What plant, grass, weed etc should I feed my sulcata to enhance his growth?
Growth enhancer?
- Thread starter doctrin13th
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If you feed a normal diet of grasses and weeds, or, if inside, dark, leafy greens, your tortoise will grow to its full potential. Some say that Mazuri Tortoise Diet causes them to grow faster.
Yvonne's right. The diet you feed your tortoise in captivity is much richer than it would encounter if it were in the wild. Your standard and varied diet will do just fine for growth.
I know growth rate is fairly debatable, and I feel like I'm hitting the hornet's nest a bit, but I'm going to pose the question anyway; why accelerate our captive tortoises' growth rates? I generally approach this under the position of "slow and steady", I know others will disagree. I believe Tom has posted concerning accelerated growth rate and no subsequent ill effects; I guess I just don't see the rush. I'm not saying it's wrong to have them grow quickly, but I'm sure they're already growing at a more rapid rate than they would in the wild and I don't see the need to enhance this any further. Just my position.
I know growth rate is fairly debatable, and I feel like I'm hitting the hornet's nest a bit, but I'm going to pose the question anyway; why accelerate our captive tortoises' growth rates? I generally approach this under the position of "slow and steady", I know others will disagree. I believe Tom has posted concerning accelerated growth rate and no subsequent ill effects; I guess I just don't see the rush. I'm not saying it's wrong to have them grow quickly, but I'm sure they're already growing at a more rapid rate than they would in the wild and I don't see the need to enhance this any further. Just my position.
if you want a big one.. adopt one! there are many in need of homes.. no need to push the growth on an already fast growing breed..
Redstrike said:
I agree with what you have said completely.
Ditto Redstrike.....I too believe the slow and steady is the way of the tortoise....I know some will argue that their slow growth is only due to their lack of food in abundance...this to me is us humans way of rationale to satisfy our need to feed...while there are no exact studies showing that over the lifetime of a tortoise feeding large amounts on regular basis is beneficial...yet there are millions of years gone past where tortoise and turtles have proven survival and thrive of species due to being left to their own evolutionary skills.......I also do not think that we will ever live long enough to make an entirely new evolutionary wave of change. Tortoise and turtle are an awesome work of art...we should be caregivers that promote their natural lifecycle as much as possible....IMHO that is....again, everyone has their beliefs on this subject...
What I have said is frequently misunderstood. I do NOT advocate fast or faster growth. I also do NOT advocate slow growth through food and nutrient deprivation, just because they are able to "survive" it.
Like Mr. Ivins just stated. I advocate good husbandry, a proper diet with good variety, hydration, the right amount of calcium supplementation for each situation, and then they just grow however fast they grow. I make no attempt to control the speed of their growth. I do not "power feed". I use Mazuri infrequently to insure a balanced diet. I am NOT trying to grow tortoises fast, its just that when they are healthy and hydrated the DO tend to grow faster than when they are subjected to conditions under which they are able to survive, but not thrive. I have done it both ways and I prefer to give them the best vs. trying to simulate what I speculate happens in nature.
My question for you Kim is, why do you want to enhance Parsley's growth? Is there a problem with how Parsley is growing now?
Like Mr. Ivins just stated. I advocate good husbandry, a proper diet with good variety, hydration, the right amount of calcium supplementation for each situation, and then they just grow however fast they grow. I make no attempt to control the speed of their growth. I do not "power feed". I use Mazuri infrequently to insure a balanced diet. I am NOT trying to grow tortoises fast, its just that when they are healthy and hydrated the DO tend to grow faster than when they are subjected to conditions under which they are able to survive, but not thrive. I have done it both ways and I prefer to give them the best vs. trying to simulate what I speculate happens in nature.
My question for you Kim is, why do you want to enhance Parsley's growth? Is there a problem with how Parsley is growing now?
ascott said:Ditto Redstrike.....I too believe the slow and steady is the way of the tortoise....I know some will argue that their slow growth is only due to their lack of food in abundance...this to me is us humans way of rationale to satisfy our need to feed...while there are no exact studies showing that over the lifetime of a tortoise feeding large amounts on regular basis is beneficial...yet there are millions of years gone past where tortoise and turtles have proven survival and thrive of species due to being left to their own evolutionary skills.......I also do not think that we will ever live long enough to make an entirely new evolutionary wave of change. Tortoise and turtle are an awesome work of art...we should be caregivers that promote their natural lifecycle as much as possible....IMHO that is....again, everyone has their beliefs on this subject...
Well said!
Come on Guys, did anyone bother to see where doctrin13th lives? I think he's simply asking what is good to feed it. I don't believe that he's about to go the Chelonian Growth Hormone route just yet. But I could be wrong.
yagyujubei said:
I thought Yvonne kinda covered that in her first post. To be on the safe side, just incase they are thinking quicker growth, we covered that, too.
Jacqui said:yagyujubei said:
I thought Yvonne kinda covered that in her first post. To be on the safe side, just incase they are thinking quicker growth, we covered that, too.
You are right and it was good of you to point out that we may have taken the wording wrong. I forgot to mention that before.
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
When I got Bob he was about 5 pounds and 6 years old. Now he is 14 a mere 8 years later and he's 102 pounds and all I did was feed him a good diet...Kim, if you just feed him the best diet you can he will grow faster than you think possible!
Sorry about the under-information guys.
I'm sure you're aware about the Sulcata Station.
Well, before I encounter this great forum and you, great owners, my main guidelines were the words (every word I guess) in the Sulcata Station. Stated there firmly is the "slow and steady" growth as some of you guys advised. Now, to achieve that, Sulcata Station, said that the diet should composed of 75% grass (weeds excluded) and 25% other greens, flowers, weeds collectively. A diet of roughage, low-protein, rich fiber which grass-based diet is the key as the site stated (if I remembered correctly).
Protein is the main source of growth which grasses lack. I guess what I'm really trying to ask is how can my Sulcata grow significantly (but not an unhealthy growth) if I follow the 75% grass-based diet which is low in protein.
I think there is none.
Thank you everybody
I'm sure you're aware about the Sulcata Station.
Well, before I encounter this great forum and you, great owners, my main guidelines were the words (every word I guess) in the Sulcata Station. Stated there firmly is the "slow and steady" growth as some of you guys advised. Now, to achieve that, Sulcata Station, said that the diet should composed of 75% grass (weeds excluded) and 25% other greens, flowers, weeds collectively. A diet of roughage, low-protein, rich fiber which grass-based diet is the key as the site stated (if I remembered correctly).
Protein is the main source of growth which grasses lack. I guess what I'm really trying to ask is how can my Sulcata grow significantly (but not an unhealthy growth) if I follow the 75% grass-based diet which is low in protein.
Laura, I want a big breed of tortiose so I chose Sulcata but I want to be the one responsible to a healthy, smooth and (big) growth. I want to track the growth so I chose a hatchling. But I like the adoption, too if there's any here in our country
I think there is none.Tom, there is no problem except I don't notice a significant increase in size. Then, the best staple diet I gave Parsley is grass-based (according to Sulcata Station). When I became a member of this forum, I started to change his staple diet to a variety or weed, veggies and seldom grass.
EricIvins, well, simple response but I think that is all there is, a good husbandry including a good diet as everybody is saying is the key.
Thank you everybody
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