Need enclosure ideas for Las Vegas please

[SarahChelonoidis]

Now I'm thinking I'm seeing the wrong pic lol

That's not the photo the op posted. I have that bug on the app too - instead of showing you a photo in the post, it shows you some other photo from the forum you already have cached. If you view through 'web view' you can see the real photos.

 

[Tiffany Montoya]

Now I'm thinking I'm seeing the wrong pic lol

Ya I have no idea where that pic came from lol

 

[naturalman91]

that's def a sully. @TylerStewart maybe able to help you out on what to plant as he's used to the harsh weather to

 

[Tom]

looks like your tortoise is either a Greek or a hermman, I'm leaning toward Hermann

Are we all looking at different pics? She's got a sulcata in the pics I'm looking at in post number one...

 

[Tom]

Hi I took in a sulcata my mom found in her yard I didnt know much but tried my best my old yard had lots of poisonous plants so we built him an enclosure and he grazed on grass and ate Hibiscus flowers. We recently moved to vegas and the landscape is rocks thats it. We cut out a section and threw down seed so he had grass but it died and Im needing to start something new. I need affordable ideas please? Certain plants to plant that they love and would thrive in vegas heat. Is all this rock okay for him as long as I have a grass area?

Hello and welcome. The first thing I was going to tell you is that he needs a way to get underground to escape the heat. Looks like he's already taken care of that for you. Just remember in fall, you'll have to block him out of the burrow because its too cold down there in our North American winter.

The see through fencing is no good. He will eventual hurt himself on it and/or push through it. They need visual barrier. You can line the bottom with plywood strips. If you go 12" high, you can get four 8' long strips from a single sheet of plywood. Personally I like to use block for my enclosures. You can see it in this thread: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-burrows.50846/

For plants in your area I would suggest lavatera, in an area with afternoon shade, spineless opuntia, fruitless mulberry trees and grape vines. If your tortoise has access to any of these, they will be eaten or trampled. You can encircle them with block to protect them.

Check these out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

 

[Tiffany Montoya]

Awesome thank you for the advice. The little fence is just temporary to keep the dogs out while the hubby puts our above ground pool. It will be taken down this weekend. Do u recommend a water dish? Do u think pansy's, marigolds, bellflowers, forget me not, spider plants, or ice plants are any of plants that tortioses like. I know alot of those are really affordable

 

[Tiffany Montoya]

Hello and welcome. The first thing I was going to tell you is that he needs a way to get underground to escape the heat. Looks like he's already taken care of that for you. Just remember in fall, you'll have to block him out of the burrow because its too cold down there in our North American winter.

The see through fencing is no good. He will eventual hurt himself on it and/or push through it. They need visual barrier. You can line the bottom with plywood strips. If you go 12" high, you can get four 8' long strips from a single sheet of plywood. Personally I like to use block for my enclosures. You can see it in this thread: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-burrows.50846/

For plants in your area I would suggest lavatera, in an area with afternoon shade, spineless opuntia, fruitless mulberry trees and grape vines. If your tortoise has access to any of these, they will be eaten or trampled. You can encircle them with block to protect them.

Check these out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

Great reads thanks for the info

 

[Tiffany Montoya]

that's def a sully. @TylerStewart maybe able to help you out on what to plant as he's used to the harsh weather to

That would be great should I just message him?

 

[Tom]

Do u recommend a water dish? Do u think pansy's, marigolds, bellflowers, forget me not, spider plants, or ice plants are any of plants that tortioses like. I know alot of those are really affordable

Yes on the water dish. Terra cotta plant saucers sunk into the ground work great. Once he outgrows the largest of those, you'll have to find something else. I use shallow pizza dough trays for my larger sulcatas but these are a great intermediate: http://www.academy.com/shop/browse/outdoor-living/grills--smokers/crawfish/crawfish-platters
I buy stacks of them when I go to Louisiana for work.

All the plants you mentions are fine, but you can't buy them and feed them out as they will be full of pesticides. You have to grow them from seed or let them age for one year. The nurseries are growing them to look pretty and not be eaten by bugs. They don't intend for them to be consumed. In addition, if your tortoise has access to them, none of those will survive for long, if they survive in your clime at all.

 

[Tiffany Montoya]

Yes on the water dish. Terra cotta plant saucers sunk into the ground work great. Once he outgrows the largest of those, you'll have to find something else. I use shallow pizza dough trays for my larger sulcatas but these are a great intermediate: http://www.academy.com/shop/browse/outdoor-living/grills--smokers/crawfish/crawfish-platters
I buy stacks of them when I go to Louisiana for work.

All the plants you mentions are fine, but you can't buy them and feed them out as they will be full of pesticides. You have to grow them from seed or let them age for one year. The nurseries are growing them to look pretty and not be eaten by bugs. They don't intend for them to be consumed. In addition, if your tortoise has access to them, none of those will survive for long, if they survive in your clime at all.

