Hay is for horses...and tortoises?

[droogievesch]

Can I feed grass hay to a Hermann's? Not alfalfa or "straw" but like go down to the local farm feed store and buy hay?

Also, can I just give them a cuttlebone...or do I have to actually scrape/powder it for them? If a cuttlebone is given, can I not give calcium powder supplements?

 

[Jacqui]

Can I feed grass hay to a Hermann's? Not alfalfa or "straw" but like go down to the local farm feed store and buy hay?

Also, can I just give them a cuttlebone...or do I have to actually scrape/powder it for them? If a cuttlebone is given, can I not give calcium powder supplements?

You can try him on hay, not sure how much he would like it. The cuttlebones are most often just left in the enclosures for the tortoise to eat if and when he wants to. You can scrape or crush them and place on food, if you wish or use other supplemental calcium. Most folks use the powdered supplements, but still offer the cuttlebone.

 

[droogievesch]

Can I feed grass hay to a Hermann's? Not alfalfa or "straw" but like go down to the local farm feed store and buy hay?

Also, can I just give them a cuttlebone...or do I have to actually scrape/powder it for them? If a cuttlebone is given, can I not give calcium powder supplements?

You can try him on hay, not sure how much he would like it. The cuttlebones are most often just left in the enclosures for the tortoise to eat if and when he wants to. You can scrape or crush them and place on food, if you wish or use other supplemental calcium. Most folks use the powdered supplements, but still offer the cuttlebone.

Thanks! I am afraid of over/under supplementing and I'd rather the tortoise be able to get the calcium as it sees fit. I don't want to mess with nature too much, but I understand living in Wisconsin won't be very "natural".

So I don't start a new thread, how do pellets work into a "balanced diet"? I have been told to feed Mazuri pellets "as part of a balanced diet" and I have NO idea what that means. Do I give them unlimited access to the pellets/grasses for grazing. Do I feed a certain amount of pellets a day, week, month?

I plan on buying this seed mix: http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=41&products_id=179 and planting it into multiple removable trays. I would like for my tort to be able to graze as much as it wants. I'd have multiple trays growing, and as one got down I'd switch it out with another one. I just don't know how to add something unnatural to something "natural"

 

[wellington]

Most will offer the Mazuri about two to three times a week moistened. Most of what we do really isn't natural. Give a wide varied diet, not too much of just one thing, let them graze as often as possible and get them outside as often as weather permits and keep them hydrated. That's the best we can do.

 

[Edna]

Grass hay and alfalpha hay is for horses and sulcatas and leopards, but your Hermanns is not going to eat it. They aren't grass eaters.

 

[droogievesch]

Most will offer the Mazuri about two to three times a week moistened. Most of what we do really isn't natural. Give a wide varied diet, not too much of just one thing, let them graze as often as possible and get them outside as often as weather permits and keep them hydrated. That's the best we can do.

Thank you! I'm getting so excited about this! Every time I get one more thing "figured out" I quickly run to Josh and tell him everything. He's not so excited about growing the food (I'm a self proclaimed gardener), but he is excited about the enclosure since it requires building and problem solving.

 

[Tom]

Hay is a great food for adult sulcatas. Not so much for Testudo sp., like your pending hermanni. Broadleaf weeds are what you are after. The grazing mix you showed has a lot of grass seed in it. You don't need that. Carolina Bio. Sup. also sells a russian tortoise grazing mix, that will suit you much better. I got some russian tortoise mix from Tyler at http://tortoisesupply.com/ and it is growing like mad for me. I have harvested 3 five gallon buckets full of tortoise food out of a 4x4' plot.
You will probably need to feed some grocery store greens some of the time, and a good way to add some fiber is to use a product called "Salad Style", also from Tyler. This is actually just finely chopped up timothy hay and orchard grass. While hay by itself is not something they will really eat, if you sprinkle some pulverized hay on top of the pre-wetted grocery store greens, it will add some much needed fiber to the food.

The idea behind Mazuri is that its a "balanced" food. It has all the right nutrients, vitamins and minerals in the right balance for tortoises. Few people recommend feeding this instead of "real" food, but many of us like to use it as a supplement to real food. It ensures that any minor dietary deficiencies from the real food are covered, and it serves to keep your tortoise healthy. I use it twice a week or so for small growing tortoises and usually once a week for adults. Sometimes I will give egg laying females a bit more during laying season.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

I agree with Edna and Tom. Mediterranean tortoises eat very little grass. The vast majority of their diet consists of forbs, or leafy greens. They won't eat hay, but Mazuri is a good commercial food.