# Pearly's RF outdoor enclosure in Texas



## Pearly (Apr 17, 2016)

Hey guys, I'm starting this thread in hopes of attracting some feedback with ideas and building tips, as I'm NOT by any means handy (God help me!!!) nor am I physically strong. Persistent/tenacious PIA is what I am and I promissed my daughter we'd have the babies spend few hrs outside daily by this summer and by golly, we will. Now I just need to make sure the place is safe, escape/predator proof, and free of anything that they could eat and get sick from it.

so back in Winter I started tearing down the 3 raised beds that I had here for my children.

the enclosure plot, view into the part of my backyard.

there is and edged flower bed that wraps around the house. I'm thinking now of using it for my babies' run. Eventually will make their enclosure bigger and bigger.

and view from the backyard.

there were 2 big oleander bushes there by that big window... The are gone. I've already started bringing new plants in


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## Pearly (Apr 17, 2016)

Hello again! Gotta put all those pics on this thread bfr my husband uploads the iPhone and iPad, I take too many pictures (apparently!!!!) and it "clutters the device memory... )
Home Depot had pretty interesting edgers, much nicer looking than cinder blocks. And... They put them on sale couple of days ago!!!! 
I made 4 trips to Home Depot in my car with little trunk, loaded/unloaded everything myself and brought it to the backyard!

this is what they look like.

and this is kinda what it's going to look like. 
I just put them down without leveling/digging or anything. I will do all that little bit every time I get opportunity. 
While I work the babies can spend time there with me without me having to watch them every second of every minute. 
One layer would be enough, but for young bored determined tortoise... Who knows? So I'm doing two layers. 
I'll start planting the area as well at this same time. 
Very excited!!!


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## Rue (Apr 17, 2016)

Nice yard. Lots of possibilities!

The digging will be the hardest (would be for me), to bury wire or wood...

***edit

I didn't see the blocks! Very nice ...if you 'bury' those, that would save some digging, or maybe be easier to dig in and have straight.

Er...don't you have your own phone/computer for phots? Just curious. Hubby and I keep our own albums...easier that way.


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## Yvonne G (Apr 17, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Hey guys, I'm starting this thread in hopes of attracting some feedback with ideas and building tips, as I'm NOT by any means handy (God help me!!!) nor am I physically strong. Persistent/tenacious PIA is what I am and I promissed my daughter we'd have the babies spend few hrs outside daily by this summer and by golly, we will. Now I just need to make sure the place is safe, escape/predator proof, and free of anything that they could eat and get sick from it.
> View attachment 170625
> so back in Winter I started tearing down the 3 raised beds that I had here for my children.
> View attachment 170626
> ...



your house is lovely!


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## Yvonne G (Apr 17, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Hello again! Gotta put all those pics on this thread bfr my husband uploads the iPhone and iPad, I take too many pictures (apparently!!!!) and it "clutters the device memory... )
> Home Depot had pretty interesting edgers, much nicer looking than cinder blocks. And... They put them on sale couple of days ago!!!!
> I made 4 trips to Home Depot in my car with little trunk, loaded/unloaded everything myself and brought it to the backyard!
> View attachment 170630
> ...



I really like using blocks like that because you can plant trailing succulents inside them and it really dresses up your little 'fence.'


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## Pearly (Apr 17, 2016)

Rue said:


> Nice yard. Lots of possibilities!
> 
> The digging will be the hardest (would be for me), to bury wire or wood...
> 
> ...


Nah! I don't bother with electronics or cars other the USE them. My husband does the upkeep
Everybody in my house has their own PC, iPad and iPhone. My husband keeps all of them working for us. 
I was not going to burry anything in the ground. Been told and read that RF's don't burrow, and in almost a year of keeping mine I've never seen them did other then making a little dip in substrate or moss to nestle in. 

I was planning on just laying the blocks and the only digging I'd have to do would be to level the ground for them. 

My soil is next to impossible to dig without heavy digger equipment. We are on the edge of Texas Hill Country which sits on the bedrock of limestone....

Beautiful area, but impossible for me to till/turn/amend/aerate the soil. That's why I'm doing this 1/2a$$ gardening where things just HAPPEN with very little human intervention and no planning


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## Pearly (Apr 17, 2016)

Yvonne G said:


> your house is lovely!


Thank you Yvonne. It was already under construction (someone who was building it had to change plans at the last minute) back in 1996 when we had to pack up and leave our home in Boca Raton, FL. I didn't really want to leave my family and friends for the second time. Already done a big move to the US from Poland back in 1989. But ended up falling in love with Texas and the people here


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## Pearly (Apr 17, 2016)

Yvonne G said:


> I really like using blocks like that because you can plant trailing succulents inside them and it really dresses up your little 'fence.'


