Sulcata tortoise bedding, feeding questions?

Question

I just received a sulcata tortoise, estimated to be 3-4 months old, as a birthday gift. I have researched how to take care of them and I'm fully committed to the work it's going to take. I was just wondering what are the best kinds of bedding, food, and vitamins/minerals for such a tortoise? Anything from personal experience would be great.

Answer 1

Depends on where you live...I am in Arizona so my tortoise gets my entire backyard...except when he wants inside the house (then he opens the sliding glass patio door himself and comes on in. I feed my sulcata a variety of grass and hay. You can buy timothy hay, orchard grass, alfalfa hay, and the like at any petsmart store. We will also give him the occasional strawberry as a treat. My Sulcata also loves cactus pads and prickly pear fruit, which also provide water. I have also dug a mud pit in my yard and fill it with water a few times a week so he can drink and splash around. (He loves throwing the mud all over himself)...Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I have two sulcata tortoises that are both about a year old.  after using various bedding materials i have found that Zoo Med Eco Earth has worked the best. I used alfalfa meal pellets for the first few months which worked well but since I switched to a bigger terrarium (2 ft X 4 ft) the Eco Earth has worked very well.  It is inexpensive but it takes a little more work.  It comes in brick form.  You mix it with water and it expands.  From there I set it outside to let it dry out completely.  It works great for them to dig and climb on.  As far as the food goes I use a mix of Nature Zone Bites for Tortoises and Zoo Med Natural Grassland Tortoise Food.  My tortoises love the Nature Zone Bites and they get the right diet with the Zoo Med Tortoise food.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I also have a Sulcata who is just a little over a year old. For bedding I use sterile playground sand, which I get at Lowe's, a home improvement store for just under $5 a bag. It's clean and a lot less messy when you pour it. I also put a layer of newspaper on the bottom to soak up any excreted fluids, if you know what I mean. You will need to get the UV lights, which I'm sure you know. I use a 100 watt white bulb for 12 hours during the day and a 75 watt red bulb at night that doesn't conflict with it's sleep cycle. I use a calcium supplement powder called ReptoMIn (I believe). It's just a white powder. Make sure to follow the directions very carefully. Not enough can cause soft shell while too much can cause pyramiding (which is really bad). For food I use a pellet made for tortoises, but I got it from the breeder I got my tortoise from. They also love grasses, hays, alfalfa, spinach, and romaine lettuce (never iceberg). They can also eat dandelion flowers and leaves (not the stems, they are poisonous). If you have any more questions please email me at [e-mail] like I said, I have one at home and am more than happy to have found someone else who has one too!  ~Rae~

Answer 4

Diet

African Sulcata Tortoises have voracious appetites. Providing a proper diet is critical for Sulcata Tortoise health. They require a diet high in fiber and calcium and low in fat and protein. In the wild, Sulcatas graze, similarly to cows or sheep, and the desert vegetation is often coarse and of poor nutritional quality. Offering a diet of higher nutritional quality can lead to malformations of the shell, too rapid of growth rate, diarrhea, and other problems. Grass hay or hay flakes most closely resemble their natural vegetation.

Grass hay and hay flakes may be bought commercially or grass pasture seed may be purchased and grown. Clover is another source of forage. Dark green leafy vegetables should be offered, but should make up less than 25% of the diet. Appropriate items include turnip greens, endive, escarole, dandelions, and small amounts of romaine lettuce (not iceberg lettuce). Spinach, beet greens, carrot tops, kale, broccoli, and especially rhubarb, contain high amounts of oxalates which bind calcium, so these should be offered in limited quantities, if at all. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, and mustard greens contain substances called "goitrogens" which can affect thyroid function, although this effect is seldom seen unless large amounts of these foods are fed. Small amounts of strawberries, bananas, melon, berries, and apples may be given. A calcium supplement needs to be given regularly. A vitamin/mineral supplement is also recommended. Tortoises are herbivores, so meat-based food items should not be fed.

Because Sulcatas are such voracious eaters, they produce a large amount of waste. Sulcatas will regularly eat their own and other animal f***s; fecal samples should regularly be checked by a veterinarian to be sure they are free from bacterial, protozoan, and worm infestations. Daily cleaning of the yard is required to keep it sanitary.

As hatchlings, African Sulcatas can be kept in vivariums or dry aquariums. Because of their size, juveniles and adults are best suited for the outdoors. A "house" large enough for the Sulcata to move around in, such as a lean-to or dog house, must be provided to protect them from cool or inclement weather. A heat source may need to be provided in the house depending on the environmental temperature. It is extremely important that the outdoor house remains dry inside; it is best kept raised slightly off the ground with a wide ramp that is not too steep to prevent the toppling over of the tortoise.

Answer 5

In terms of bedding... well sulcatas get big, so I would do the old fashion way and do tons and tons of newspaper, with a layer of sand and peat moss. You might go through that stuff fast, so make sure you have plenty of extras. In terms of food never feed yours lettuce. I used to do that to my tortoise, but now I know better. (At least I would sprinkle it with calcium powder first.)  Feed them leafy greens like celery, sliced carrots, or anything that it wants for that matter. You can let it eat plants in your yard although that shouldn't be the full portion of it's diet, give it assorted grasses like fescue and wheatgrass. Never give it too much fruit, and a calcium supplement is fine as long as it has not a high level of phosphorus.

Hope your tortoise has a nice life, and I hoped I helped!