Do sullys need mud pits?

Odin's Gma

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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".
Outstanding! It just so happens I have a large block of natural clay that I can mix with the dirt.


No luck digging the mud pit last night, we had a big storm come through with torrential rain, high winds and a lot of large hail. It did a bit of damage to some of the plants and gardens on the deck and knocked down pretty much every plant in his playpen. It looked like a tiny tornado went through it. :(
I think everything will survive, but it was quite a mess!
 

Odin's Gma

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While Odin roamed the yard (and ate)We FINALLY dug him a mud pit!
004.JPG
He dug a hole, about 6-8 inches deep, lines it with a heavy duty plastic bag (remnants of a bag of organic dirt). Poked a few holes in it, filled it with a mix of organic dirt and little bits of natural clay. Soaked it thoroughly with the water the clay had been soaking in, mixed it up, let everything sit for a bit, and then "unleashed the hound!"

We put him near it and immediately his interest was piqued.....009.JPG

Hmmmm.....smells........ muddy010.JPG

But I had better be cautious! Maybe it's fake mud!011.JPG

Perimeter check012.JPG

Shady side...check013.JPG

Nice and mucky014.JPG

Kinda cool on my toes015.JPG

Food within biting distance...016.JPG

More food over there....017.JPG

Ooh! Muddier mud!018.JPG

Yes. This will work. Thank you, humans.019.JPG

:)
 

TSchadel

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Jul 15, 2015
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Kansas
SOOOOO - did Odin get his mud-tub??? I'm dying to know! Now that I think about it - Irwin likes to hang out in the muddy areas of my backyard too...
 

TSchadel

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Jul 15, 2015
Messages
162
Location (City and/or State)
Kansas
While Odin roamed the yard (and ate)We FINALLY dug him a mud pit!
View attachment 136935
He dug a hole, about 6-8 inches deep, lines it with a heavy duty plastic bag (remnants of a bag of organic dirt). Poked a few holes in it, filled it with a mix of organic dirt and little bits of natural clay. Soaked it thoroughly with the water the clay had been soaking in, mixed it up, let everything sit for a bit, and then "unleashed the hound!"

We put him near it and immediately his interest was piqued.....View attachment 136936

Hmmmm.....smells........ muddyView attachment 136937

But I had better be cautious! Maybe it's fake mud!View attachment 136938

Perimeter checkView attachment 136939

Shady side...checkView attachment 136940

Nice and muckyView attachment 136941

Kinda cool on my toesView attachment 136942

Food within biting distance...View attachment 136943

More food over there....View attachment 136944

Ooh! Muddier mud!View attachment 136945

Yes. This will work. Thank you, humans.View attachment 136946

:)
Just now saw this! MAN - Odin's shell is AMAZING!!! He looks about as happy as a "pig in mud"!
 

Nibs

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Dec 15, 2015
Messages
63
Wonderful thread- had no idea previously that they liked mud pits! Weekend plans are now all sorted :)
 

Barrysulcata

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Uk
Nice one I think I'm going to put large planting tray down now and fill with mud lol
See what Barry thinks
 

mike taylor

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I built ponds for my sulcatas. They love mud also . They will flick it on their backs . They do the same in water.
 

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fanofthedog

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My guy doesn't seem to care about mud. Maybe because I live in drought area and he isn't used to mud his whole life but every time I make him mud puddles he could care less. Even when its a billion degrees!
 

Dartanner88

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Apr 14, 2020
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Location (City and/or State)
Enoch Utah
I used a shower curtain to make a mud pit but it grows algae and looks all green and gross any ideas ? Will it hurt him? How do I clean it up?
 

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