That's exactly the plan! Filling the spaces with compost (it has to retain water in Texas heat) and plant trailing herbs and succulents! My daughter also wants to decorate (paint maybe? The outside of the wall) I'll let her! Those are her pets. She can do whatever just as long as this helps her bonding closer with them


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## Yvonne G (Apr 17, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Thank you Yvonne. It was already under construction (someone who was building it had to change plans at the last minute) back in 1996 when we had to pack up and leave our home in Boca Raton, FL. I didn't really want to leave my family and friends for the second time. Already done a big move to the US from Poland back in 1989. But ended up falling in love with Texas and the people here



...and the southern accents! When Maggie travelled to Texas last week, I talked to a couple of Texans on separate occasions because she was having phone problems and borrowed folks' phones. It was all, "Ya'll and ma'am and instead of 'ing' it was 'in'" My son moved his family to Texas about 10 years ago and my granddaughter (in her 20's now) has that Texas drawl too.


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## ZEROPILOT (Apr 17, 2016)

IMO you won't have to dig down.
Correct.
I like that the top block slightly overlaps because little Redfoot CAN climb. A lot.


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## Rue (Apr 17, 2016)

Pearly said:


> ...
> 
> I was planning on just laying the blocks and the only digging I'd have to do would be to level the ground for them.
> 
> ...



We have awful soil...almost pure sand, and saline to boot. I call it the acreage of death. So it's not so bad to dig...but it won't grow anything I want to grow. I'm trying raised beds now...and filling with 'good' soil. See what happens. Our water also isn't great. I don't know how much that contributes to our gardening issues...

Good thing for tortoises that certain edible weeds luv it here...

And since I have a Polish branch of the family: Dzień dobry!

...however most of my Polish I picked up listening to my Aunt talk to her chihauhaus...lol...


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## Yvonne G (Apr 17, 2016)

Rue said:


> We have awful soil...almost pure sand, and saline to boot. I call it the acreage of death. So it's not so bad to dig...but it won't grow anything I want to grow. I'm trying raised beds now...and filling with 'good' soil. See what happens. Our water also isn't great. I don't know how much that contributes to our gardening issues...
> 
> Good thing for tortoises that certain edible weeds luv it here...
> 
> ...



When the leaves fall instead of tossing them or burning them, put them into your sandy flower beds and dig them in. Eventually you will have a nice, rich soil instead of sand.


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## Rue (Apr 17, 2016)

Thank you! I'm open to all suggestions...

As I get into my little bit of gardening this year...I'll post some pictures of our place. I'm sure there are solutions out there...but we are having a hard time finding them. Even xeriscaping isn't the answer...

And back out East...I had a beautiful garden. Gorgeous tea roses...Gingko tree...so yes, I can garden. But this little patch of hostile nature we live on...whole 'nother story...

Mulching has really been the only thing that's made a visible difference. We are due for a whole load of fresh mulch this year...


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## Jacqui (Apr 17, 2016)

I love that your doing curvy, rather then straight. I agree with seeing no need to do any digging in.


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## Pearly (Apr 18, 2016)

Yvonne G said:


> ...and the southern accents! When Maggie travelled to Texas last week, I talked to a couple of Texans on separate occasions because she was having phone problems and borrowed folks' phones. It was all, "Ya'll and ma'am and instead of 'ing' it was 'in'" My son moved his family to Texas about 10 years ago and my granddaughter (in her 20's now) has that Texas drawl too.


Accents are big part of my life. Even in my small native Poland people in different regions had different accents. Florida was full of them from snowbirds and cuban/haitian immigrants, and now it's "ya'll and ma'am"... And, I had never left my strong foreign accent. Glad to know you have family in this beautiful state of Texas I call home


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## ZEROPILOT (Apr 18, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Accents are big part of my life. Even in my small native Poland people in different regions had different accents. Florida was full of them from snowbirds and cuban/haitian immigrants, and now it's "ya'll and ma'am"... And, I had never left my strong foreign accent. Glad to know you have family in this beautiful state of Texas I call home


Maybe we need an accent thread.
I have a mild South Carolinian...And I'm nuts about English "type" accents.
(It was recently pointed out to me that they differ throughout the U.K.)


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## Pearly (Apr 18, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Maybe we need an accent thread.
> I have a mild South Carolinian...And I'm nuts about English "type" accents.
> (It was recently pointed out to me that they differ throughout the U.K.)


Yes, it may be a great idea to have an "accent chit chat" in this far reaching community.


