Sulcata not eating right

[Aloysius Taschse]

Hey everyone,

I have a 4 month old sulcata named Kiwi. She has been doing great and eating perfectly normal but recently she has stopped eating dandelion greens and her collard greens. Then she stopped eating Kale. Now basically her entire diet is Romaine & Tortoise Pellets. I just wanted to know if this is normal or if there might be a problem behind it. The only reasons I can think of are: A disease or infection, a shortage in some of her other favorite foods, (I was thinking she possibly was depressed without her spinach or something) ?‍♂️ Anyways, I was wondering if anyone had an idea of what to do. I might be overreacting but I just want to make sure she is healthy and happy!

 

[BillyTheSulcata]

I think she needs hay and grass too.

 

[Aloysius Taschse]

I let her eat grass outside and I grind up hay into powder to put in her food since she won't eat plain hay.

 

[Yvonne G]

Actually, all three of those (dandelion, collard, kale) should not be staples. It's ok to add a bit to other greens, but not the main part of the diet. They are cruciferous vegetables. From the net: Very high intakes of cruciferous vegetables...have been found to cause hypothyroidism (insufficient thyroid hormone) in animals . They also contribute to growing bladder or kidney stones in tortoises.

Do a search for edible weeds and plants, then see if you can find edible weeds and plants in your neighborhood.

 

[Aloysius Taschse]

Thank you that will be very helpful!

 

[Tom]

Hey everyone,

I have a 4 month old sulcata named Kiwi. She has been doing great and eating perfectly normal but recently she has stopped eating dandelion greens and her collard greens. Then she stopped eating Kale. Now basically her entire diet is Romaine & Tortoise Pellets. I just wanted to know if this is normal or if there might be a problem behind it. The only reasons I can think of are: A disease or infection, a shortage in some of her other favorite foods, (I was thinking she possibly was depressed without her spinach or something) ?‍♂️ Anyways, I was wondering if anyone had an idea of what to do. I might be overreacting but I just want to make sure she is healthy and happy!

We need more info.

How old and what size? Weight in grams?
How long have you had her?
Where did you get here and how was she started by the breeder?
How are you housing her?
What are your four temperatures? Warm side, cool side, basking area and overnight low?
What heating and lighting equipment are you using to achieve those temps?

The foods you are offering are not ideal. Have you seen this?

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

And this:

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...

Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas. These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Aloysius Taschse]

Her weight is 68 grams, I have had her for about a month, her breeder is a tortoise rescuer who's most recent rescue was pregnant, and I house her in my bedroom in a plastic container with all the essentials. Her basking area has a heating pad of 90 degrees fahrenheit, she has UV lamp, and her humidity level is around 50%. I have had tortoises before and I fed them the equivalent diet, but I guess the breeders and internet told me wrong. Also the breeder let them eat her eggshells, and all 17 of the babies were healthy and happy. The only thing that I thought was inadequate was that she only fed them tomatoes and kale. Thank you for the sites and I will check them out!

 

[Tom]

Her weight is 68 grams, I have had her for about a month, her breeder is a tortoise rescuer who's most recent rescue was pregnant, and I house her in my bedroom in a plastic container with all the essentials. Her basking area has a heating pad of 90 degrees fahrenheit, she has UV lamp, and her humidity level is around 50%. I have had tortoises before and I fed them the equivalent diet, but I guess the breeders and internet told me wrong. Also the breeder let them eat her eggshells, and all 17 of the babies were healthy and happy. The only thing that I thought was inadequate was that she only fed them tomatoes and kale. Thank you for the sites and I will check them out!

Heat mats should never be used for tortoises. They aren't safe.
Humidity needs to be 80+% for a baby sulcata.
Basking temp needs to be around 100 directly under the bulb?
What type of UV bulb? The cfl types are ineffective and sometimes burn their eyes.

This is just a few quick notes to help out. Its all explained more throughly in the care sheet. And questions are welcome.

 

[Aloysius Taschse]

Thank you! I have an eco mat and tiles (for the pad to stick to) over the heating mat so I don't think it will get too hot. The humidity level is 70%, but I mist the substrate at night and since I live in Texas I don't think humidity will be much of a problem. (unless in winter, in which I have cranked it up to 85). The bulb is not cfl and the temperature under the bulb is about 95 degrees, because the hut where she sleeps and the basking spot share the heat pad. I have one more question: Do you have any tips on how to get Kiwi to eat hay? I've tried soaking and blending it but my clever tortoise eventually figures it out and just won't eat it.