Sulcata Tortoise Part 3 - Diet, Care, Food, Feeding & TTT APP

#sulcata , #sulcatatortoise , #tortoise , #turtle , #reptiles

Caring for, raising and keeping your tortoise heathy is not for everyone. You see these cute little guys in pet stores, swap meets, online and think this would be a nice addition to the family. Do you research, know what you are getting into.

In this video series I will be talking about Large Tortoise, NOT talking about Hatchlings, Small Tortoise, Breeding, Cold Climates. I have been rescuing large Tortoises for over 30 years now and have had these guys in all types of enclosures and housing. The diet for these beautiful creatures is something that needs a lot of thought and care.

SULCATA: Diet, Caring & Feeding

Sulcatas are voracious eaters, sometimes called “EATING MACHINES”
The phrase used most commonly by sulcata owners to describe their tortoises is “eating machine.” Sulcatas graze and forage for hours during the day. In captivity, they need to be able to graze on pesticide- and herbicide-free grasses and weeds.

Grass/Hay – 75%-80% Diet
Sulcata tortoises NEED access to grasses and hay on which to graze. This is the bulk of their diet (upto 90%) and should be from pesticide- and herbicide-free grass and grass cuttings, cheat grass, clover, edible flowers (nasturtium, geraniums, hibiscus, rose petals) and shrubs.
o Avoid feeding predominately alfalfa hay, as this is high in oxalates and can cause stone formation within the bladder, kidney failure and decrease life-span.
o Grass hays to offer include: Timothy, meadow grass, oat hay, orchard grass.

Balanced Diet: About 10%-15% of overall Diet
o Collard Greens, Kale, Romaine, Carrots, Squash, Pumpkins, Broccoli, Corn on the cob. Etc.
o Radicchio, Mustard Greens, Endive, Turnip Greens, Arugula
o Colored Flowers – Roses, Hibiscus, Etc
o Garden growing several of these in the summer

Special Treats: Maybe 5% of the Diet
Fruits should be fed sparingly, as a treat. These tend to be high in sugar and water content, both of which sulcatas are not accustomed to receiving in the wild. Fruits that are appropriate to offer as treats include: strawberries, chunks of organically grown bananas with skin, cantaloupe with rind attached, berries; peaches (no pits), apricots (no pits), pears, apples.


Supplements: “MAZURI”
o Difficult to feed / very difficult to force them to eat.

Keep Clean / Off the Dirt, Rocks
o They will ingest anything small/colorful

** Never (1) kind all the time

Do not Over Feed, maintain a balanced diet.

WATER:
Shallow Dish, Clean Water
o Planter Base
o Custom, Concrete
• A shallow water bowl, with sides low enough for the tortoise to reach into, should be available at all times if there is no wallow available. Tortoises do not swim, and can drown easily. You need to make sure they can easily access the water but that it is not any deeper than the tortoise’s bridge, the section of shell that joins the carapace (top shell) and plastron (bottom shell).
o This should be changed daily.

APPs
There are tons of plants in and around our homes. How do we know if they are safe and something we should be feeding to our Tortoises. Let me show you a couple APPs that can be used to get plants that are a good source for a balanced diet.

o PLANTApp – Plant Identifer
 The APP will identify plants and also can store them if you like for future reference.
 Once you download the APP, Using your phone/tablet, take a picture of the plant for identification. The APP will search the database.
 Once the Plant is identified the APP will display a picture and the name of the plant.

o TTT Plant Database - The Tortoise Table
 This APP will help determine if a plant is something that should be feed to your tortoise.
 The APP does not have a SEARCH feature, the plants are simply listed in Alphabetical order. Next to each listed plant is 3 different icons. “Green Check” means “SAFE” to eat, “’ORANGE Triangle” means “MODERATION”, The “RED X” means “DO NOT FEED”.
 Website:
 https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/i...
 The Tortoise Table: Is an excellent resource for anyone who care for Tortoises. The site was put together by a group of Tortoise Enthusiasts. They have a ton of information for caring for our Big Boys. Check it out.

There are also some resources that can be printed as a reference.
I actually have a couple of these laminated that I hand out to other Tortoise keepers.

  / 442830575863401324  

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/3377768...

  / 419186677817625263  
  / 112590059418942613  

https://alles2021.netlify.app/leopard...

Sulcate Tortoise, Sulcate Tortoise Care, Sulcata Care, Tortoise Care, Spurred Tortoise, African Tortoise, Huge tortoise, large tortoise, big tortoise, giant tortoise, Tortoise Enclosure, Tortoise Housing, Tortoise Fencing, Sulcata Diet, Tortorise diet, feeding sulcate, feeding Tortoises