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## Pearly (Apr 29, 2016)

plants ready for the tortoise garden. Still looking for some taller shade plants. I'll be planting as I go with placing/leveling the edging stones. Oh joy! My poor back!


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## Pearly (Apr 29, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Hello again! Gotta put all those pics on this thread bfr my husband uploads the iPhone and iPad, I take too many pictures (apparently!!!!) and it "clutters the device memory... )
> Home Depot had pretty interesting edgers, much nicer looking than cinder blocks. And... They put them on sale couple of days ago!!!!
> I made 4 trips to Home Depot in my car with little trunk, loaded/unloaded everything myself and brought it to the backyard!
> View attachment 170630
> ...


@NDevon, I think you were interested in following the progress of my work


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## jaizei (Apr 29, 2016)

ZEROPILOT said:


> Maybe we need an accent thread.
> I have a mild South Carolinian...And I'm nuts about English "type" accents.
> (It was recently pointed out to me that they differ throughout the U.K.)



I was surprised when I found out the same about Spanish/Mexico. Like they can tell where someone is from; and some parts of Mexico don't like others. In retrospect, it makes sense when you think about the different accents in the US, but I never thought about different/local accents in other languages.


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## NDevon (May 30, 2016)

Pearly said:


> @NDevon, I think you were interested in following the progress of my work




I am! Not been on here for quite a while, my son has been poorly and had to give him all of my time, not managed to get my enclosure expansion done or anything that I wanted so it's been frustrating. 

I love what you are doing with this Pearly, I'm going to do a small outdoor enclosure I can put my littluns in for a few hours a day when the weather is good so I'm going to read as much as I can for inspiration.

I'm a little unsure how warm it needs to be outside and how long they can be out for, and how that changes with age. Are there any rules? I know @Anyfoot has had his herd out roaming, but they are all a lot bigger and older than mine. I'm not going to put heaters into an outside enclosure, this is just something small to last me a couple of summers, so it doesn't need to be as well made as some of the stuff you guys build. 

So what else have you got planned for your enclosure Pearly? More plants? What will you do for water?


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## Pearly (May 30, 2016)

NDevon said:


> I am! Not been on here for quite a while, my son has been poorly and had to give him all of my time, not managed to get my enclosure expansion done or anything that I wanted so it's been frustrating.
> 
> I love what you are doing with this Pearly, I'm going to do a small outdoor enclosure I can put my littluns in for a few hours a day when the weather is good so I'm going to read as much as I can for inspiration.
> 
> ...


I hate to hear your boy was feeling poorly. Hope all's well with him now. I haven't made much progress here. El Niño is bringing us much needed rain this spring but that also means that weeds grow right back almost as soon as I pull them out and the ground is too soggy to work in it most days. It's a good question about the temp. I've been sticking to the safe side (80F and up). We've had cooler days (high 60's and 70's) and when it's not windy I bring them out just to stretch their muscles for about 1/2 hr per day. I know there are very seasoned tort keepers whose sulcatas live in heated houses and get out walking in snow in our winters up North here in the US (gets cold there!!!) but those are adult animals. I'd never do that with a small baby. Of course there is an overprotective motherly instinct in me, I tend to "anticipate" and take care of things pre-emptively...  so on safe temps topic we better tap into some more reliable respurces (gotta dig through Tortoise Library or Turtletary, loads of great info on RF torts)


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## Pearly (May 30, 2016)

NDevon said:


> I am! Not been on here for quite a while, my son has been poorly and had to give him all of my time, not managed to get my enclosure expansion done or anything that I wanted so it's been frustrating.
> 
> I love what you are doing with this Pearly, I'm going to do a small outdoor enclosure I can put my littluns in for a few hours a day when the weather is good so I'm going to read as much as I can for inspiration.
> 
> ...


To answer your last questions, yes! Definitely more plants!!!! I've got some hardy hibiscus, and bunch of other tort friendly plants. Just waiting for things to dry up a bit so I can start digging in there and leveling those edging stones. As for water... That's a tough one. I live in a Mosquito-land! Hate them! Darn skeeters! Would like to do something with preferably moving water waterfall maybe? with little pump, water flowing into a shallow wading pool?.... Not sure yet. Until I figure it out I'll just have couple of regular water dishes that I know will be a pain to keep clean and fresh.... That's yet another reason for my obsession with plants. I'm hoping that with the right ground cover things have a chance to stay relatively clean.... I like it clean... Another potential issue to consider proactively will be fire ants! Central Texas is a Fire Ant country as well as mosquito! Uggghhhh!!!


