

What are the health benefits to these?

They are a good natural source of calcium . I have always fed them to Speedy , along with grape leaves , cuttlebone , and some crushed up egg shell on occasion and have never dusted his food with calcium supplements ! It has worked well for me .

 

[Big Charlie]

I bought one but Charlie ignored it. Is it something I should keep trying to get him to eat, or should I assume that since he has lived 17 years without it, he doesn't need it?

 

[Tom]

My babies start eating them within days of hatching. You can start anytime.

Opuntia pads are high in calcium, have a great calcium to phosphorus ratio, are high in fiber, and are high in moisture content. Many species eat a lot of succulents in the wild and these make an excellent substitute here in our captive environments since we can't give them access to the thousands of species of plants and succulents they might see in the wild.

If you have a 10 month old sulcata, you should have planted a dozen stands of cactus 12 months ago. It is a really good food for them, and they love it too, once they are introduced to it. If you throw a cactus pad in front of a baby that I started, you might just see a tortoise pounce!

 

[Tom]

I bought one but Charlie ignored it. Is it something I should keep trying to get him to eat, or should I assume that since he has lived 17 years without it, he doesn't need it?

Few tortoise will eat things they are not familiar with. Any new food, no matter how good it is, will need to be introduced slowly and in small amounts.

Yes, for all the reasons listed above, you should continue trying to get Charlie to eat it. Try dicing it into little cubes and mixing it in with his current favorites. Only use a little at first. Once he "discovers" how great this new food is, he will eat pad after pad after pad and love it. My 15" juveniles will eat three pads each that are as big as they are and still want more.

In addition to all the benefits above, eating whole pads will help keep adult beaks in good shape and build jaw strength.

 

[Pearly]

Mine get it very finely diced mixed in the rest of their food. Cactus is also good "people food" I just haven't had it in me to find recipes to incorporate it in my diet

 

[Lindsey28]

What is one or a couple of good resources to buy these pads at?

 

[Lindsey28]

Also, do tortoises eat Timothy Hay? If so, at what age?

 

[Tom]

What is one or a couple of good resources to buy these pads at?

I'm pretty sure Tyler at Tortoisesupply.com sells them. I grow my own.

There are lots of different varieties and all of them are VERY easy to grow in pots or the ground in the right climate. Some varieties can handle a little freezing, and other varieties are very sensitive to freezing. All varieties like the heat and full sun.

You can also buy pads at Mexican grocery stores like Tres Sierras or Vallarta, if they have one of those near you. Sometimes you can find them at "regular" grocery stores too.

 

[Tom]

Also, do tortoises eat Timothy Hay? If so, at what age?

Sulcatas will eat dry grass hay as adults. You can begin introducing it at any time, but I usually don't bother until they are near 12" or more. For smaller tortoises, chop it up super fine with scissors, soak it to re-hydrate it for an hour in warm water, then mix it in with the day's food.

As your tortoise ages, you can begin feeding him on a bed of grass hay, and they will begin to eat it that way too.

Timothy hay is okay for large tortoises, but I find it too stemmy. I prefer orchard grass hay or bermuda hay for all tortoises, but especially for the youngins.

In the next few months and years, you are going to be astounded at how much food disappears down your tortoises throat. It is truly amazing. There will be a moment of panic, when you realize just how difficult it is going to be to provide enough food the way you have been doing it. Grass hay is the answer. It will be your new best friend when this realization that I speak of dawns on you. Remember these words...

 

[Big Charlie]

Sulcatas will eat dry grass hay as adults. You can begin introducing it at any time, but I usually don't bother until they are near 12" or more. For smaller tortoises, chop it up super fine with scissors, soak it to re-hydrate it for an hour in warm water, then mix it in with the day's food.

As your tortoise ages, you can begin feeding him on a bed of grass hay, and they will begin to eat it that way too.

Timothy hay is okay for large tortoises, but I find it too stemmy. I prefer orchard grass hay or bermuda hay for all tortoises, but especially for the youngins.

In the next few months and years, you are going to be astounded at how much food disappears down your tortoises throat. It is truly amazing. There will be a moment of panic, when you realize just how difficult it is going to be to provide enough food the way you have been doing it. Grass hay is the answer. It will be your new best friend when this realization that I speak of dawns on you. Remember these words...

Charlie grazes all day long on our lawn yet there is always plenty. It grows faster than he can eat it. We even have a gardener come every two weeks to mow. I guess it is because we water it?