plants for my homes hingeback home.

[gerrod]

well i think it would be cool to use live plants for ralphs home but im far from a greenthumb. Is it going to be ok to use fake ones or should i look into a gardening lesson?

 

[Jacqui]

Fake ones are okay. Is this inside or outside?

 

[gerrod]

inside in a 75 gal. tank.

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maybe i could do something live as long as its low maintenance and obviously safe for ralph

 

[Jacqui]

The fakes will work. They won't help create/hold the moisture like real ones, but they also don't get smushed as quickly.

 

[gerrod]

well lets just say i wanted to try my luck with some real ones, do you have any suggestions? i think the holding moisture thing would really help. i kinda struggle with keeping it nice and humid for him so im constantly spraying his home with warm water.

 

[chairman]

I have tried a lot of different plants with my hingebacks and they have killed all of them but aloe, and that didn't exactly thrive. The biggest problems I have are that a)hingebacks don't like the light that plants need to grow and b)my tortoises like to trample plants. For a list of safe plants, there is a stickied thread in the food section... http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5823.html
Take the list to your local garden center and see what they have available in the "full shade" section. I recently purchased petunias for my tortoises, and you might want to give them a shot. The nicest thing about them is that when your tortoise destroys the plant, you can restart the remains in water and they will re-root themselves. In a couple weeks the plant will be healthy enough to get mauled again.

To fix the humidity problem, add about 6-8 inches of substrate to your tank. Then, fill the bottom 1-2 inches with water. Insert an aquarium rope heater in the tank or install an UTH. It'll evaporate the water and keep the humidity up. It'll also keep your plant watered. (An alternative would be to go for a terrarium/vivarium style base with hydroballs and a layer of screen.)