Morla says, "Hi!" from SW Florida

FLZooMom

Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2021
Messages
19
Location (City and/or State)
SWFL
Hey everyone!

I've been lurking here for about six or seven months and finally decided to post. I've learned a ton since then from this board and now I want to introduce Morla. We got her when she was 1.5 years old from one of my daughter's co-workers. We know her age and likely sex because we also know the guy who hatched her. When we got her she was living in a small tortoise box and eating romaine lettuce all the time. She had no heat lamp and no real humidity to speak of.

We put her outside in one of my little garden areas and started feeding her an assortment of greens, protein, and some fruit once in a while and then....she escaped. She had pushed a large clay pot with plant in it out of the way and took off. She was gone for three months and even though we looked everywhere we could not find her. I mean on our hands and knees in the bushes looking. It's amazing how well she could hide. At any rate, one day my neighbor came to my door and asked if she was ours. YES! She had grown a great deal while she was gone and we're almost certain she was living under a long hedgerow between our houses and at one point was probably eating a Muscovy duck carcass. At that point we built her a much bigger yard with taller walls and all was good for a couple years. Until a couple weeks ago when she climbed out again. This time she was only gone for a day, though, and we found her next to our house. When my daughter took her back to her yard she was trying to climb back in. Silly girl! Make up your mind!

We knew it was getting close to time to raise her walls but with wood costing so much we were trying to wait it out until prices came down. Needless to say, we went out that day and got the wood to make the walls taller and now she's nice and secure again. In the next month or so we're going to expand it to 6'x18'. That'll give me a chance to plant more edibles in there for her and, of course, give her more space to roam. She lives outside full time except for the couple days a year when it gets too cold, then we bring her in. I want to build her a tortoise box that we can heat for those chilly days and expanding the yard will also allow us to do that.

We have a hibiscus bush, some collard greens, and aloe planted in there for her to eat and some ponytail palms, a yucca type plant, and some bromeliads for her to hide in, under, and around. There's a giant clay saucer for her to soak in and drink from and on the days it doesn't rain or the sprinklers don't go on we make it rain in there for extra moisture and humidity.

Her yard is 6'x10' with 14" walls and she has lots of stuff to eat in there and lots of places to hide. She has her favorite spots of course but when she decides she doesn't want to be found in there it's hard to find her. Even as big as she's gotten she's still a master at hide and seek.

Here's a picture of Morla when we got her:
Morla then.jpg

Same pot but this picture was taken yesterday:
Morla now.jpg
 

Grace-Sophia

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2021
Messages
688
Location (City and/or State)
Texas
Hey everyone!

I've been lurking here for about six or seven months and finally decided to post. I've learned a ton since then from this board and now I want to introduce Morla. We got her when she was 1.5 years old from one of my daughter's co-workers. We know her age and likely sex because we also know the guy who hatched her. When we got her she was living in a small tortoise box and eating romaine lettuce all the time. She had no heat lamp and no real humidity to speak of.

We put her outside in one of my little garden areas and started feeding her an assortment of greens, protein, and some fruit once in a while and then....she escaped. She had pushed a large clay pot with plant in it out of the way and took off. She was gone for three months and even though we looked everywhere we could not find her. I mean on our hands and knees in the bushes looking. It's amazing how well she could hide. At any rate, one day my neighbor came to my door and asked if she was ours. YES! She had grown a great deal while she was gone and we're almost certain she was living under a long hedgerow between our houses and at one point was probably eating a Muscovy duck carcass. At that point we built her a much bigger yard with taller walls and all was good for a couple years. Until a couple weeks ago when she climbed out again. This time she was only gone for a day, though, and we found her next to our house. When my daughter took her back to her yard she was trying to climb back in. Silly girl! Make up your mind!

We knew it was getting close to time to raise her walls but with wood costing so much we were trying to wait it out until prices came down. Needless to say, we went out that day and got the wood to make the walls taller and now she's nice and secure again. In the next month or so we're going to expand it to 6'x18'. That'll give me a chance to plant more edibles in there for her and, of course, give her more space to roam. She lives outside full time except for the couple days a year when it gets too cold, then we bring her in. I want to build her a tortoise box that we can heat for those chilly days and expanding the yard will also allow us to do that.

We have a hibiscus bush, some collard greens, and aloe planted in there for her to eat and some ponytail palms, a yucca type plant, and some bromeliads for her to hide in, under, and around. There's a giant clay saucer for her to soak in and drink from and on the days it doesn't rain or the sprinklers don't go on we make it rain in there for extra moisture and humidity.

Her yard is 6'x10' with 14" walls and she has lots of stuff to eat in there and lots of places to hide. She has her favorite spots of course but when she decides she doesn't want to be found in there it's hard to find her. Even as big as she's gotten she's still a master at hide and seek.

Here's a picture of Morla when we got her:
View attachment 330157

Same pot but this picture was taken yesterday:
View attachment 330158
You are doing a fantastic job! She looks even more beautiful then when you got her!! Props to you!
 

KarenSoCal

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Messages
5,749
Location (City and/or State)
Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
Welcome
From south WEST Florida
Um...Ed...I hate to be the one to tell you, but you're in south EAST Florida.
Just thought somebody should let you know. Don't want you getting lost in the Everglades or something like that..or trying to hitch a ride on Alligator Alley. ??
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
Moderator
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
28,938
Location (City and/or State)
South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
Um...Ed...I hate to be the one to tell you, but you're in south EAST Florida.
Just thought somebody should let you know. Don't want you getting lost in the Everglades or something like that..or trying to hitch a ride on Alligator Alley. ??
Yep.
I remembered the all caps. Then proceed to not type EAST.
 

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