hay?

[johnnysd]

morning all, just a quick thought while i was digging up my yard for a new sod. we know sullies like hay. and hay is dried grass...correct? so if i dry out the grass that i pulled up from my yard can i use that as hay for feed?

 

[DeanS]

You can feed them fresh-chop...no problem! Mow the lawn and give 'em whatever's in the catcher! I would rake the lawn first...get rid of any leaves, etc. If you have excellent heating in their enclosure, you can even use the fresh-chop as a substrate...it's good for about a week or so! However, it can't be stored! There is a terrific amount of moisture in the chop, so it will mold within hours if you try to store it. Fortunately, it's the time of year when you need to mow weekly, so right now it will work out fine! Keep us posted!

 

[johnnysd]

You can feed them fresh-chop...no problem! Mow the lawn and give 'em whatever's in the catcher! I would rake the lawn first...get rid of any leaves, etc. If you have excellent heating in their enclosure, you can even use the fresh-chop as a substrate...it's good for about a week or so! However, it can't be stored! There is a terrific amount of moisture in the chop, so it will mold within hours if you try to store it. Fortunately, it's the time of year when you need to mow weekly, so right now it will work out fine! Keep us posted!

thanks for the info dean, i know i can always count on you for sound advice. well heres another one, i'm thinking about laying sod, but i have heard they spray it with pesticides to keep the nasty little critters at bay. so i'm leaning towards seed. but i'm afraid that if i lay seeds my sullie will just attack and devour whatever sprouts up.
well heres what i'm thinking....what if i overseed the enclosure. i mean i totally went ballistic and overseeded every inch dirt with all types of seed from bermuda grass, to tortoise grazing seeds to wild flowers. my thinking is that some will survive due to the sheer amount of seeds being planted. i'm also thinking of leaving an ample supply of food out so the sullie will always have enough to eat. what do you think?

 

[Jacob]

Yes That Will Work!
You Can Also Buy A Big Bag Of Hay For Around 5 Bucks!

 

[johnnysd]

Yes That Will Work!
You Can Also Buy A Big Bag Of Hay For Around 5 Bucks!

hi jacob! what do you think of the second part of my question?

 

[Jacob]

As Long As The Grass Doesnt Have Chemicals Or Pesticides, You can Feed It!
Some Will Eat it, and some Wont Touch it
If They Dont Eat itt, Soften it Up With Water and see How It Goes

 

[DeanS]

The only problem with sowing your own is germination! A lot of grass seed is so inferior to begin with, that for your idea to work, you would have to isolate your tortoise from the area completely. With sod...you may have to deal with chemicals, but you also need to water regularly, so the chemicals will dissipate quickly...it's really the Ammonia sulfate beads that are a real concern anyway, and you don't find that in sod! So, lay the sod, water at least twice a day...and your tortoise can start using it in about three weeks. Now, once the sod settles and your tort has exposed the netting you need to start cutting that out systematically.

 

[johnnysd]

As Long As The Grass Doesnt Have Chemicals Or Pesticides, You can Feed It!
Some Will Eat it, and some Wont Touch it
If They Dont Eat itt, Soften it Up With Water and see How It Goes

jacob, what about my idea about overseeding the enclosure?

 

[DeanS]

Again...overseeding isn't going to help...it's the germination that's the concern!

 

[johnnysd]

The only problem with sowing your own is germination! A lot of grass seed is so inferior to begin with, that for your idea to work, you would have to isolate your tortoise from the area completely. With sod...you may have to deal with chemicals, but you alos need to water regularly, so the chemicals will dissipate quickly...it's really the Ammonia sulfate beads that are a real concern anyway, and you don't find that in sod! So, lay the sod, water at least twice a day...and your tortoise can start using it in about three weeks. Now, once the sod settles and your tort has exposed the netting you need to start cutting that out systematically.
[/quote
thanks dean, i love it when other people make up my mind for me

 

[Laura]

some torts wont eat dry hay.. some do, some need to used to it and Know its food. mine just want to graze..

 

[Maggie Cummings]

divide your yard in thirds. You can do this using cinder block. Then sow heavily. Have your tortoises on one third while all the seeds germinate. Then they can eat one third while two thirds grow. When they graze down one third move them to the second third...etc. It sure worked for Bob until he got so big he needed the whole yard. You can also feed them locally grown grass hay while your seeds are growing. Hay is good for them. Alfalfa has too much protein and is too stemmy for Sulcata, but Bob loves grass hay...

 

[dmarcus]

If you wanna do seeds divide the area up like Maggie said, that's what I had to do with Vegas. He would never let anything grow so we sectioned areas off and when one area had nice growth we let him have at it and the re-seeded the area he cleaned out. Now it's not a big issue with smaller Sulcata's but when they get big you will be shocked how fast they can turn lush grass into nothing but dirt.

 

[Tom]

Now it's not a big issue with smaller Sulcata's but when they get big you will be shocked how fast they can turn lush grass into nothing but dirt.

Now there is a statement based in the true wisdom of experience.

I don't think it will matter how much seed you put down, if you don't keep him off of it for several weeks. My problem with seed is the darn birds come down and eat it all. If the birds don't get it, the rabbits and squirrels do after it sprouts. ...and don't even mention the damn gophers...