I never saw him do this. I alway leave a cuttle bone in his enclosure, and today I looked in and he was eating it. I couldn't believe it.
hay look at Pio
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I have some small Rose of Sharon and dandelion in there and some pansies. Sometimes I see him munching on them, but now he mostly eats his food and sits under the palm tree. I have never seen him eat the moss or even the Palm tree. Strange, but I always wonder about things like that. If he were in the forest, wouldn't he know enough not to eat the things he shouldn't? I put lots of plants in with my boxies, and they never eat any of them unless it is fruit.
Very sweet pic Terry, and yes your enclosure is very lush and it looks as if Pio is indeed enjoying his calcium.
It's rare for me to catch any of my guys munching on their's either. What I always find interesting is it seems it sits in their enclosures forever and then suddenly it gets munched upon...or I get tired of it looking so dirty I toss it out. 
Terry, I want to ask some questions about Pio's enclosure, because it just looks so great!!
After Pio eats the planted dandelion or pansies, what do you do with the rest of the plant? Do you dig out the roots, or just leave them?
Do you change the soil mix substrate, if so, how often?
When you plant, do you start from the seeds, or do you plant the grown plants??
Where do you get the plants?
Do you use any extra light to grow plants or just UV tube?
Do you think some ferns would be good in the enclosure too?
Sorry to ask so many questions..
Thanks
Em
After Pio eats the planted dandelion or pansies, what do you do with the rest of the plant? Do you dig out the roots, or just leave them?
Do you change the soil mix substrate, if so, how often?
When you plant, do you start from the seeds, or do you plant the grown plants??
Where do you get the plants?
Do you use any extra light to grow plants or just UV tube?
Do you think some ferns would be good in the enclosure too?
Sorry to ask so many questions..
Thanks
Em
After Pio eats the planted dandelion or pansies, what do you do with the rest of the plant? Do you dig out the roots, or just leave them?
The pansies and dandelion just keep growing as he only eats some leaves and flowers, so they really aren't plowed down to the roots. The little Spring Mix sprouts, he eats right down to the roots, and I just leave them in, cause sometimes they start growing again.
Do you change the soil mix substrate, if so, how often?
I have never changed the substrate. After the summer, I will take the whole inside enclosure and re-do it from scratch....new soil and everything, not because I have to, but because I love doing stuff like that... In fact, while he is outside for the summer, I probably will do it over, so the plants will have a chance to start growing before the fall.
When you plant, do you start from the seeds, or do you plant the grown plants??
The Spring Mix comes from seeds, and the dandelion, I just use a bulb shovel to dig them out of the ground, and replant them in his enclosure.
Where do you get the plants?
I but the Spring Mix seeds from K-Mart, and the pansies from anywhere I buy my annuals for my garden. The little Rose of "Sharon", I find loads of babies all around my big tree, and just pull them out and plant them in the enclosure.
Do you use any extra light to grow plants or just UV tube?
The inside enclosure I have set up just like the set ups on Redfoots.com. A heat emitter on one side, and a long tube 10.0 on the other side. No extra light. On the side with the heat emitter, I don't have any plants, just his half log hide, with long fibered moss inside.
Do you think some ferns would be good in the enclosure too?
You would have to look up and find out what are OK for him to eat. That is another whole discussion....In my "un-experienced" opinion....I think if you have a VERY large enclosure, that is heavily planted, it really doesn't matter what you plant. If the Tort has options he will probably choose the plant that is OK to eat. I am not an expert, but have seen a person who keeps Redfoots with Eastern Box turtles in a very large yard, that is planted with lots of ground covers, ivy, and other things that are not good for a turt or tort to eat, and she has never had a problem. Also, the boxie that lives in my parents yard, has lived there for 50 years, and there are plenty of things that aren't on the list for OK eating for box turtles, but the yard is very big, and he has many options. Remember, these yards are very big, and they have plenty of GOOD things to eat there. I would not plant ferns, as I don't know it they are good for him to eat, and my enclosure is small so I would only plant things that are OK for him to eat. Look up the info here and see what is good for them to eat, and them use those plants.
