hello fellow tortoise lovers ;)

[raYchiLL]

New to the forum but not to herps. I have 1 male sulcatta tortoise names "oscar" and a baby Leopard tortoise (blonde) named "polka-dot" aka pokey -- im intrested in getting advice on how to trick lil pokey into eating more hay... unfortunetly he is pyramding!!

Have a good one !!

 

[egyptiandan]

Welcome to the forum Have you tried fresh grass? It's easier to get them to eat fresh grass than hay the first time out.
Are you supplementing with a calcium supplement?

Danny

 

[raYchiLL]

yes i do have calcium suppl and some minerals. Fresh grass???? I dont have anything i can get from my own backyard if thats what you mean.... otherwise I would have no idea where u could buy anything like that. I live right next to LLL reptile and they have the most stuff to offer(also the most knowledgable lol) and thats where I found the ZOO med grassland diet but other than that I jus buy orchard crass or timothy hay and cut it up really fine but its still not 100% he is getting any of it lol. Any other helpful hints =]]???

 

[Crazy1]

raYchill try going to a pet store like Petco or Petsmart. They have the grass (wheat grass) growing in little tubs usually at the counter it is organic and you can cut just a bit off and put it in with their regular diet. Pyramiding is not caused by diet alone. Do you have Pokey and Oscar in a high humidity environment? do they get lots of exercise. Plenty of water and what are you feeding them?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi raYchiLL:

to the forum.

This is my opinion: I see absolutely no reason to make a sulcata or leopard tortoise eat hay. Its always a good idea for them to have a taste for it just in case there comes a time when food is scarce, but in my opinion, it doesn't have to be part of their diet for them to be healthy. I think your pyramiding is more than likely due to the habitat being too dry. What are you using for a substrate, and is it moist?

There are many different kinds of plants or produce that you can feed your tortoise instead of hay. Naturally, first choice is for them to graze on grasses and weeds, but since you say that's not an option, then you can buy dark, leafy greens at the grocery store: dandelion, endive, escarole, turnip greens, grape leaves, hibiscus, hollyhock, kale, mallow, gazania, geranium, opuntia cactus, sedum, spider plant, violet, wandering jew, watercress, mallow, mulberry leaves, etc. With a little imagination, you will be able to provide your tortoises with a variety of good food.

Yvonne

 

[Jacqui]

I think you have already gotten most of the standard information and asked questions, so I am just gonna add a friendly welcome.

 

[Isa]

Welcome to the forum

 

[raYchiLL]

Ya I mean my oscar boi is good to go he is in an outdoor enclosure which i think is 8ft by 10 ft or something along those lines. I put pokey outside almost everyday since it is summer here in cali. I'll definetly b soaking him more and making sure humidity is good. I do use dark leafy greens mixed with hay as well as squashes carrots and tomoatoes( given occasionally). Thanks for the input and all the WELCOMES =]]!!!

 

[tortoisenerd]

Welcome to the forum! You can also get wheatgrass at health food stores, or grow your own tort foods in trays even in the kitchen if you don't want to or can't put them outside. Looking forward to some tort pictures if you can! I agree that diet is not the primary pyramiding cause. If you post more about their care (diet, enclosure, temperature, humidity, etc) that will help, as well as enclosure pictures. We'd love to offer you some suggestions. I don't think the carrots or tomatoes are appropriate for the tort breeds but that's my opinion (plenty of other more healthy treat foods like the butternut squash, organic edible flowers, etc) as I don't agree with feeding fruits to Sulcatas or Leopards. Are they housed together or separate? How many types of greens? What kinds? Best wishes.