What to feed baby sulcata?

polo582

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So I have been reading around about what to feed tortoises, but I can’t find a straight answer. My tortoise is 8 months old, female, and a sulcata. I have been feeding her mainly a spring lettuce mix which has lettuce, arugula, and mizuna. I occasionally add kale every 2 days, and nopalito cactus once a week. I also give her Mazuri tortoise food every other day with her food.
Is this diet okay, if not what should I feed her. Preferably stuff that can be found in grocery stores, if it’s not, ill still go and buy it.

thank you.
 

wellington

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Feed as big a variety as possible. Endive, ridicchio mustard and collard greens as much from the site listed above as possible. Hays, weeds and grasses and flowers if possible
Also, at 8 months there is no way of positively sexing it. Even if hatched at a temp that produces more females is no guarantee. You have a few years before you'll know what the sex is.
 

Tom

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Here is what I recommend for feeding:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

If you haven't seen these yet, there might be some useful info in them:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/


If you must use grocery store foods, favor endive and escarole, but use lots of variety. Cilantro, collard, mustard, and turnip greens, carrot tops, celery tops, etc…

The issues with typical grocery store foods are:
  1. Lacking calcium.
  2. Lacking in fiber.
  3. Low calcium to phosphorous ratio.
This being the case, you'll need to amend the grocery store greens with some blended grass hay, ZooMed Grassland tortoise chow, or fresh grass. Mazuri is a good supplement too. Also look for spineless opuntia pads (Nopales). Those are great tortoise food too.
 

Yvonne G

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Just as an aside, because your question was answered above, even though the breeder may have incubated the eggs for female, it's still an unknown until the tortoise reaches a larger size. So don't be disappointed if, in two or three years, your 'female' tortoise shows you his penis.
 

Learning123

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Here is what I recommend for feeding:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

If you haven't seen these yet, there might be some useful info in them:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/


If you must use grocery store foods, favor endive and escarole, but use lots of variety. Cilantro, collard, mustard, and turnip greens, carrot tops, celery tops, etc…

The issues with typical grocery store foods are:
  1. Lacking calcium.
  2. Lacking in fiber.
  3. Low calcium to phosphorous ratio.
This being the case, you'll need to amend the grocery store greens with some blended grass hay, ZooMed Grassland tortoise chow, or fresh grass. Mazuri is a good supplement too. Also look for spineless opuntia pads (Nopales). Those are great tortoise food too.
My sulcata will not eat the mazuri, what can I do to make it more appealing to him/her? (Please don't mind the food bowl i was changing it out that was his snack after he worked off the food he did it)
20200925_181923.jpg33734.jpeg
 

Tom

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My sulcata will not eat the mazuri, what can I do to make it more appealing to him/her?

No need to make to more appealing. Some of them just don't seem to like it much. If that was the first time you've offered it, keep trying. Tortoises seldom eat new things the first few times they see it. You can try mixing one soaked pellet into the tortoises favorite greens once in a while.

If your tortoise doesn't want to eat it, feed it other things instead. Many many options.
 
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