I hope this helps. This is my first tortoise, and I am just learning myself. This site has helped me so much. Also I did a lot of research...almost a year .....to find out which would be the best tort for me.
The pansies and dandelion just keep growing as he only eats some leaves and flowers, so they really aren't plowed down to the roots. The little Spring Mix sprouts, he eats right down to the roots, and I just leave them in, cause sometimes they start growing again.
Do you change the soil mix substrate, if so, how often?
I have never changed the substrate. After the summer, I will take the whole inside enclosure and re-do it from scratch....new soil and everything, not because I have to, but because I love doing stuff like that... In fact, while he is outside for the summer, I probably will do it over, so the plants will have a chance to start growing before the fall.
When you plant, do you start from the seeds, or do you plant the grown plants??
The Spring Mix comes from seeds, and the dandelion, I just use a bulb shovel to dig them out of the ground, and replant them in his enclosure.
Where do you get the plants?
I but the Spring Mix seeds from K-Mart, and the pansies from anywhere I buy my annuals for my garden. The little Rose of "Sharon", I find loads of babies all around my big tree, and just pull them out and plant them in the enclosure.
Do you use any extra light to grow plants or just UV tube?
The inside enclosure I have set up just like the set ups on Redfoots.com. A heat emitter on one side, and a long tube 10.0 on the other side. No extra light. On the side with the heat emitter, I don't have any plants, just his half log hide, with long fibered moss inside.
Do you think some ferns would be good in the enclosure too?
You would have to look up and find out what are OK for him to eat. That is another whole discussion....In my "un-experienced" opinion....I think if you have a VERY large enclosure, that is heavily planted, it really doesn't matter what you plant. If the Tort has options he will probably choose the plant that is OK to eat. I am not an expert, but have seen a person who keeps Redfoots with Eastern Box turtles in a very large yard, that is planted with lots of ground covers, ivy, and other things that are not good for a turt or tort to eat, and she has never had a problem. Also, the boxie that lives in my parents yard, has lived there for 50 years, and there are plenty of things that aren't on the list for OK eating for box turtles, but the yard is very big, and he has many options. Remember, these yards are very big, and they have plenty of GOOD things to eat there. I would not plant ferns, as I don't know it they are good for him to eat, and my enclosure is small so I would only plant things that are OK for him to eat. Look up the info here and see what is good for them to eat, and them use those plants.
I hope this helps. This is my first tortoise, and I am just learning myself. This site has helped me so much. Also I did a lot of research...almost a year .....to find out which would be the best tort for me.
Thank you so much, Terry
I would love to try planting some in my enclosure.
Just one more quetion (sorry), what kind of palm tree is the one in Pio's enclosure?
I saw your outside enclosure in other forum. Absolutely beautiful!!
Em
I would love to try planting some in my enclosure.
Just one more quetion (sorry), what kind of palm tree is the one in Pio's enclosure?
I saw your outside enclosure in other forum. Absolutely beautiful!!
Em
It is just a little palm tree...you know a house plant. I don't know the name of it. It was in a terrarium, that someone gave me and it got too big, so I just put it in there. He never bothers with it, except to sit under it.
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nice enclosure
terryo said:
Terryo you didn't find a 10.0 prescribed on Redfoots.com. We don't prescribe the need for UVB bulbs!
nerd
No I did not find that info on your site, Terry. Before I got Pio, I did a lot of research...almost a year's worth. There are many sites beside's yours, with breeders and information and pictures of their Redfoots that are just as beautiful as yours. Some of them have been breeding for many years (most more than you). ALL of them say some UVB, except for you. I have a screen top on my vivaruim, which filters out much of the UVB. Just like the tall trees in the forest that you tell us about. I don't mean to be rude, or to say that you aren't doing the right thing, I just mean to say that being a new tortoise owner, I had to combine some information and do what I think is best for my tortoise. The small amount of UVB that he gets filtered through the screen can't hurt him. I do go mostly by your diet.
Sorry about that,Terry. I just read my old post, and I didn't mean to imply that I got that information about the UVB light on your site. On your site it says, that the heat emitter is on one side, and a long tube plant light is on the other side, which is how I set up my viv. except instead of a long tube plant light, I put a long tube 10.0 UVB light.
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