Hay (carolina pet supply) which one should I order

[Isa]

Hello
I am planning to go to the states soon so I am starting to prepare the order I will send to carolina pet supply.
I hesitate between those 2.

1. Organic Herbal Salad Mix
that contains:

Timothy Hay
Orchard Grass
Oat Hay
Red Clover leaves and blossoms
Strawberry leaf
Calendula petals
Chamomile blossoms
Dandelion leaf
Plantain Leaf)
Chickweed leaf

2. Chopped salad type hay

Does anyone of you have ever tried one of those 2?

I would soak it in the water before feeding to Hermy.

 

[soundwave]

Hello
I am planning to go to the states soon so I am starting to prepare the order I will send to carolina pet supply.
I hesitate between those 2.

1. Organic Herbal Salad Mix
that contains:

Timothy Hay
Orchard Grass
Oat Hay
Red Clover leaves and blossoms
Strawberry leaf
Calendula petals
Chamomile blossoms
Dandelion leaf
Plantain Leaf)
Chickweed leaf

2. Chopped salad type hay

Does anyone of you have ever tried one of those 2?

I would soak it in the water before feeding to Hermy.

Did they deliver to Canada?

 

[Isa]

I called at the custom and they told me that if it is not in the scealed original package, they probably wont accept it and send it to the lab.

 

[soundwave]

I think that emailed carolina pet supply and they told me that they don't ship to Canada because of customs issue.

I was hoping that us Canadian could get some their products

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I think that emailed carolina pet supply and they told me that they don't ship to Canada because of customs issue.

I was hoping that us Canadian could get some their products

Make friends with someone here on the forum and they get the stuff from CPS and then ship it to you...Oh and the other thing I wanted to say is I think that making our tortoises eat dried up hay is not necessarily what they need. Yes, they would eat dried grass, but that is different then the big pieces of hard hay. I have raised a couple of tortoises and Bob for instance didn't really eat hay until he was 10 or so. I don't think babies need to eat hay. I have bought the chopped salad type hay from CPS and used it dutifully as the torts grew, and while they eat cut dried grass none ever really enjoyed eating hay and I don't understand this push to make them eat hay. I gather leafs and blossoms and blooms and weeds and feed them that and they eat good and their poop is fine, nice and not wet or runny and I just don't think hay is really a necessity or needed...just my opinion...

 

[Kristina]

I have to agree, Maggie, except on one point... There are some of us in colder climates that do not have year round acess to fresh weeds, grasses, and flowers. I so wish that I did. I think in that instance hay is a good alternative to offer the needed fiber. I don't think that a grocery-greens only diet is appropriate for torts. They need something a bit more "natural." The way I look at it is, for instance with Sulcatas, they come from a region where it is naturally very dry. A lot of the food stuffs that they find in the desert are dried out naturally, and quite deviod of nutrition (except calcium, which occurs naturally in the soil.) Hay closely approximates that.

I feed hay moistened, but with cold or room temperature water, not hot. I simply wet it, pour off the water and let it sit for a few minutes. They eat it MUCH better than the plain old totally dry stuff. It is the main staple of my girls' diet, and the veggies they get merely supplement that.

Kristina

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I live in the Pacific NorthWest where my 80 pound Sulcata has to be kept in a heated shed for 7 months. He eats his portion of hay. I know all about keeping them in cold weather. I am saying that smaller torts don't need hay, can live and grow healthy by eating grocery store greens and dried grasses or weeds. I think we or newer keepers think they have to get their small tortoises eating hay because someone decided that hay/fiber was needed. I think that dried grasses and weeds would be consumed, that hay is not necessary for healthy growth...and it confuses smaller torts who then stop eating. Baby mouths have a hard time with the coarseness of hay...

 

[tortoisenerd]

I got some hay from them for my little guy. He munched at it a couple times when hungry but doesn't consider it food. He loves to hide under a big pile I keep for him. He prefers hiding in the hay or burrowing over using a hide. I'll probably keep buying it just for him to hide under (but just get the cheaper stuff at the pet store; they have timothy hay in the small animal section).

 

[Kristina]

I live in the Pacific NorthWest where my 80 pound Sulcata has to be kept in a heated shed for 7 months. He eats his portion of hay. I know all about keeping them in cold weather. I am saying that smaller torts don't need hay, can live and grow healthy by eating grocery store greens and dried grasses or weeds. I think we or newer keepers think they have to get their small tortoises eating hay because someone decided that hay/fiber was needed. I think that dried grasses and weeds would be consumed, that hay is not necessary for healthy growth...and it confuses smaller torts who then stop eating. Baby mouths have a hard time with the coarseness of hay...

I think my confusion came in with dried grass vs. hay, because to me dried grass IS hay, lol. Maybe it has something to do with the actual quality of the product. The hay that I get (same as for my horses) is not the coarse, stalky stuff that I see packaged for ridiculus prices, but rather the more like cut, dried GRASS.

The difference in the substance of the hay (blades vs stalks) has to do with the "cutting" of the hay. First cutting is more tender and bladed. That is what torts should have, anyway. Second cutting, which is higher in protein and sugar, is more "stalky" because it is more mature.

To answer the original question, if I was going to order, I would choose option #1. I think that the variety would be great, and all of the ingredients are great for torts. I especially like that it includes broadleaf weeds. Plaintain is a GREAT source of Vitamin A cartenoids, and the dandelion and chickweed are great, too.

Kristina

 

[Isa]

I think that emailed carolina pet supply and they told me that they don't ship to Canada because of customs issue.

