is there really any point?

[marcy4hope]

we are building a new indoor winter enclosure for our 5 inch sulcata. is there any point in putting some fake plants in there? i hate to spend my money for something he's probably going to just tear up. i plant trays of grasses for him to eat and once they are growing good, i add a tray to his enclosure and i think he tromps most of it down instead of eating it. i have to hold him off of his regular feed before he'll eat the grass up. so, am thinking he'll just destroy a fake plant. is this a sulcata breed thing? because i see a lot of other people putting fake plants in their enclosures and saying their torts like them for sleeping under. if mine has a humid hide, is a plant really not necessary?

 

[Edna]

I have Hermanns, not a sulcata. Mine do trample their plants just as you suspect your sulcata would. I put the plants in there for the sake of appearance (from my perspective), to add some humidity to the air, and as an occasional snack for the torts. I usually use a tallish pot for the plant and set the plant on top of the substrate. This slows down the trampling a little and gives the plant more of a chance. When a plant dies or just gets too tattered, I replace it.

 

[cemmons12]

i think they are a waste of money, i got some for Cooper when he was little, and he tried to eat them. So right away the 20 i spent was laying in a box for a future fishy tank..

 

[Baoh]

For me, real plants or no plants. If it is for your own aesthetic sense, you can put something in with a heavy planter that allows new growth to droop down and get picked off by the tortoise as it gets within chomping range. Maybe a Christmas cactus or something. I also like hostas and sedum varieties. My tortoises relish sedum. You can also do something like a hibiscus bush if your enclosure is accommodating, but I do not put that much into it for indoor enclosures, which I tend to leave in more minimalist arrangements compared to the outdoors.

 

[LunaLupus]

For me, real plants or no plants. If it is for your own aesthetic sense, you can put something in with a heavy planter that allows new growth to droop down and get picked off by the tortoise as it gets within chomping range. Maybe a Christmas cactus or something. I also like hostas and sedum varieties. My tortoises relish sedum. You can also do something like a hibiscus bush if your enclosure is accommodating, but I do not put that much into it for indoor enclosures, which I tend to leave in more minimalist arrangements compared to the outdoors.

Are Christmas cacti safe for the tortoise to eat?

 

[N2TORTS]

For me, real plants or no plants. If it is for your own aesthetic sense, you can put something in with a heavy planter that allows new growth to droop down and get picked off by the tortoise as it gets within chomping range. Maybe a Christmas cactus or something. I also like hostas and sedum varieties. My tortoises relish sedum. You can also do something like a hibiscus bush if your enclosure is accommodating, but I do not put that much into it for indoor enclosures, which I tend to leave in more minimalist arrangements compared to the outdoors.

Are Christmas cacti safe for the tortoise to eat?

Zygocactus truncates - non-toxic.
There are several cactus varieties that are poisonous . While it can
be difficult to find much information on the toxicity of the Christmas Cactus, (exact species, quantity consumed, ect...)
This is one of those plants that falls into the "better safe than sorry" category.

And remember folks ................
Don't let you or your tortoise be the one who proves whether or not an unfamiliar plant is indeed toxic -- as an owner, the best policy is to assume that any plant whose properties you are unfamiliar with is a potential hazard to your pet.


JD~

 

[Baoh]

For me, real plants or no plants. If it is for your own aesthetic sense, you can put something in with a heavy planter that allows new growth to droop down and get picked off by the tortoise as it gets within chomping range. Maybe a Christmas cactus or something. I also like hostas and sedum varieties. My tortoises relish sedum. You can also do something like a hibiscus bush if your enclosure is accommodating, but I do not put that much into it for indoor enclosures, which I tend to leave in more minimalist arrangements compared to the outdoors.

Are Christmas cacti safe for the tortoise to eat?

My tortoises have been eating it for years. At least seven species (off of the top of my head) out of all those I have kept or keep.

 

[LunaLupus]

Very cool! Thanks guys! I have a giant Christmas Cactus that I will break off a couple parts to plant in Tiny's enclosure this winter. Since it'll be free I don't care if Tiny stomps them to death. lol