Need help gaining weight

[Moomoo]

Hello! I bought my sulcata about three years ago when he was already 11 years old (The owners were moving). He is now probably around 14 years old or older. It's going to be winter soon and although he does not hibernate, he does come out of his borrow way less and eats less when he does. It doesn't snow here and the temperature rarely gets bellow freezing... maybe one time per winter and only during the night. Last year we built him a well insulated box which he has now dug a borrow underneath. It is deep (I can't see the end) and I put a heat lamp at the enterance during the winter so he is warm enough (this borrow is in his 1/2-3/4 acer field that he roams around in with my dogs). My problem is that he wont gain weight. I would like him to gain quite a bit before the weather turns so when he looses weight throughout the winter he will be fine. He seems thin to me as it is.
I feed him mainly cactus pads, timothy hay, fauder, certain weeds and clover but also add carrots, daliahs, cucumber, squash, spinach and lettuce. He also always has access to grass based tortice kibble and clean water. What else can I give him to help him build up fat? Thanks for the advice!

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. It would really help to know where you are. Climate makes a difference in the advice you get. What you described could be Southern CA, AZ, TX, Louisiana or FL. Wide range there.

This is a tropical species. They shouldn't be allowed to burrow here in winter, and a heat lamp at the entrance does nothing when the ground is 50 degrees 3 feet down. Don't take my word for it. Put a thermometer down there and check it in winter. I let mine burrow in summer, but when fall sets in, I block of the entrance to any burrows and make them use their heated shelters for the winter.

The concept of trying to put weight on to get them through winter does not, and should not apply to tropical species. They should be growing and eating year round, if they are housed correctly.

If you want him to gain weight, and survive, you need to keep him at the correct temps for the species. Here where I am, we usually have warm sunny winter spells with highs in the 70s or 80. We'll also have colder rainy days where the highs don't get out of the 50's. In winter I set my heated box thermostats to 86 so they always have a place to go get warm. In summer, when day time highs are around 100 every day, I either unplug the boxes or set the thermostats to 70. In spring and fall, with warm days in the 70s and 80s, I set the thermostats around 80.

About your diet:

• I find timothy hay too stemmy. They certainly can and will eat it, but orchard grass hay and bermuda hay work better.
• Opuntia cactus pads are a great part of a varied diet.
• What is fauder? I looked it up: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fauder
• Weeds and clover are great.
• I have no experience with dahlias, so no comment there...
• Spinach or squash is okay as a small percentage once in a while, but shouldn't be a regular item.
• Cucumber and lettuce are a waste of stomach space. I'd skip those in favor of something more nutritious.
• What type of tortoise kibble? There are many on the market now.
• Here is a list of good stuff to feed: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

I would take a stool sample to a good reptile vet and check for parasites. What type and how many? This could be a factor.

How big is your tortoise? The age doesn't help us as they can grow at wildly different rates.

If you are not feeding Mazuri, you might give it a try. Most tortoises love it and its a good way to supplement their diet and put on weight. Be sure to get the regular kind and not the newer "LS" type.

 

[JoesMum]

Dahlias may be fed in moderation according to The Tortoise Table Plant Database

See here for more information http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=538&c=5#.Wc_7-6XTXo4

 

[Big Charlie]

Hi, the secret to him gaining weight in the winter is to keep him warm enough to digest his food. Put the heat in the night box, block off the burrow, and train him to use the night box every night. For years, Charlie didn't have a heated night box, just a heat lamp on the patio that he used sporadically, preferring his burrow. During those years, he might spend weeks down in his burrow in the winter without coming up. Ever since he has had a heated well-insulated night box that keeps him heated up to 80 degrees, he eats every day, no matter how cold it is outside. He can eat when it is cold because he can warm up enough in the night box to digest his food.