I was hoping that us Canadian could get some their products

I know, it is really sad for us. I wish there would be a Canadian site that we could ordered from, it would be easier than go to the states to get it and it would be cheaper (the rate is not soo good).

---

I think that emailed carolina pet supply and they told me that they don't ship to Canada because of customs issue.

I was hoping that us Canadian could get some their products

Make friends with someone here on the forum and they get the stuff from CPS and then ship it to you...Oh and the other thing I wanted to say is I think that making our tortoises eat dried up hay is not necessarily what they need. Yes, they would eat dried grass, but that is different then the big pieces of hard hay. I have raised a couple of tortoises and Bob for instance didn't really eat hay until he was 10 or so. I don't think babies need to eat hay. I have bought the chopped salad type hay from CPS and used it dutifully as the torts grew, and while they eat cut dried grass none ever really enjoyed eating hay and I don't understand this push to make them eat hay. I gather leafs and blossoms and blooms and weeds and feed them that and they eat good and their poop is fine, nice and not wet or runny and I just don't think hay is really a necessity or needed...just my opinion...

Thanks for your reply Maggie Where I live, the winters are very long, that is why I wanted to make Hermy eats some fibers during the winter (I know summer is comming but I dont go to the States very ofter, since I am going in April to get my order of seeds from CPS I wanted to be prepared for the next winter) I already thought about asking someone to receive my order and then ship it to me, but the problem would remain the same, the costum would not let my order get in

I just saw your other post, dried grass is a very good idea. How shoul I dried the and how should I keep it if I want it to stay good for all the winter?

---

I got some hay from them for my little guy. He munched at it a couple times when hungry but doesn't consider it food. He loves to hide under a big pile I keep for him. He prefers hiding in the hay or burrowing over using a hide. I'll probably keep buying it just for him to hide under (but just get the cheaper stuff at the pet store; they have timothy hay in the small animal section).

Thanks Kate
I used to do that, Hermy loved it but it made him sneeze like crazy (even If I put it in water and let it dried before putting it in his hide), so the vet told me to remove it from his hide.

---

I think my confusion came in with dried grass vs. hay, because to me dried grass IS hay, lol. Maybe it has something to do with the actual quality of the product. The hay that I get (same as for my horses) is not the coarse, stalky stuff that I see packaged for ridiculus prices, but rather the more like cut, dried GRASS.

The difference in the substance of the hay (blades vs stalks) has to do with the "cutting" of the hay. First cutting is more tender and bladed. That is what torts should have, anyway. Second cutting, which is higher in protein and sugar, is more "stalky" because it is more mature.

To answer the original question, if I was going to order, I would choose option #1. I think that the variety would be great, and all of the ingredients are great for torts. I especially like that it includes broadleaf weeds. Plaintain is a GREAT source of Vitamin A cartenoids, and the dandelion and chickweed are great, too.

Kristina

Thanks Kristina
What I could do is order the first one and only feed the leaves and grass and forget about the hay. And I will dry a lot of grass before next winter (I dont know how yet) that way Hermy will get all his vitamins and fiber in addition to the grocery store greens

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I'm sorry...I gave my opinion on eating hay and forgot to answer your question, I would get option #2...I have 2 bags here right now, it is easy for the smaller tortoises to eat when sprinkled onto damp greens...

 

[Isa]

I'm sorry...I gave my opinion on eating hay and forgot to answer your question, I would get option #2...I have 2 bags here right now, it is easy for the smaller tortoises to eat when sprinkled onto damp greens...

No problem Maggie, thank you
Your advise helped me a lot, now I will give dry grass to Hermy instead of hay.

 

[Crazy1]

Isa, you should be able to just place cut grass on paper, like paper towels or newspaper and let it dry well. I like to dry them in the sun. Then put into zip lock plastic bags. also You can do this to other greens like dandelion, rose pedals etc. Then in the winter Hermy will have what he has eaten all summer ready for him in a dried fashion. these can either be dehydrated in water or ground and sprinkled over his fresh winter greens.

 

[Isa]

Thanks a lot Robyn
I did not know I could do that for all the greens. That is what I will do this summer for sure.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Kristina...You are technically correct...dried grass IS hay. But I am a city girl so to me hay is big sticks of hay and dried grass is lawn cut and dried so it's softer and easier to eat. In this instance I am NOT an experienced hay person. Bob eats hay thru the winter because it's hard to keep spending money on greens and watch his poop get liquid. So in the case of a big tort hay is good...but for the smaller guys dried lawn and leafs and blossoms and weeds etc are my foods of choice...
You as a horse person know much more about hay than I do...

 

[Isa]

Is orchard grass hay is like hay (big and hard to eat for our small friends) or is it just like a dried grass?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Is orchard grass hay is like hay (big and hard to eat for our small friends) or is it just like a dried grass?

I am probably the worst person to ask about hay...BUT...the orchard grass hay that I get here is soft and sweet smelling. Bob eats it. But I think in your case the chopped salad hay from Joe is the best bet for your little tortoise. That way you don't have to get more than he'll eat for a long while...it lasts a long time...

 

[Isa]

Is orchard grass hay is like hay (big and hard to eat for our small friends) or is it just like a dried grass?

I am probably the worst person to ask about hay...BUT...the orchard grass hay that I get here is soft and sweet smelling. Bob eats it. But I think in your case the chopped salad hay from Joe is the best bet for your little tortoise. That way you don't have to get more than he'll eat for a long while...it lasts a long time...

Thanks Maggie since the orchard grass hay is not as soft as dried grass I will forget about it. I just wanted to give some dried grass to Hermy until the summer comes.