Hello everyone! I am the proud new caretaker of Peanut and Butters, two juvenile Leopard Tortoises, both female (I think). About three weeks ago I adopted these little ladies from a friend, because her new apartment couldn't really accommodate them. Peanut, the smaller one, is about 5 years old, while Butter is 4. They live out on my balcony, which faces east and gets really good morning sun. Unfortunately, by 2PM there is no direct sunlight. Their previous owner made a 46" x 28" x 10" pen for them. I have since added an aquaponics garden for them to feed in, and a stand with wheels to roll them inside during the winter. I am completely obsessed with them. As you can probably tell, they've started to pyramid a little. I think they were kept pretty dry as hatchlings and young adults so I'm taking measures to increase the humidity in their pen.
This is Peanut.
This is Butters.
Their pen. They like to hide under the ramp more than the burrow. I mist the burrow every morning and night after reading about pyramiding, but they seem to prefer the drier substrate. I'm currently making a root humid hide for them, waiting for the roots to take. The substrate is a mixture of play sand, Ecoscraps organic compost, rocks, and dried leaves/grasses.
A rock garden with cuttlebone and a basking spot. 150 watt full spectrum heat bulb that's on a timer from 7AM to 11PM. I'm contemplating switching it to a ceramic heat bulb and running it's 24/7. Or having both fixtures. The sun goes over my building by 2PM, so they’re the shade for the rest of the day, so I keep the light on for heat and UVA rays.
A sheltered bridge linking their pen to their garden. I’ve drilled holes on the side so they can look out and have a view of downtown LA and Culver City. On top of the roof I’ve placed tupperwares of grasses from sulcatafood.com. I’ve taped a garbage bag covered with the organic compost/sand mix on the floor so that no moisture gets absorbed into the wood. When I water the grass on top, it drips down into the bridge and into the substrate, keeping the tunnel cool and a little humid. Any excess water drains into the aquaponics bed to minimize water loss.
This is their garden. I’ve planted seeds from sulcatafood.com 3 weeks ago and you can see how immensely it’s grown. The power of aquaponcis! I’ve also planted dandelions, corn salad, Jupiter’s beard, pansys, petunias, and snapdragons, but none have sprouted so far. The tupperware tops make a great canopy to provide them some shade as they graze.
A view of my aquaponcis setup. The fishtank water flows into the sump underneath the table, then gets pumped into three lines: the main growbed, the two smaller banister growbeds, and back into the fishtank. The system is pretty much self-sustaining. All I have to do is top off the evaporated/spilled water every 3-5 days. I use the fishwater to water the Tupperware plants. The excess soil-water floods and makes its way back to the fish tank. The fish eat the detritus and bacteria from the soil, then poop and pollute the water. The fish water gets pumped into the growbeds and fertilizes the plants. The torts eat the plants, and if they poop in the bed, I throw it into the fishtank which the fish LOVE to eat. It’s a nice closed loop.
I’ve also go lettuce and herbs growing for myself (and for treats).
The aquaponics also has the additional advantage of a “waterfall†that the ladies like to bathe in.
I’ve got a pretty nice urban ecosystem going on here. Every morning hummingbirds come by the trees to feed. There’s a nice harmony between the wasps, flies, and spiders.
My apartment complex also has a large gated lawn and I try to take them out there on the days I get home early to give them exercise. I hope you all approve of my habit for them. I plan on being here for at least a year longer, maybe two. Then, who knows where, but it’ll probably be somewhere accommodating to them (unless my friend takes them back). I’d love to hear any suggestions that you might have to improve their living conditions. For those of you who are unfamiliar with aquaponics, I HIGHLY suggest you invest in a system! You can do it VERY cheaply too, less than $100 if you know how to cut corners. I imagine all of you are animal lovers, so this easy addition not only add the enjoyment of another pet, but it also serves a functional purpose to minimize your involvement (i.e., no need to water plants!).
This is Peanut.
This is Butters.
Their pen. They like to hide under the ramp more than the burrow. I mist the burrow every morning and night after reading about pyramiding, but they seem to prefer the drier substrate. I'm currently making a root humid hide for them, waiting for the roots to take. The substrate is a mixture of play sand, Ecoscraps organic compost, rocks, and dried leaves/grasses.
A rock garden with cuttlebone and a basking spot. 150 watt full spectrum heat bulb that's on a timer from 7AM to 11PM. I'm contemplating switching it to a ceramic heat bulb and running it's 24/7. Or having both fixtures. The sun goes over my building by 2PM, so they’re the shade for the rest of the day, so I keep the light on for heat and UVA rays.
A sheltered bridge linking their pen to their garden. I’ve drilled holes on the side so they can look out and have a view of downtown LA and Culver City. On top of the roof I’ve placed tupperwares of grasses from sulcatafood.com. I’ve taped a garbage bag covered with the organic compost/sand mix on the floor so that no moisture gets absorbed into the wood. When I water the grass on top, it drips down into the bridge and into the substrate, keeping the tunnel cool and a little humid. Any excess water drains into the aquaponics bed to minimize water loss.
This is their garden. I’ve planted seeds from sulcatafood.com 3 weeks ago and you can see how immensely it’s grown. The power of aquaponcis! I’ve also planted dandelions, corn salad, Jupiter’s beard, pansys, petunias, and snapdragons, but none have sprouted so far. The tupperware tops make a great canopy to provide them some shade as they graze.
A view of my aquaponcis setup. The fishtank water flows into the sump underneath the table, then gets pumped into three lines: the main growbed, the two smaller banister growbeds, and back into the fishtank. The system is pretty much self-sustaining. All I have to do is top off the evaporated/spilled water every 3-5 days. I use the fishwater to water the Tupperware plants. The excess soil-water floods and makes its way back to the fish tank. The fish eat the detritus and bacteria from the soil, then poop and pollute the water. The fish water gets pumped into the growbeds and fertilizes the plants. The torts eat the plants, and if they poop in the bed, I throw it into the fishtank which the fish LOVE to eat. It’s a nice closed loop.
I’ve also go lettuce and herbs growing for myself (and for treats).
The aquaponics also has the additional advantage of a “waterfall†that the ladies like to bathe in.
I’ve got a pretty nice urban ecosystem going on here. Every morning hummingbirds come by the trees to feed. There’s a nice harmony between the wasps, flies, and spiders.
My apartment complex also has a large gated lawn and I try to take them out there on the days I get home early to give them exercise. I hope you all approve of my habit for them. I plan on being here for at least a year longer, maybe two. Then, who knows where, but it’ll probably be somewhere accommodating to them (unless my friend takes them back). I’d love to hear any suggestions that you might have to improve their living conditions. For those of you who are unfamiliar with aquaponics, I HIGHLY suggest you invest in a system! You can do it VERY cheaply too, less than $100 if you know how to cut corners. I imagine all of you are animal lovers, so this easy addition not only add the enjoyment of another pet, but it also serves a functional purpose to minimize your involvement (i.e., no need to water plants!).
