Hi!

[gr00vychick]

Hi,
We just became proud new owner of a hatchling sulcata tortoise. We have a good set-up for his lighting and heating and everything, but there is so much conflicting information on what to feed him. Grass and hay seem to top the list, but he does not seem intersted in those. We live in San Tan Valley, AZ and I'm sure Bulldozer will be happy in our yard once he gets big enough.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi gr00vychick:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name?

Baby tortoises won't eat hay. When you read to feed hay, its mainly directed towards adult sulcatas.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome.

 

[gr00vychick]

My name is Alayna,
What should I feed him? Thanks for the welcome!

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum...

 

[gr00vychick]

Welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Alayna:

For my babies, I buy Spring Mix and Santa Barbara Mix. Those are packaged lettuces you find in the produce section of the store. Then I go outside with my scissors and a plastic bag and cut leaves from the mullberry tree, grape vine, hollyhocks, squash plants, rose of sharon, dichondra, clover and anything else I find at any time of the year that's edible.

I chop it up small and mix it all together. I keep the left overs in a large Tupperware bowl with a tight fitting lid. It will last about 3 or 4 days in the fridge...but its usually gone/fed by then. Two or three times a week I'll sprinkle A VERY SMALL amount of calcium powder over the food.

 

[AnthonyC]

welcome to the forum

 

[Yvonne G]

Alayna: You don't have to post more than once. Because you're new, your posts won't show up right away. Please wait before posting a duplicate...thanks

 

[gr00vychick]

That's very helpful, thank you! I will have to find out what desert plants around are edible. We have grass, but not so sure about some of the other plants....Thanks again! Great forum

 

[gr00vychick]

ok, Thanks!

 

[jackrat]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Turtle Guru]

Welcome to he forum

 

[Claireabbo]

Welcome!

 

[DesertGrandma]

Hi Alayna, welcome to the forum. In AZ you can find a bunch of prickly pear cactus. It is very good for them and they love it. Pick a very small new growth pad, burn the spines off with a lighter or over the flame on the grill, then scrub it with a scouring pad (wearing rubber gloves) to remove the tiny little spines. Cut it into thin strips and then again into little tiny bites. The larger pads are too tough for babies. Also, you can easily grow rubelia plant in AZ. It is a good green and easy to grow in our heat. There are a lot of things you can start to grow now for when your tort gets bigger like grapevine and hibiscus. You can also cut snips of grass and add it to his other food to get him used to the taste. Good luck.

 

[gr00vychick]

Thanks! I had heard about the prickly pears, but not how to prepare them. Thanks for the advice about the other plants. We have oleander bushes in the back yard I know we need to get rid of (no worries there, I don't like them that much anyway.) Any advice on replacment shrubs?