plants for indoor vivarium

[David Harmon]

Hello People and merry christmas hope you all had a good time,
can I ask what what type of indoor plants could I use in a vivarium for a leopard tortoise? as I have built a 8ft by 4ft by 2ft height, vivarium for the tortoise so I wanted a little bit more than a hide and water dish, any suggestions? also what about the temperature for this size? as I have a MVB and 2xCHE on habistat.

Thanks and again merry christmas

 

[Yvonne G]

Anything in the pansy/viola family, hosta, mother-in-law's tongue, jade/crassula, squash leaves are welcomed, carrots, any of the lettuces, I've planted those little parlor palms just for their looks. The tortoises don't try to eat them.

How old is your leopard? For babies I like to keep the whole habitat in the 80-85F degree range. For bigger tortoises you can have a warm side/cool side with room temperature being on the cool side as long as it stays above 70F.

 

[David Harmon]

Thanks for the reply Yvonne the temps so far are settled at 88F and the cool side 77F that be ok? and its 16months old 8inch and weighs 1.9KG I just wanted some advice to glam the vivarium up for the tortoise, can you buy these plants in the UK? I have order some aloe vera and opuntia (if spelt right) cactus as well

 

[Yvonne G]

You should be able to find those plants world wide. The temp is ok.

 

[David Harmon]

Sorry for the late reply Yvonne, thank you for the advice and help over the last year, final question hopefully but knowing myself ill ask more, right I have a aloe vera cactus, and a opuntia cactus this has fruits on can I feed them to the tortoise and the aloe vera?

 

[kmloughran]

Don't think that Aloe is safe for torts. Can anyone else confirm?

Also I've had good luck with boston fern, and the testudo seed mix in my vivarium. I like the seed mix because he likes to graze on it if he ever runs low on food.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Aloe Vera is safe for tortoises. And, unlike cacti, actually grows in Africa. They scarf in down fast in my experience. As with all any food item, this should be fed as part of a variety of other items.

 

[kmloughran]

Aloe Vera is safe for tortoises. And, unlike cacti, actually grows in Africa. They scarf in down fast in my experience. As with all any food item, this should be fed as part of a variety of other items.

Oh, Awesome, Thanks for correcting me! Don't know why I thought I'd heard that somewhere!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Thanks for correcting me!

Whoa there ! I weren't correcting you none, just helping you out. Something to keep in mind…if to much is fed it does have a laxative effect, similar to cacti pads which is why I say as part of a mixed varied diet.

 

[kmloughran]

Whoa there ! I weren't correcting you none, just helping you out.

I know. That was a totally sincere "thanks". I had asked if anyone could confirm my thought about aloe. And you were right there on it. So truly, thanks for correcting me. I have no problem being wrong. So thank you for making sure the proper information was relayed! Hope you have a great day.

Kev

 

[kmloughran]

I just Got a new "Lucky bamboo" to put in there. I'm also about to try my luck with a Jade plant in the drier/cooler area. I've been having a hard time keeping things alive due to the warmth and humidity. I can't really find too many plants that stay small that are good in the heat and humidity (Main area fluctuates between 40% and 60%, and and humid area stays around 70%-80%). If you find some that work well, let me know.

So far my failures are Boston Fern, Viola, and bluebells. Boston fern did last over 4 months though.

 

[Roy's Mom]

I just Got a new "Lucky bamboo" to put in there. I'm also about to try my luck with a Jade plant in the drier/cooler area. I've been having a hard time keeping things alive due to the warmth and humidity. I can't really find too many plants that stay small that are good in the heat and humidity (Main area fluctuates between 40% and 60%, and and humid area stays around 70%-80%). If you find some that work well, let me know.

So far my failures are Boston Fern, Viola, and bluebells. Boston fern did last over 4 months though.

How about trying a groundcover variety in a pot such as red apple? Then it will also hang over and he can hide under it and/or munch on it.

 

[kmloughran]

How about trying a groundcover variety in a pot such as red apple? Then it will also hang over and he can hide under it and/or munch on it.

Can we buy it at a nursery? It's considered an invasive species here in CA. Good idea though, I'll check my local shop.

