I am about to build an outdoor enclosure for my sulcata YAY anyhow i have a few questions.. one im going to build a small waterfall and pond, just wondering if anyone has done that and what they have used....ie pond liner? cement? ... Are there any water plants that are safe for tortoises, in case she decides to eat it?

Suggestions on types of plants, shrubs to put in the enclosure? Can i buy them at any plant/landscape store or would they have to be organically grown?

Also what is the best light to use for night time in her hide box, i want to make sure she is warm enough but i dont want a light that will keep her awake. any suggestions... THANKS EVERYONE!

Welcome Drumrunr16. First how big is your sulcata and where do you live? I have never built a large enclosure with a waterfall and pond. But I do now some
water plants that are safe for torts, duckweed, watercress, cats tongue(?) You must make sure the pond, is shallow enough your tort can be safe in it. And most of the aboved named water plants like stale or still water. Plants can be bought at just about anywhere but I woud not let your tort eat them for about 3 months, time to leach all the chemicals out of them and make sure there is no spray on them. Organically grown could be put in right away.
Night heat I would use a ceramic heat emitter or Infared bulb

Thanks for your input! Ya i plan on making the water shallow, i will probably use pond liner and some rocks around it. My tort is about 6 years old but hasnt grown like she should. She was very sick when i got her as a baby and took a long time to get over it. I think it may have stunted her growth.. or made it take longer. Shes not too big, could still fit onto a dvd case(sorry best way i can describe the size)

heres a pic

Ahhh, she's very sweet looking, does she have a name?
here is a link on how to measure her http://www.tlady.clara.net/measure.htm

Very cute!! I use daylilies, grassland seed, holyhock, weed blend, clovers, geraniums, and they eat them all.

the tort looks great!!!

I am about to build an outdoor enclosure for my sulcata YAY anyhow i have a few questions.. one im going to build a small waterfall and pond, just wondering if anyone has done that and what they have used....ie pond liner? cement? ... Are there any water plants that are safe for tortoises, in case she decides to eat it?

Suggestions on types of plants, shrubs to put in the enclosure? Can i buy them at any plant/landscape store or would they have to be organically grown?

Also what is the best light to use for night time in her hide box, i want to make sure she is warm enough but i dont want a light that will keep her awake. any suggestions... THANKS EVERYONE!

Your Sulcata is going to sit in the water to keep cool and drink. When they do this they will poop....everytime. I suggest making a cement water bowl that you can easily clean with a swish of a broom. Dig a bowl shaped hole a few inches deeper than you want. Lay out heavy duty plastic and spread out quick crete. Accent the area around your water hole with pampas grass or other types of tall grassland plants that your tort can use for shade. You can add flagstone pieces, pavers, etc., as well to create the look you want. You'll have a functional set up that is easy to maintain and looks pretty too.

Your Sulcata will eat just about any pretty plant that you put out so pick out tall grasses that are bush like or other types of bushes that he'll use to sit under and not eat. They love hibiscus so look for the tree type so they can't reach the flowers until your ready to pick and feed them. Plant weeds and lawn grass for him to graze on. You can find premixed weed/grass mixes for your tort at Carolina Pet Supply and Turtle Cafe online.

I have pictures of my water hole in the enclosures section under " outdoor enclosures" if you want to get an idea of what I'm talking about. I love waterfalls but for your future sanity I'd put that in a Sulcata free area of your yard.

http://tortoiseforum.org/outdoor-enclosures-t-1054.html

I don't use a night time light for my Sulcata's but do for the Star's and my small Leopard's. If your going to do that an inexpensive red light heat lamp bulb form a home store works great or try a black light bulb.


Misty
5 Sulcata's
3 Leopard's
4 Indian Star's

This post was last modified: 03-21-2008 08:02 AM by AWAaviatrix.