Do sullys need mud pits?

[Odin's Gma]

I've seen some great pics here of your sullys wallowing in mud pits, and poor little Odin doesn't have one! Oh noes! Of course I don't want him feeling left out (cue the eyerolls ) so I am thinking of making a mess of the yard, for the sake of tort love, of course.
Should I? Will he love it? Is it somehow beneficial to them? Any ideas of how to go about this? We have well draining, sandy soil so it's won't be as simple as just removing the grass and digging a hole.

Oh, and we don't need to discuss this with the husband...the less he knows the better.....

 

[JoesMum]

Sullies love mud wallows. It helps them to cool off, acts as a skin conditioner... and it's just something they enjoy anyway!

 

[Yvonne G]

They don't really NEED one, but boy, do they ever love them!!!

 

[AZtortMom]

They don't really NEED one, but boy, do they ever love them!!!

Amen! Mine LOVE theirs.
They aren't mud holes per say, more like mud strips
Regardless they love them the same

 

[Odin's Gma]

Sullies love mud wallows. It helps them to cool off, acts as a skin conditioner... and it's just something they enjoy anyway!

They don't really NEED one, but boy, do they ever love them!!!

Amen! Mine LOVE theirs.
They aren't mud holes per say, more like mud strips
Regardless they love them the same

That's all I needed to hear! I think happiness is a need so I guess I am digging up the yard this week! Well, a portion of it...

Any ideas on what kind of base to use? He's small now (1 year) so it doesn't have to be big yet, but with our soil I will have to use something to hold the moisture in somewhat. Maybe a deep (deeper than his water dish) terracotta saucer filled with dirt? That way it will still have some amount of drainage/seepage?
Hmm....

 

[JoesMum]

Make a hollow in the ground, stir in water repeatedly until you have gloopy mud and let your tort do the rest

 

[AZtortMom]

I've seen some great pics here of your sullys wallowing in mud pits, and poor little Odin doesn't have one! Oh noes! Of course I don't want him feeling left out (cue the eyerolls ) so I am thinking of making a mess of the yard, for the sake of tort love, of course.
Should I? Will he love it? Is it somehow beneficial to them? Any ideas of how to go about this? We have well draining, sandy soil so it's won't be as simple as just removing the grass and digging a hole.

Oh, and we don't need to discuss this with the husband...the less he knows the better.....

I "accidentally" made mine with the soaker hoses along the fence
Of course it's where they have made their race track.
I have tall grass over it too and shade huts.
It's a total tort paradise
My husband hates it because it's a sloppy mess and you loss your flip flops when you go out there

 

[Odin's Gma]

Make a hollow in the ground, stir in water repeatedly until you have gloopy mud and let your tort do the rest

My soil is sandy and fast draining, at the very least I am going to have to pick up a sack of good black dirt, but I don't even think that will be enough to make it as muddy as a proper mudpit ought to be.

 

[MPRC]

Maybe you could line a depression in your yard with a heavy piece of plastic - I see used pool liners of Craigslist for free all the time, or since he's so small maybe just a heavy duty plastic bag. Hold the edges down with rocks or pavers so he can't get under it and then fill it with soil. That's what I would do around here since we have a lot of sandy rocky soil.

 

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

You may be able to put some dirt in something like the top part of a birdbath. Idk if that would work though

 

[Odin's Gma]

Maybe you could line a depression in your yard with a heavy piece of plastic - I see used pool liners of Craigslist for free all the time, or since he's so small maybe just a heavy duty plastic bag. Hold the edges down with rocks or pavers so he can't get under it and then fill it with soil. That's what I would do around here since we have a lot of sandy rocky soil.

You may be able to put some dirt in something like the top part of a birdbath. Idk if that would work though

Those are the two thoughts I have been mulling over. Plastic liner, vs. some type of terracotta bowl. Hmm. I want to decide before I leave work so I can pick up what I need on the way home.
Do you think I should just fill which ever one I choose with black dirt, or should I go with a combination of fillers, for example the addition of coco coir or peat moss or something?

 

[DawnH]

I would use the top of a bird bath and fill with regular (organic) soil. Think mud pit.

And Tuleo wanted me to tell you that Odin needs one. But, I know you already know that.

 

[Odin's Gma]

I would use the top of a bird bath and fill with regular (organic) soil. Think mud pit.

And Tuleo wanted me to tell you that Odin needs one. But, I know you already know that.

It was Tuleo's big sheepish grin in your recent mudpit pics that made me ask the question, so you can tell Tuleo that Odin said thank you in advance!

 

[DawnH]

It looks like its about to rain so I just went to check on him and this is how I found him...lol. He's a nut!

 

[Odin's Gma]

It looks like its about to rain so I just went to check on him and this is how I found him...lol. He's a nut!

Yep, that's the look i'm talking about!

 

[DawnH]

I don't know why he does this "half" a pit thing... His body leaned down into it and yesterday he even had his head underwater (eyes closed) with just his nares out. Talk about scaring the crap out of me! He was quite digested when I hollered "OH MY GAWD!" and woke him...

*sigh*

BOYS!

(And post a pic when you are done!! Odin's gonna love it!)

 

[Odin's Gma]

I was reading about soil composition in the sulcatas native range and it seems to be vertisol, which has a high clay composition. So, I'm debating whether I should add a bit of clay to the soil, not only to help it adhere to him better, but to help retain moisture. I mean, who doesn't love a soothing clay mask, right?

Leave it to me to overthink playing in the mud......

 

[DawnH]

I was reading about soil composition in the sulcatas native range and it seems to be vertisol, which has a high clay composition. So, I'm debating whether I should add a bit of clay to the soil, not only to help it adhere to him better, but to help retain moisture. I mean, who doesn't love a soothing clay mask, right?

Leave it to me to overthink playing in the mud......

...just remember our guys are not from Africa technically. Tuleo is a CA boy....lol

 

[Odin's Gma]

...just remember our guys are not from Africa technically. Tuleo is a CA boy....lol

True, but I figured they spent generations adapting to that environs with their big claws and everything, might as well let them use them!

 

[Alaskamike]

I was reading about soil composition in the sulcatas native range and it seems to be vertisol, which has a high clay composition. So, I'm debating whether I should add a bit of clay to the soil, not only to help it adhere to him better, but to help retain moisture. I mean, who doesn't love a soothing clay mask, right?

Leave it to me to overthink playing in the mud......

When I was young in Indiana we boys kept painted turtles. To make a pond for them we dug a hole and then went down to the creek and hauled back as much clay as we could. We covered the dirt in about 2-3" of clay. The thing held water like a charm.
Top soil makes mud - but clay has a greasy content that holds water. We only had to run the hose in there once a week to maintain our " pond".