The most common foods that Sulcata tortoises eat are fruits, flowers, weeds, and grass. Some species of clover are also acceptable. This article discusses how to provide the right diet for your pet. Listed below are some ideas. You can also give your pet a small amount of a meaty fish or poultry. A high-protein diet will result in pyramiding of the scutes. Providing a moist substrate also increases the likelihood of infections. These infections will manifest themselves as white patches on the skin and may have a foul odor.
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Fruit
While tortoises generally consume an alfalfa or timothy hay diet, they can occasionally be given fruits or vegetables in small quantities. These tortoises are not used to eating sugary foods and therefore, their addition is not harmful to their health. Make sure that you provide fresh water at all times. Young tortoises should be soaked in a shallow bath of warm water once a week. This will prevent dehydration and encourage waste products elimination.
Flowers
Sulcata tortoises are strictly vegetarians. In the wild, they feed on dry fibrous grasses and occasional fruits and blossoms. In captivity, you can give them grasses, including Timothy grass, oat hay, or beet greens. Avoid giving them human foods, such as beans and processed food, as they are high in sugar, salt, and fat.
Grass
Sulcata tortoises are born with a belly button and do not leave their burrows to find food. Their egg sac is a source of nutrition that has already been digested. After it hatches, the baby sulcata has to seek out food outside the burrow. This means feeding them green plants and grass, but not cooked human food.
Various species of clover
African sulcata tortoises can be kept indoors or outside in a dry enclosure. The hatchlings and juveniles should not be exposed to any chemicals or pesticides in their enclosures. The best place for these tortoises is a vivarium that is large enough for them to move around comfortably. They should also be able to climb and enjoy being outdoors.
Various species of grasses
Generally speaking, sulcata tortoises are herbivores and should be fed a diet rich in fiber and low in protein. To help them get the best nutrition, you should give them grass hay or timothy hay. The leaves of African sumac trees are also good choices for your pet’s diet. The sulcata is the third largest species of mainland tortoise.
Soy- or corn-based diets are not recommended
Sulcata tortoises are notorious for their high levels of waste production. Their high activity levels result in higher calcium deposits in their bones. To keep their waste disposal in check, keep them away from soy or corn-based diets. Sulcatas prefer vegetation and can live in as little as five gallons of enclosure.
Providing a heat source
In captivity, most sulcata tortoises live for 80 to 100 years. The correct humidity in the habitat is vital to the development of smooth shell vertebrae. The proper humidity level prevents pyramiding of the scutes, a common problem among tortoises kept in habitats with low humidity. The appropriate humidity also promotes the growth of smooth shell vertebrae. If the habitat is too damp, the tortoises may develop infections, usually seen as white patches on the shell vertebrae.