I also just planted a small pot of cilantro/coriander seeds. We'll see how that goes

 

[kmloughran]

http://www.realestate.com.au/advice/37-plants-for-terrariums/ Here's some more ideas, be sure to cross-reference with http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp to check for safety.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

http://www.realestate.com.au/advice/37-plants-for-terrariums/ Here's some more ideas, be sure to cross-reference with http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp to check for safety.

Just understand and remember that "The Tortoise Table" tends to be over cautious of what they consider, "bad" or "red" plants. Offhand I can think of an example right now but double check with us when you have a question.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Can we buy it at a nursery?

Just remember at all times that almost all nursery sold plants are not organic unless plainly/clearly stating that they are. I think I started to mention this last night but suffered on the follow through.
The best thing to do, in my opinion is to just figure any plant from a nursery is contaminated with pesticides and/or fertilizers. Not to mention perlite in the planting mix that your tortoise will happily eat and become impacted with. Pesticides and fertilizers are easily removed by keeping the plant away from your tortoise, and out of the enclosure for a solid 6 months in my opinion. Others may say longer, while others may say shorter. The goal is the health of your tortoise.
Transplant to get away from those pesky, white, perlite additives. These have no place in the life of a tortoise. Trust me on this…they will be eaten and you don't want to take any shortcuts here hoping it won't happen. Jade is wonderful as a tortoise plant. Buy yourself a large one, and at times, cut and plant some of the ends with at least two sets of leaves and you'll be good to go. Once they start growing strong, place them in your enclosure for the pleasure of your tortoise. Hope this continues to help you and your tortoise.

 

[kmloughran]

Just remember at all times that almost all nursery sold plants are not organic unless plainly/clearly stating that they are. I think I started to mention this last night but suffered on the follow through.
The best thing to do, in my opinion is to just figure any plant from a nursery is contaminated with pesticides and/or fertilizers. Not to mention perlite in the planting mix that your tortoise will happily eat and become impacted with. Pesticides and fertilizers are easily removed by keeping the plant away from your tortoise, and out of the enclosure for a solid 6 months in my opinion. Others may say longer, while others may say shorter. The goal is the health of your tortoise.
Transplant to get away from those pesky, white, perlite additives. These have no place in the life of a tortoise. Trust me on this…they will be eaten and you don't want to take any shortcuts here hoping it won't happen. Jade is wonderful as a tortoise plant. Buy yourself a large one, and at times, cut and plant some of the ends with at least two sets of leaves and you'll be good to go. Once they start growing strong, place them in your enclosure for the pleasure of your tortoise. Hope this continues to help you and your tortoise.

Thanks Ken, Tons of great info in the post. Yeah, I'm always cautious when putting plants within reach of Mo. Right now he's still very small and cannot reach whats in the pots, so none of the plants in the enclosure are actually for eating, I've just been airing on the side of caution in case a leaf drops and he decides to eat it (that it's non-toxic). As for the perlite, I've been skimming off the top layer of soil and taking the bottom layers of leaves off. I top the plant off with about an inch of potting soil (no perlite). So that any perlite is buried an inch-plus below the surface. Does this seem adequate? This is all just for a few more months until We get our new house, and I build Mo his greenhouse to start growing all of his own plants here on the premises.

Any more planting suggestions are very welcome. types of plants etc. Thanks for all your help.

 

[Markw84]

As far as plants that do well in an enclosed chamber, I think the best as far as thriving in those conditions is pothos ivy. One of the most common and easy to grow house plants, it thrives in low to medium light. I even grow it in my aquatic turtle filters with no soil - just let it grow roots down into the filter it will trail wherever you lead it and the stems can grow up to 20 feet long! As Ken mentioned, the tortoise table is ok to reference, but it simply takes any reference to any issue with ANY type animal and then lists it as a problem. Pathos has raphides which is an irritant to dog and and cats but has no effect on chelonians.

I also find spider plants do very well in my enclosures. I've had good luck with Boston fern as well. Prayer plant can work if you have pretty good daylight full spectrum bulbs and place it where it gets the better lighting