Desert box turtles...in need of some sage (and rosemary) advice.

ShellyS

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Apr 20, 2020
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New Mexico
We are in the process of building an outdoor habitat for baby box turtles. I have found some pretty thorough do's and don'ts of vegetation to include but when it comes to sage or rosemary, I'm only coming across "some varieties may be toxic". DOH! Anyone out here have any experience/pointers?
We have red sage and traditional cooking rosemary on hand.
Thank you in advance!
 

Markw84

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I find tortoises certainly don't like sage or rosemary very much at all. I don't keep box turtles, but I do use rosemary in my tortoise enclosures for a nice shade/cover plant. Even my very large sulcatas do not want to eat it, so it is a good bush for their enclosure that they can rest beneath. There is not a problem if they do try to eat some as it is non-toxic, but the all totally leave it alone as far as eating.
 

ShellyS

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I find tortoises certainly don't like sage or rosemary very much at all. I don't keep box turtles, but I do use rosemary in my tortoise enclosures for a nice shade/cover plant. Even my very large sulcatas do not want to eat it, so it is a good bush for their enclosure that they can rest beneath. There is not a problem if they do try to eat some as it is non-toxic, but the all totally leave it alone as far as eating.
Thank you so much that's great to hear ? they both grow really well where I live so we thought they would be great shade if safe.
 
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Shelly? are sage and rosemary naturally occurring in New Mexico? The reason I ask is that you can never go wrong populating your enclosure with what the DBT encounters in their normal range. I have Eastern's and Ornate's and they are quite happy with the naturally-occurring foods we feed them from their natural range.
 

ShellyS

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New Mexico
Shelly? are sage and rosemary naturally occurring in New Mexico? The reason I ask is that you can never go wrong populating your enclosure with what the DBT encounters in their normal range. I have Eastern's and Ornate's and they are quite happy with the naturally-occurring foods we feed them from their natural range.
Thank you for the tip! ?
They are pretty prolific and large growning plants where I am in the Albuquerque area.
This nervousness must be akin to new parent anxiety. It's like I want to baby- proof their little habitat so nothing bad happens. Lol
 

Madame Terrapene

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May 31, 2019
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Thank you for the tip! ?
They are pretty prolific and large growning plants where I am in the Albuquerque area.
This nervousness must be akin to new parent anxiety. It's like I want to baby- proof their little habitat so nothing bad happens. Lol

Shelly, how old/large are these "babies"?

As far as safety goes, I'd be more concerned about exposure to the elements and critters than eating toxic plants (although the latter should be a concern too). Once upon a time I had two 3 mos old 3-toeds dehydrate and die outside during a Texas summer. Only 2 yr old juveniles or LARGE 1 yr olds go outside now. Also, I had a yearling swarmed by fire ants once and almost die. She surprisingly survived and eventually flourished, but her face and limbs have residual scarring. In the wild the young ones stay hidden most of the time and are very vulnerable to depredation.

I apologize for the doom and gloom warnings, especially if you've already accounted for these things. I just want ensure that you are aware of the dangers to save you potential heartbreak of losing your babies to nature.

As far as herbs go in the enclosure, rosemary may be irritating, but I'm just guessing here. Sage is probably alright, especially if it's nice and bushy. I wouldn't worry about most herbs, as long as they don't produce an irritating sap. My boxies once loved an oregano plant that I had in a Houston enclosure. I'm sure it's toxic on some level, since it's an herb with active compounds, but they lived with it for years and I can almost guarantee you that they ate those white oregano flowers (most flowers are edible anyways). It was a big, bushy thing, with lots of insects hiding underneath, and the turtles were under it all the time. If you can plant berries or grape, those will be appreciated also. I let my enclosures grow wild with weeds and shrubs. Box turtles love bushy plants/grasses.
 

ShellyS

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Joined
Apr 20, 2020
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4
Location (City and/or State)
New Mexico
Shelly, how old/large are these "babies"?

As far as safety goes, I'd be more concerned about exposure to the elements and critters than eating toxic plants (although the latter should be a concern too). Once upon a time I had two 3 mos old 3-toeds dehydrate and die outside during a Texas summer. Only 2 yr old juveniles or LARGE 1 yr olds go outside now. Also, I had a yearling swarmed by fire ants once and almost die. She surprisingly survived and eventually flourished, but her face and limbs have residual scarring. In the wild the young ones stay hidden most of the time and are very vulnerable to depredation.

I apologize for the doom and gloom warnings, especially if you've already accounted for these things. I just want ensure that you are aware of the dangers to save you potential heartbreak of losing your babies to nature.

As far as herbs go in the enclosure, rosemary may be irritating, but I'm just guessing here. Sage is probably alright, especially if it's nice and bushy. I wouldn't worry about most herbs, as long as they don't produce an irritating sap. My boxies once loved an oregano plant that I had in a Houston enclosure. I'm sure it's toxic on some level, since it's an herb with active compounds, but they lived with it for years and I can almost guarantee you that they ate those white oregano flowers (most flowers are edible anyways). It was a big, bushy thing, with lots of insects hiding underneath, and the turtles were under it all the time. If you can plant berries or grape, those will be appreciated also. I let my enclosures grow wild with weeds and shrubs. Box turtles love bushy plants/grasses.
No apologies necessary, the more info we have going in, the better. I'm so sorry about your losses. ?
They are little guys, I think they are a couple of years old & as of last fall, about silver dollar sized. (we are still waiting for them to resurface for this spring/summer at our friends house. Fingers crossed.)
We are currently keeping the enclosure covered with chicken wire to keep any wandering strays from using it as a toilet but we have to come up with something better that won't squish the plants when they get taller. Attached is our progress so far. As of this past Monday when we planted.
Everything we planted will get big and bushy if they grow properly. We also have a few shallow planter bottom plates we will use for their watering stations at various locations. We're also thinking of adding in some other type of shelter so they have plenty of options for hiding and cooling off.
As for ants, we have about two pockets of the tiny black ones and one of the larger black ones in the yard but not by the habitat and thankfully none of the fire variety. (Sorry to hear about your baby's trauma. ? How scary for you both)
We're actively working to reduce their numbers but they are crafty little things. How did you treat the bites?
I will stop rambling now. Lol
 

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