So, following the direction I got last week, I prepared some prickly pear cacti to plant in my European torts' enclosures...now Jennifer is about 4" SCL and Ptolemy is just a hair over 4-1/2"...still fairly small, all things considered.
So, anyway, Monday I planted some decent-sized pads, about 6 per enclosure, and surrounded said pads by fairly large (12" - 15") rocks, with the idea that I'd keep my darlings away from the cacti, thus giving the cacti the rest of the year to grow and become established, and along about spring, I'd move the rocks, so Jennifer and Ptolemy can start feeling a bit off 'em.
In the meantime, I'd put pieces of prickly pear in w/ their food.
Came home today and they'd managed to climb to the top of these 12"-15" rocks and knock down and start eating every pear out there (maybe 2 dozen, all told)!
Maybe I should wait until this winter to start the pads, after I bring Jennifer and Ptolemy in for a few months...
So, anyway, Monday I planted some decent-sized pads, about 6 per enclosure, and surrounded said pads by fairly large (12" - 15") rocks, with the idea that I'd keep my darlings away from the cacti, thus giving the cacti the rest of the year to grow and become established, and along about spring, I'd move the rocks, so Jennifer and Ptolemy can start feeling a bit off 'em.
In the meantime, I'd put pieces of prickly pear in w/ their food.
Came home today and they'd managed to climb to the top of these 12"-15" rocks and knock down and start eating every pear out there (maybe 2 dozen, all told)!
Maybe I should wait until this winter to start the pads, after I bring Jennifer and Ptolemy in for a few months...