Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi tortu-experts,

I just bought timothy hay for my Greek tort and baby Hermanns and they don't eat it. They play/hide under it. They don't seem to eat it.

The stuff is very dry and its texture like straw. I bought it at a feed store where they sell food for horses and cattle. Is this the same timothy the torts eat? Am I suppose to soak it? I rinsed it out before I put it in their enclosures. it seems too tough for their little tortu-mouths.

How long does it stay fresh? It's a bale of hay in a plastic bag (it was the minimum they could sell).

What to do with it?

Thanks in advance!

TT

None of my torts will touch this stuff, I use timothy hay mainly as bedding material. If your tort has access to fresh greens/food he will not eat it, you can chop it up finely and mix it with his food if you want to make sure they get enough fiber.

i use the stuff you're describing as a substrate. if you go to one of the super-chain pet stores you can find small flat plastic bags of fresher timothy hay -- tender leaves and virtually no straw-like chards. i soak the tender stuff in warm water and occasionally offer it to my russians. otherwise cut it up and mix in with their greens. can't beat the fiber.

matt

Many small torts will not eat timothy hay for a long time,
don't give up but don't go crazy and try to starve them into
it or anything.
There are different brands and I've found that Kaytee brand
to be the softest, most grass-like hay, available at PetSmart.
I still soak it in water first, you can soak a small amount
in hot water, I use a bucketful of hay and do this outside with the
hose. My sulcata wouldn't eat hay for a long time, now that's
mostly what he eats and a lot of it, like a cow. He's so heavy
now that I can not lift him safely anymore (sigh!), over 90 pounds.
You can soak it and make a little mound then toss some greens
onto it (instead of the other way around trying to mix hay in
with the greens). Let them pick around at it. Use dry hay for
bedding and hide piles. Don't leave the old/wet hay around for
more than a day or two, toss it and start fresh.
Don't try to rush or force this, and eventually they'll come
around, it is very coarse and objectional to many torts. Look
for the Kaytee brand. Good luck, niki and teddy

the most effective way (fme) is grind/mix them up with their current fav; say mazuri...ect, then gradually phased down (the maz and others) and have these occupied da major seats in your buffet...