My understanding is that African Sulcata tortoises are supposed to eat tomothy hay as their main diet, buy I cant get my 15 mo old baby to eat the dry grass. I started her on a diet of red and green leaf lettuce with radicchio (which she really likes) and either dandilion, chickory, or escarol. In any case, she seems to have accustomed to the organic greens and doesnt bother with the grass. I have tried mixing it in a few times but it seems she just picks it out. Im worried that shes starving ): she is really big for her age I think, at least the guy I bought her from said she looked more like a 3 year old when I brought her in recently.
Worried about Sulcata diet
- Thread starter Erick153
- Start date
Baby tortoises won't eat hay. After they get to be about maybe 8" front to back they MIGHT try a bite or two. Try cutting it up into bite sized pieces then soaking the hay in water to soften it. You can then mix this rehydrated hay in with the store bought greens.
Here's a nice list of sulcata food:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads
Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard
Here's a nice list of sulcata food:
Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads
Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard
We have a 2 month old and I tried a trick I learned on here, I take a couple zoomed grassland pellets and grind them up in a coffee grinder and sprinkle them over our baby's food. Try that! Also anything that Yvonne says!
You've gotten some misguided advice there…
Grass is, and should be, a primary food item for sulcatas, but you don't have to use timothy hay at all, and you are better off using fresh grass for a smaller sized tortoises. Like Yvonne said, babies usually won't eat hay at all. Timothy is far to coarse, stiff and stemmy. I won't even use it for my adults sulcatas. I use bermuda grass hay or orchard grass hay.
Tortoises eat what they are used to eating. Most breeders don't introduce them to enough variety and novel foods right after hatching. Its easier to just throw in some romaine. This means the new keeper has to slowly introduce all the correct foods. You should wean out the lettuce. If you must use grocery store foods, as so many people do in winter, favor endive and escarole, but use lots of variety. Add in celery tools, carrot tops, cilantro, turnip, collard and mustard greens, water cress, bok choy, etc. You can also find little plots of pre-sprouted wheat grass at many pet stores and grocery stores. Chop some into the food and mix it all up. Start with small amounts of the new foods at first and gradually add more.
Check this out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
Jesus christ! Seems like these little fellas need a personal chef to keep up with their diets! 
all kidding aside, I do my best to give Ayana a varied diet but she is very oicky and wont eat things she doesnt like. I think thats why I am having so much trouble with the hay. I will try bermuda grass hay and orchard grass hay because I have notice the reason she doesnt bother with the timothy hay is becaus it is is too stemy. Though I hope you understand that she is a huge baby for only being 15 mo old. I would estimate around a 6in shell.. I am worried that the foods I have been feeding her are to rich in nutrients amor something and causing her to grow faster than usual.
all kidding aside, I do my best to give Ayana a varied diet but she is very oicky and wont eat things she doesnt like. I think thats why I am having so much trouble with the hay. I will try bermuda grass hay and orchard grass hay because I have notice the reason she doesnt bother with the timothy hay is becaus it is is too stemy. Though I hope you understand that she is a huge baby for only being 15 mo old. I would estimate around a 6in shell.. I am worried that the foods I have been feeding her are to rich in nutrients amor something and causing her to grow faster than usual.