Okay thanks. I thought if I bought at a nursery and not a place like home depot and lowes it would be fine. I found a nursery here in vegas and they said they dont use chemicals so Im worried now. Nothing from a seed is gonna grow quick enough for him to eat At least I dont think so. Oh well thanks for all the help it really means alot

 

[naturalman91]

That would be great should I just message him?

he should just comment here i sent him a notification when i tagged him

 

[Edizzle888]

Ok weird. I logged in to the webpage and now I see the actual pics lol

 

[Edizzle888]

My biggest which is still smaller than yours at 2lbs and 16 months old-I keep him outside-can you plant some cactus? It's real easy to grow-maybe some rose bushes aswell. I also have grave vines and they love the leaves. Just let the section you will keep em in grow along with any weeds that pop out.

 

[Tom]

Okay thanks. I thought if I bought at a nursery and not a place like home depot and lowes it would be fine. I found a nursery here in vegas and they said they dont use chemicals so Im worried now. Nothing from a seed is gonna grow quick enough for him to eat At least I dont think so. Oh well thanks for all the help it really means alot

The kid at Home Depot is probably telling you the truth as he knows it. The people working at Home Depot don't go around spraying any chemicals on their plants. They just water them. What they might not know is that the commercial nursery that they are buying from uses soil that contains systemic pesticides. These pesticides are taken up by the plant and assimilated into the plants tissues. They can protect a plant from bug damage for up to a year after purchase. Remember that their goal is to keep the plant you bought looking pretty. They do not intend for the plants to be eaten by you or a pet.

Long ago Yvonne suggested a technique that will probably work well for you. I've experimented with it and you can see it in my burrow thread that I linked above. Block off some sections of the enclosure and let the weeds and grass grow up in there. When its ready for grazing, allow access to one section at a time. When he eats it down enough, block that section off so it can recover and re-grow, and let him into the next section. I like 4x8 plots with wire lids (like in my pics…) to keep the birds and other critter out.

Also, have you discovered the joys of grass hay yet? This can start to become the majority of your tortoises diet at his size, and your life will change for the better. I prefer bermuda grass hay or orchard grass hay. You can get either at a local horse supply place or "feed store". Introduce it slowly. Feed his other foods on a bed of this grass hay for a while and then start mixing some hay in and sprinkling some hay on top of the other foods. Within a few weeks he will begin to recognize it as food and you will be on easy street for life.

 

[Momof4]

Ok weird. I logged in to the webpage and now I see the actual pics lol

Sometimes when you click on a download image it stays the same images forever when using the app!

 

[Tiffany Montoya]

Ok weird. I logged in to the webpage and now I see the actual pics lol

Lol

 

[Tiffany Montoya]

My biggest which is still smaller than yours at 2lbs and 16 months old-I keep him outside-can you plant some cactus? It's real easy to grow-maybe some rose bushes aswell. I also have grave vines and they love the leaves. Just let the section you will keep em in grow along with any weeds that pop out.

I was thinking grape vines I just dont know places that sell plants that arent treated with posions. Or seeds for that matter

 

[Tiffany Montoya]

The kid at Home Depot is probably telling you the truth as he knows it. The people working at Home Depot don't go around spraying any chemicals on their plants. They just water them. What they might not know is that the commercial nursery that they are buying from uses soil that contains systemic pesticides. These pesticides are taken up by the plant and assimilated into the plants tissues. They can protect a plant from bug damage for up to a year after purchase. Remember that their goal is to keep the plant you bought looking pretty. They do not intend for the plants to be eaten by you or a pet.

Long ago Yvonne suggested a technique that will probably work well for you. I've experimented with it and you can see it in my burrow thread that I linked above. Block off some sections of the enclosure and let the weeds and grass grow up in there. When its ready for grazing, allow access to one section at a time. When he eats it down enough, block that section off so it can recover and re-grow, and let him into the next section. I like 4x8 plots with wire lids (like in my pics…) to keep the birds and other critter out.

Also, have you discovered the joys of grass hay yet? This can start to become the majority of your tortoises diet at his size, and your life will change for the better. I prefer bermuda grass hay or orchard grass hay. You can get either at a local horse supply place or "feed store". Introduce it slowly. Feed his other foods on a bed of this grass hay for a while and then start mixing some hay in and sprinkling some hay on top of the other foods. Within a few weeks he will begin to recognize it as food and you will be on easy street for life.

I will have to check out the hay thank you

 

[Tom]

I was thinking grape vines I just dont know places that sell plants that arent treated with posions. Or seeds for that matter

Grape vines are great! You should be okay to buy those anywhere because it is a fruit plant that will grow fruit intended for human consumption. The little veggie plants they sell at the hardware stores should be okay too. In theory…

I wouldn't buy grass seed meant for a lawn at the hardware store, but all the flower, plant and veggie seeds are fine. I plant several types of squash annually. Sunflowers, nasturtiums, pansies, gazania, etc… All from store bought seed.

Here is the best grass seed mix I have found:
http://www.groworganic.com/premium-horse-pasture-mix-irrigation.html
If you jump around that website a bit, they also have clover, alfalfa and many other seeds. I've been using their stuff for years now.

 

[Tiffany Montoya]

Awesome thanks for all the advice