Time To Move The Babies Outside!

Yvonne G

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There are two containers of baby box turtles living in my laundry room. The weather has warmed up enough that I think they can be happy if moved outside now. I start with location. Yup, the old stove is a good location. It's on the north side of the house and the sun's orientation through the summer never gets far enough north to make this location be in full sun. So, a piece of plywood to distribute the weight of the Christmas Tree Storage Bin, and all the accoutrements needed to house babies for the summer:

box turtle babies 5-30-17 a.jpg Box Turtle Babies 5-30-17 b.jpg Box Turtle Babies 5-30-17 c.jpg Box Turtle Babies 5-30-17 d.jpg

I figured my African Violets might enjoy spending the summer outside too:Box Turtle Babies 5-30-17 e.jpg

Next, drop the water container of rocks so you have to pick them all up again:Box Turtle Babies 5-30-17 f.jpg


Add the shredded cypress mulch:
Box Turtle Babies 5-30-17 g.jpg

Next go get the babies. Most of these are three toe, but I think there may be a gulf coast in there too:

Box Turtle Babies 5-30-17 h.jpg


Box Turtle Babies 5-30-17 i.jpg Box Turtle Babies 5-30-17 j.jpg

I still have this little group to move outside, but I think they may now be big enough to move into the big turtles' area. I'll have to watch for a while to be sure the adults don't pick on them:

Box Turtle Babies 5-30-17 k.jpg


So. . . now the location for the baby desert tortoises. Don't want to section off part of the sulcata yard - Dudley wouldn't stand for it. I have a pretty big area, clockwise starting at 6 o'clock - quarantine (occupied), Russians, deserts, Texas then Dudley:

baby desert tortoise 5-30-17 a.jpg
Quarantine, young desert tortoise up for adoption:
Baby Desert Tortoise 5-30-17 b.jpg

And the Texas yard right next door:

Baby Desert Tortoise 5-30-17 c.jpg

This looks like a good spot. There's morning up until about 2p shade from a young mulberry tree. So I lay out the scrap lumber to see where to dig the post hole:

Baby Desert Tortoise 5-30-17 d.jpg

Ah, just right. Now to furnish it.
Baby Desert Tortoise 5-30-17 e.jpg
A couple sun tolerant plants and a hiding place:
Baby Desert Tortoise 5-30-17 f.jpg

Baby Desert Tortoise 5-30-17 g.jpg

Baby Desert Tortoise 5-30-17 h.jpg

I still have a baby sulcata to move outside. I was hoping to have him adopted out before he had to go outside, darn it.
 
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Yvonne G

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Where the baby sulcata lives now:

baby sulcata 6-1-17 a.jpg

That's his feeding station. He's trying to make a cave under it but it keeps collapsing on him.

So I went out to look around for a good spot to make a baby sulcata pen. I spied an unused corner of the leopard yard, a spot that the sprinkler doesn't reach, so the grass doesn't grow there. I found a piece of used 1x12 and put it up across the corner:

Baby sulcata 6-1-17 b.jpg


baby sulcata 6-1-17 c.jpg
Then I went into the back yard and dug up a plug of Bermuda grass and planted it in the new pen. Once the roots get established I'll take the scissors and trim the grass back. They don't seem to like the taste of it when its allowed to get long:
baby sulcata 6-1-17 d.jpg

I've got a 18" length of 10" PVC that's cut in half lengthwise in the far corner and it's covered with garden detritus. The water is in the corner at the front and a piece of broken cement is up against the wall on the right for a feeding station:baby sulcata 6-1-17 e.jpg baby sulcata 6-1-17 f.jpg

This little guy is "Kona." He came to me from SoCal because he was being kept with another young sulcata who wasn't doing well - the pair thing. The SoCal member tells me that the other tortoise has been gaining weight since Kona moved away and eats well.
 

kathyth

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Nice outdoor enclosures, Yvonne! You have good options!!
 

Anyfoot

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Excellent photos Yvonne. Love seeing how you do things.
 

Taco*mom

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Aug 3, 2016
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Great post Yvonne! I see garden's corner differently now. The rock container part was too funny :p
 
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