sulcata tortoises

Question
QUESTION: i have a baby sulcat and i was wondering if it was alright that i feed it grass clippings?
also what other foods would make a good diet?

ANSWER: Hi Nathan, Absolutely, various types of grasses and weeds should ideally make up the bulk of your sulcata's diet. Just be quite certain that the clippings are free of weed-killers or other chemicals. It is best to avoid grass from areas that have been exposed to alot of car exhaust as well. I'm including the diet link from sulcata station which has a very comprehensive list of the types of plants and grasses that your tortoise will do well on. It also has information on some of the food items to limit or avoid.

http://www.sulcata-station.org/diet.html

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QUESTION: also it is okay to give parsley, basil and chives to the baby sulcata


Answer
Hi Nathan, I would offer those in only small amounts. The parsley and chives are both quite high in oxalates which bind with calcium making it unavailable to your tortoise. I could not find that much info on basil, although it does have a good calcium to phosphorous ratio, I would limit it just to be safe. I used to offer basil to my tortoises in small amounts but they were not that interested in it, perhaps the taste and scent was too strong.