How to get my Sully to eat hay?

[HollyH8]

Ok Hera is a 10" sulcata and weighs 7.5 pounds. She'll eat anything I put out there except Bermuda grass hay. I'm trying to get hay as a more staple diet for her since I have no grass here to feed her. Is there something special I can do to get her to eat it or just tough love and give her only hay until she eats it? Although that seems a little harsh. Thanks for your time!

 

[Jacob]

You can soak it in warm water and soften it up, then try chopping it up fine and mix it in the greens or even muzuiri

 

[HollyH8]

You can soak it in warm water and soften it up, then try chopping it up fine and mix it in the greens or even muzuiri

Thanks! I'll try that

 

[Laura]

mix it with what she will eat and she will accidently eat some while getting the other stuff.. she might get used to it and learn that it is food too..

 

[Tom]

Most of the time they won't just walk up and start munching on dry hay until they are over a foot long. Some of them never really get into it, while others just take to it the first time they see it like ice cream for people.

My favorite method is to chop up some greens and spray them with water. Then get a clump of Bermuda hay and chop it up with scissors and sprinkle it over the wet greens. Mix it well, spray some more and wait a few minutes for the chopped grass to rehydrate before offering the plate to the torty. This can be done for any age tortoise and I often do it with babies. I would start with favorite greens and a very small amount of grass. Gradually you can increase the ratio of grass to greens. It also helps to feed them a little light for a few days leading up to your first attempt, so they are good and hungry the first time you offer the grassed up greens.

 

[JoesMum]

DeanS's Tortoise Meatballs are worth a try

 

[slowpoke]

I checked out that tortoise meatballs , thats pretty cool you think that would work with russians ?

 

[JoesMum]

I checked out that tortoise meatballs , thats pretty cool you think that would work with russians ?

I don't know. Hay isn't really part of a Russian's diet, but if you can persuade them to eat it, it's excellent fibre for their diet

 

[slowpoke]

I checked out that tortoise meatballs , thats pretty cool you think that would work with russians ?

I don't know. Hay isn't really part of a Russian's diet, but if you can persuade them to eat it, it's excellent fibre for their diet

yea im trying the grass hay with them right now but im mixing it with greens just cutting back the greens slowly but if i can mix it with the muzuiri also or make the balls im thinking i can get them to eat it on a regular you know ...

 

[BrookeB]

The meat balls worked great with my 2 year old sulcata, my month old sulcata, and my 6 month leo... They cant eat enough of this, I think im going to try mixing in some graded cactus.. maybe they will like it more that way got to try to make it fun and new every now and then

 

[tyler0912]

My redfoots unusualy eat hay out off the bowl i dust with calcium, just for a bit off mix in the diet, even though theyre not grazers...