Need Food Source for Large Sulcata Tortoises

SaltersTrader

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Salters SC
Hi,
I have 6 rather large Sulcata's that range from about 40 pounds up to 100 pounds. Needless to say, they eat a lot and I need supplemental food to fill in when we are unable to get weeds, greens, etc. We have been ordering from Mazuri for the past 5 years but their prices have gone up up and away so I am scrambling to find a new source. To put it in perspective, these guys and girls can go through a 25 pound sack in a few weeks depending on how much weeds and greens I am able to get. Any suggestions on where to find other sources of bulk tortoise food would be appreciated.
 

Pearly

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Hi,
I have 6 rather large Sulcata's that range from about 40 pounds up to 100 pounds. Needless to say, they eat a lot and I need supplemental food to fill in when we are unable to get weeds, greens, etc. We have been ordering from Mazuri for the past 5 years but their prices have gone up up and away so I am scrambling to find a new source. To put it in perspective, these guys and girls can go through a 25 pound sack in a few weeks depending on how much weeds and greens I am able to get. Any suggestions on where to find other sources of bulk tortoise food would be appreciated.

Wow!!! 6 sulcata torts!!!!! I’d consider buying a piece of land that you can use as a pasture for them, and large enough where you can rotate the torts to let the stuff grow for them. How ever did you end up with 6 of them?
 

Yvonne G

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Go to a feed store and buy a bale of orchard grass hay. The tortoises might not take to it right away, but will eat it with gusto once they realize it's food. A bale is usually right around $10 and will last quite a while.

You can also buy cases of greens to include with the hay meals. A case of escarole is around $30 and if you use it sparingly should last a week or so. A case of romaine is cheaper and includes more heads. I would chop up the greens and sprinkle them over the pile of hay.
 

Ray--Opo

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There is a produce market near me. Anticipating when Opo gets larger I have talked with the manager about their unsellable produce. He seemed fine with the idea I just haven't talked final details with him.
 
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minnesota
Go to a feed store and buy a bale of orchard grass hay. The tortoises might not take to it right away, but will eat it with gusto once they realize it's food. A bale is usually right around $10 and will last quite a while.

You can also buy cases of greens to include with the hay meals. A case of escarole is around $30 and if you use it sparingly should last a week or so. A case of romaine is cheaper and includes more heads. I would chop up the greens and sprinkle them over the pile of hay.


Where do you buy cases of greens?
 

NorCal tortoise guy

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I use orchard grass hay for my group it works great once they get used to it. You just need to be very sure they have access to fresh water when feeding hay.
 

Tom

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I don't know how you'd keep an adult sulcata without grass hay...

I use orchard grass hay and Bermuda grass hay. Timothy is too stemmy and alfalfa is too stemmy and also high in protein.

To get them started on it, I make a small bed of grass hay and feed them their other stuff on top of it.

Another thing I do is grow lots of spineless opuntia. I cut off enough pads to fill up a 5 gallon bucket and feed them that several times a week all spring summer and fall long. The weeds and wild grasses grow so much during our winter rains that I don't need to feed the torts at all in winter.

Fruitless Mulberry branches make life easy too. Most people are thrilled to have you prune their mulberry trees for them. The leaves are excellent food and you can just throw whole branches in the pen. Same with grape vine. The grape vine leaves are excellent tortoise food.

Here are more ideas:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
 
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