not enough fiber

[mwindman]

My sulcata only wants to eat prickly pear; I have tried mixing in hay wet and dry with the prickly pear and now he has a little diarrhea; I feed only natural food that is on the list; I am worried that he is not getting enough hay; can someone help with this to get Morris to eat more hay or another option.
Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm sure that if you stopped offering the cactus he would eat something else. He has you trained and he knows that you will cave in. I'm guessing your tortoise is quite young? They usually won't eat hay until they get a bit bigger. Clip some grass with the scissors and sprinkle it over the top of moistened Spring Mix ( a packaged greens mixture) then mix it up. He will eat it. They can hold out for food a lot longer than you can hold out from giving him cactus. It won't hurt him to not eat for a day or two while you try to get him to eat something else. Just don't offer cactus anymore, and use it as a once-a-month treat.

Yvonne

 

[mwindman]

I'm sure that if you stopped offering the cactus he would eat something else. He has you trained and he knows that you will cave in. I'm guessing your tortoise is quite young? They usually won't eat hay until they get a bit bigger. Clip some grass with the scissors and sprinkle it over the top of moistened Spring Mix ( a packaged greens mixture) then mix it up. He will eat it. They can hold out for food a lot longer than you can hold out from giving him cactus. It won't hurt him to not eat for a day or two while you try to get him to eat something else. Just don't offer cactus anymore, and use it as a once-a-month treat.

Yvonne

I have clipped grass and different plants that were on the list; What is spring mix and where can I get it in arizona? How old are they when they will start eating hay; We figure Morris is about 1 1/2 years old, I think. Is there a way to tell for sure how old a sulcata is?

 

[Yvonne G]

Spring mix, sometimes called "Baby Greens" is a packaged lettuce sold in the produce section of the Grocery store. It comes in bags or if you want larger amounts, it comes in a large clear plastic tub. It is made up of many different types of greens, picked at a very young stage of their growth. Things like escarole, endive, mustard greens, raddiccio, etc. It is a very good variety of greens for a young tortoise.

Yvonne

 

[Yvonne G]

Sorry, I neglected the other two questions:

How to tell how old? There is no set way to tell. I recently rescued a young sulcata that was purchased at a pet store 1 1/2 years ago, so is most likely under 2 years old. He is very small and fits in the palm of my hand. And yet, I've seen 2 year old sulcatas that you need two hands to hold. They grow at different rates.

When will he eat hay? Some tortoises never develop a taste for hay. But babies especially won't eat it. I purchase "Salad-style hay" from www.carolinapetsupply.com/ It is orchard grass hay already chopped up into baby bite sized pieces. You moisten the greens and sprinkle just a pinch of the hay over the greens, then mix it in. Because the greens are moist, the hay sticks and the tortoise will eat it accidentally. Don't try to force too much on him, or he'll not eat the greens at all. They just don't like hay when they're babies.

Yvonne

 

[mwindman]

Sorry, I neglected the other two questions:

How to tell how old? There is no set way to tell. I recently rescued a young sulcata that was purchased at a pet store 1 1/2 years ago, so is most likely under 2 years old. He is very small and fits in the palm of my hand. And yet, I've seen 2 year old sulcatas that you need two hands to hold. They grow at different rates.

When will he eat hay? Some tortoises never develop a taste for hay. But babies especially won't eat it. I purchase "Salad-style hay" from www.carolinapetsupply.com/ It is orchard grass hay already chopped up into baby bite sized pieces. You moisten the greens and sprinkle just a pinch of the hay over the greens, then mix it in. Because the greens are moist, the hay sticks and the tortoise will eat it accidentally. Don't try to force too much on him, or he'll not eat the greens at all. They just don't like hay when they're babies.

Yvonne

Thank you very much for your help; My Morris is the size of a desert plate I guess you would call it; He is about two palm of you hands; I did find the spring mix but there is some many different kinds I hope I got the right one; I also went and got some commercial tortoise food for the fiber; I am not going to feed that to him permanently but for now to get some fiber in him; He also has a small chip in his shell at the bottom of his left hind leg; It is not bleeding or looks raw is it usual for them to chip the shell a little; I am going to take him to the vet next week on Friday because I will feel better knowing; I am trying to ge a fecal to test for parasites. I work at a vet office and am a tech but we don't do reptiles and never have had any. So I really appreciate your help.
Thank you Michelle

 

[Yvonne G]

Spring Mix is also called Milange a Printepts or some such French name. I'm assuming it means Spring mix in French. Quite a few folks swear by feeding the tortoises Mazuri Tortoise Pellets, and I feed my Aldabrans Mazuri at least once a week because the only food they get is graze, and when I feed the Mazuri I can sprinkle it with vitamens and calcium so I'm sure they are getting what they need to grow strong and healthy. They grow so fast, I'm sure grass isn't quite enough for them. Any vet can look at a stool sample under the microscope and i.d. the parasite eggs. They don't have to be a reptile vet.

Yvonne