What to feed??

[kcarlile08]

What do people feed when there is no option to get things from outside? I have used spring mix with no spinach for the last little bit but I am sure there is more I can add than that just not sure. I am adding a picture of some pellets I tried but they were a no go no matter how I soaked it or mixed it in the greens. My sulcata is only 3 months old so I don't think she will eat hay yet.

 

[Prairie Mom]

I don't have experience feeding a tortoise as young as yours. My older juvenile sulcata eats soaked Mazuri just fine. You may want to try the larger pellets that are not labeled "Ls." The other variety softens easier and many tortoises are less likely to be picky with it.

-Some other grocery store options could include: dandelion greens(some stores sell them), mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, romaine, kale, boc choi/pak choy, the tops of beets, and I'm sure there are tons more that I'm not naming here.

-Plenty of members are freezing and/or drying their own lawn clippings. You can also buy "grass hay" from feed stores, but I don't know how a young sulcata would do with hay? -Maybe if you rehydrate it and chop it up finely?

-Many weeds and plants can be frozen. Grape leaves are a great source of calcium and they freeze and thaw with no issues. This link has a few other ideas of foods you can freeze. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/these-can-be-frozen-thawed-and-retain-good-texture.128563/

-It's also a good idea to dig up and pot good weeds. I have pots of dandelion and mallow that I dug up and they do great indoors. Many weeds and plants can do fine in sunny windows for a long time. Many forum members also grow hibiscus shrubs indoors.

-Shade lawn grass as well as wheat grass and barley grass can grow fine indoors with little light. Clip them when they're tall enough to be fed. Wheat and Barley will need to be reseeded often. I bought large bags on Amazon.

-Many members also buy cactus pads from grocery stores. A forum member named @Will is selling dried Opuntia cactus chips that can be rehydrated. My tortoise loved them. Just send him a "conversation" for details.

-If you ever wanted to venture into growing some tortoise food indoors using only sunny windows, @Odin's Gma is a good person to get in touch with. I have experience growing tortoise food indoors using grow lights and would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

 

[Tom]

The LS is no good for babies. Even my adults won't eat it unless I mix it with regular Mazuri, and my adults will eat ANYTHING.

Try the regular Mazuri. You only need a little bit.

Also try those little organic grass plots from the grocery store or the pet store.

From the grocery store: Favor endive, escarole and spring mix. I also like carrot tops, celery tops, cilantro, water cress and all the stuff listed in the above post.

Hay is really for older ones, but chopped up fresh grass is good for babies.

Lots of good tips from Prairie Mom too. She's awesome!

 

[kcarlile08]

Thanks so much for all of the info and tips! I will have to do a search of the grocery stores in my area to see what I can find. Does mazuri last long? The smallest I can find is 25 pounds and it would take my little one forever to eat that?!

 

[Prairie Mom]

Thanks so much for all of the info and tips! I will have to do a search of the grocery stores in my area to see what I can find. Does mazuri last long? The smallest I can find is 25 pounds and it would take my little one forever to eat that?!

Yes, the Mazuri I've bought does last a fairly long time. But since your tortoise is so small and you are uncertain if he'll eat it at all, I would not buy a big bag that huge.

Amazon also sells Mazuri. I just checked and saw that they have 12oz bags. I would buy a smaller bag online.

 

[lisa127]

I have been feeding dandelion greens. Mustard greens, turnip greens, grass clippings, occasionally collards. I have orchard hay and oat hay in the enclosure always but I don't think he eats it unfortunately.

 

[Odin's Gma]

-If you ever wanted to venture into growing some tortoise food indoors using only sunny windows, @Odin's Gma is a good person to get in touch with.

That is true, my south facing deck doors as kept Odin in more tasty noms than a little tort can eat for a year and a half so far. My operation will be scaled back a bit this year since he has his own indoor greenhouse, but I still have a whole lot growing in the windows as back-up and replacement food. I will be happy to answer any questions you have.

 

[kcarlile08]

That is true, my south facing deck doors as kept Odin in more tasty noms than a little tort can eat for a year and a half so far. My operation will be scaled back a bit this year since he has his own indoor greenhouse, but I still have a whole lot growing in the windows as back-up and replacement food. I will be happy to answer any questions you have.

What have you found grows the best indoors? I do have a large front window but don't have a very large space for growing things. I did find a portable greenhouse on wheels that is about 24in by 24in and 5ft tall, with shelves in it, does that sound like a decent amount of space? Where do you usually find your seeds/starts from? I am sure I would have to find them online as we are under about a foot of snow here lol.

 

[Odin's Gma]

What have you found grows the best indoors? I do have a large front window but don't have a very large space for growing things. I did find a portable greenhouse on wheels that is about 24in by 24in and 5ft tall, with shelves in it, does that sound like a decent amount of space? Where do you usually find your seeds/starts from? I am sure I would have to find them online as we are under about a foot of snow here lol.

The nice thing about my set-up last year was that it didn't really matter what flourished because it was food within a month, so really as long as I could get it to sprout and grow to about 3-6 inches tall it was delicious!
But from seeds most of the grasses have done very well, along with clover, radish and carrot (both for the greens and in small amounts) they are also the quickest. Plenty of others did well also, but took longer.
Yes, that is plenty of space, I don't have much more than that.
I get the majority of my seeds online, even in the summer, It just gives me a broader selection. Most neighborhood gardening sections don't carry weed seeds.

Here is the whole thread from last winter. It's long, but it has a lot of info and resources. I learned a lot, I hope it helps.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/gmas-indoor-winter-gardening-and-sulcata-brag-thread.112815/

And I will be under a foot of snow before long too, so the indoor gardening skills are a necessity!

 

[kcarlile08]

The nice thing about my set-up last year was that it didn't really matter what flourished because it was food within a month, so really as long as I could get it to sprout and grow to about 3-6 inches tall it was delicious!
But from seeds most of the grasses have done very well, along with clover, radish and carrot (both for the greens and in small amounts) they are also the quickest. Plenty of others did well also, but took longer.
Yes, that is plenty of space, I don't have much more than that.
I get the majority of my seeds online, even in the summer, It just gives me a broader selection. Most neighborhood gardening sections don't carry weed seeds.

Here is the whole thread from last winter. It's long, but it has a lot of info and resources. I learned a lot, I hope it helps.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/gmas-indoor-winter-gardening-and-sulcata-brag-thread.112815/

And I will be under a foot of snow before long too, so the indoor gardening skills are a necessity!

Thank you so much for the link to that post! I have a ton of info now and am excited to get started!

 

[Odin's Gma]

Thank you so much for the link to that post! I have a ton of info now and am excited to get started!

It's been a year and a half and I am still excited! I just love to watch his grumpy face go to less grumpy when he tries something new.