Grass is an essential food for your sulcata tortoises. You should buy pesticide-free grass and hay for your tortoise, and you can also include some edible flowers in its diet. Avoid giving your tortoise alfalfa hay, which is high in oxalates, a type of compound that can damage your tortoise’s kidneys. Also, don’t feed your sulcata tortoise moldy hay.
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Grass
Grass is an essential part of any tortoise’s diet. This species evolved in a semi-arid climate and must have a high-fiber grass diet to survive. Providing the wrong types of foods can result in accelerated growth, pyramided shells, health problems, and even drastically shorter life spans. Grass-eating tortoises depend on beneficial bacteria in the intestines to digest grasses.
A diet high in calcium is essential for your tortoise’s health, and it’s not hard to get the right mix of greens. Grass-based mixes and leafy greens (such as spinach, kale, and collard greens) are great options for them. Since they eat the plants until they are no longer available, you can rotate your tortoise’s enclosure between different types of plants. A shallow bath once a week will help keep them from dehydrating and encourage them to eliminate waste products.
Hay
Hay is what sulcata tortises eat. It is one of the main ingredients of their diet and should be varied to ensure their health. There are several types of hay that sulcata tortoises can eat. The most common type is timothy, which has a high fiber content and a good calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. This type of hay has approximately 8% protein, which is moderate for sulcatas.
Sulcata tortoises should eat a variety of grasses. If kept in an enclosure, they can comfortably graze on pesticide-free grass. Timothy hay or oat hay can also be provided for indoors, but be sure to avoid alfa hay. Hay that contains alfa is toxic for sulcata tortoises and may be harmful to the animals.
Other feed store grasses
Other feed store grasses for sulphata tortoises include the following plants: Malvaceae, Onagraceae, and other related plants. These plants contain small and large legumes. Prairie acacia provides shelter and food. The leaves and tender stems of Plantago spp. and Zygophyllaceae (including Snapdragon vine) are also suitable for tortoises.
Sulcata tortoises are naturally adapted to live in a semi-arid climate. A diet rich in grasses will help them avoid dehydration, promote healthy growth, and increase their lifespan. Feeding the wrong foods will accelerate their growth and lead to pyramided shells and other health issues. Grass-based food is best for sulcata tortoises. Avoid feeding them high-protein foods, which can lead to rapid growth and pyramided shells.
Fruits
Sulcata tortoises can ingest a variety of fruits, but their main diet consists of leafy greens, such as spinach and kale. These vegetables should comprise 40% of their diet, and you should exclude greens with high oxalates. The remaining 20% of their diet should consist of other vegetables, such as raw carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, corn on the cob, and escarole. Fruits should only make up 10% of their diet.
You can offer fruits to your Sulcata tortoise in moderation, but you should avoid pomegranate and lemon, which contain active ingredients that are harmful to the tortoise. These fruits are high in tannins, which hinder iron absorption, and red currant contains traces of hydrogen cyanide. Avoid feeding your tortoise ripe or unripe fruit, as they can attract wasps.
Mud
Sulcata tortoises are known as “eating machines,” because they graze on grasses and weeds all day long. Their diet consists mainly of grasses, including prickly pears and mulberry leaves. They are also attracted to flowers and other plant life. Mud is also a valuable source of calcium.
These animals are also very fond of burrowing. Sulcatas don’t like to live in sand, and need a place to dig. You can build a hole in a plastic tub or flower pot for your pet. You can also place sphagnum moss in the bottom of the container to increase humidity levels. The sulcata tortoise needs a warm, damp habitat for proper health.
