What Do African Spurred Tortoise Eat?

what do african spurred tortoise eat

African spurred tortoises (Geochelone sulcata) are the largest continental tortoise species worldwide, reaching weights over 200 pounds and 30 inches from nose to tail. Being grazers, they require constant access to fresh hay and grasses for food.

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Rep-Cal, powdered calcium carbonate, may provide added nutritional support. Provide a shallow dish of water at all times; and soak babies twice weekly in warm chin-deep water.

Contents

Grass/Hay

Geochelone sulcata, more commonly known as the African spur-thigh tortoise, is one of the largest land tortoises species worldwide and one of the few that can reach 30 inches long and weight over 100 pounds.

Sulcata tortoises in the wild consume grasses and other grazing vegetation for up to 90% of their diet, as well as some cacti, flowers and fruits. While they rarely need to drink water directly in nature, most get all their hydration needs met through food alone.

Sulcata tortoises in captivity thrive when given a diet consisting of high fiber/low protein food sources like alfalfa and timothy hays, with vegetables such as dark leafy greens, fruit, beans sprouts or peas with high amounts of proteins like bean sprouts or peas that contains large amounts of proteins; excessive intake can lead to scute pyramiding that deforms their carapace. Alongside their diet of mixed hays and veggies they should also receive multivitamin/mineral supplements every feeding.

Vegetables

Geochelone sulcata tortoises, the largest continental tortoise species, weigh in at 200+ pounds and reach 30 inches from nose to tail. As herbivorous eaters in nature, captive specimens require an ideal diet consisting of hay, grasses and vegetables in order to thrive successfully.

Sulcata tortoises typically feed on fibrous grasses in their diet. Flowers, fruits and cacti pads may also provide sustenance when available.

Sulcata tortoises should be provided a variety of dark leafy greens (collard greens, turnip greens and kale) along with other vegetables like dandelion leaves, sow thistle leaves, edible flowers squash pumpkin and corn. Some individuals may prefer commercial pelleted diets like Zoo Med’s Grassland Tortoise Diet which is fine; however fresh vegetables should make up at least part of their food source; lightly dust all foods once every week with calcium powder without vitamin D3.

Fruit

Sulcata tortoises in the wild typically rely on grasses and hay as food sources; captive populations should follow suit by providing similar diets. A mix of alfalfa hay and ryegrass works well; you could also offer oat grass, which offers lower protein and calcium intake but more fiber content; it can even be soaked with water to make it soft enough for some tortoises to enjoy eating it!

Fruit should only be provided as occasional treats; not on a regular basis. Avoid giving mangoes, bananas, berries and other high sugar fruits like mangoes as these can be difficult for tortoises to digest, leading to health complications in excess.

Sulcata tortoises, like other tortoises, require movement and exercise in order to thrive. They like digging holes for burrowing underground animals to inhabit. Although great climbers, they can encounter difficulties trying to scale objects that are too steep and eventually flip over, leaving them exposed and vulnerable against heat waves. As such, they usually retreat into their pallets or mud wallows, spending hours there flipping cool mud onto themselves!

Cuttlebone

Cuttlebones may not be part of our natural diets, but they can still help keep our beaks trim while providing some calcium. When selecting one for use in this manner, two options exist – natural turtle bones like Sepia turtle bone or non-natural but easier-to-use Penn Plax E2 models which contain minerals that make for less brittle pieces with better mineral enrichment properties.

Geochelone sulcata) tortoises in the wild feed on African grasses that make up as much as 90 percent of their diet, in addition to weeds, edible cacti, and flowers when available. Conserving energy by moving slowly while receiving all their moisture needs through food alone; at the Zoo we have witnessed that Sulcata tortoises show little interest in drinking from standing water sources – further evidence that their food provides all they require!

Your Sulcata Tortoise should never be fed cheese, dairy products, cat or dog food, flavored reptile food products or commercial tortoise diets. In particular, be cautious of offering greens rich in oxalates such as kale, collard greens or turnips to your pet as these may contain toxic levels of oxalates which could prove fatal to its health.