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## Pearly (May 30, 2016)

got this one and 3 of the hardy variety of hibiscus.

this really cool looking fern





got tons of low, tall growing and creeping Mexican Petunia



got TONS of assorted Wandering Jew (my babies do graze of it at times)





bunch of sages and salvias but those I have yet to check out for tort compatibility
Plus tons of herbs, all in small 4 inch pots, so will be a while before they fill in. I just don't like to spend money on big plants knowing I can get them for a fraction of that price and just let them grow in my garden


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## Pearly (May 30, 2016)

yes! It's Iceplant-sedum! Also have TONS of it!!! And MANY MANY MANY MORE PLANTS I should start my own nursery busines, hahaha!


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## Pearly (May 30, 2016)

Forgot to mention couple of roses, some begonias, different typem of geraniums, lemon grass and other mosquito rebeliant herbs... And... some others.... Just can't wait to clear the area of All the weeds (not the kind I want in there) and start planting


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## Anyfoot (May 30, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Forgot to mention couple of roses, some begonias, different typem of geraniums, lemon grass and other mosquito rebeliant herbs... And... some others.... Just can't wait to clear the area of All the weeds (not the kind I want in there) and start planting


 'Clear the area of all the weeds'  are you mad. Clear the area of flowers to make way for weeds you mean. 
Your gardens always looks nice.


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## Pearly (May 30, 2016)

Anyfoot said:


> 'Clear the area of all the weeds'  are you mad. Clear the area of flowers to make way for weeds you mean.
> Your gardens always looks nice.


Hahah! Most of the weeds are Nutsedge grass! I hate it! It does lousy job in covering dirt and it's hard to pull with those deep underground bulbs and root runners. Believe me, I'm planting the GOOD WEEDS in there! Got some Crainsbill and Speedwell, clover seeds and few others. Even found mallow in one natural nursery. I'll be posting pics of the progress


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## Kori5 (May 31, 2016)

I missed your thread! How are the preparations going? Are they out yet? . Their enclosure looks stunning. I'm interested about the plant thing. Since you bought them in the store/nursery when will the be safe for your torts? Because I have the same problem, his place is plain looking as I'm afraid to put anything new in.


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## SarahChelonoidis (May 31, 2016)

Beautiful stuff.

Just so you know, your Ming fern is Asparagus macowanii - people call them Asparagus 'ferns', but they're not really ferns at all. They are a flowering plant that produces a berry that is toxic to cats and dogs. I would assume the berry is harmful to tortoises too, just to be safe.

The tortoise table advises caution for one of the other Asparagus species http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp?catID=29


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## Pearly (May 31, 2016)

Kori5 said:


> I missed your thread! How are the preparations going? Are they out yet? . Their enclosure looks stunning. I'm interested about the plant thing. Since you bought them in the store/nursery when will the be safe for your torts? Because I have the same problem, his place is plain looking as I'm afraid to put anything new in.


Hi there! Not out yet! Still only supervised outings we've been getting so much rain lately like never in past at least decade if not more. Seems that whenever I could dedicate couple of hrs to "getting all dirty" out there- it pours down! I have 1/2 of the area's soil turned and all bad weeds pulled. It's ready for planting. The edging stones will need to be reset in some places and leveled and then I'll have to see if my little Houdini can find some weak spot to get out because if he can, he WILL. I almost lost him twice in last few weeks! During supervised outing!!!! He is very determined. In a way I'm not really pushing for the completion, just to give it time and make sure the fire ants don't come back. So far so good though after my Orange Oil and horticultural Molasses treatment. I'll have to clear my phone as well to free up room for the updated pics and will definitely keep the updates coming. Thanks for checking in


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## Pearly (May 31, 2016)

SarahChelonoidis said:


> Beautiful stuff.
> 
> Just so you know, your Ming fern is Asparagus macowanii - people call them Asparagus 'ferns', but they're not really ferns at all. They are a flowering plant that produces a berry that is toxic to cats and dogs. I would assume the berry is harmful to tortoises too, just to be safe.
> 
> The tortoise table advises caution for one of the other Asparagus species http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp?catID=29


Thank you. I knew it was from asparagus family. Didn't know about the berries. Thank you for pointing it out.


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## NDevon (May 31, 2016)

Pearly said:


> To answer your last questions, yes! Definitely more plants!!!! I've got some hardy hibiscus, and bunch of other tort friendly plants. Just waiting for things to dry up a bit so I can start digging in there and leveling those edging stones. As for water... That's a tough one. I live in a Mosquito-land! Hate them! Darn skeeters! Would like to do something with preferably moving water waterfall maybe? with little pump, water flowing into a shallow wading pool?.... Not sure yet. Until I figure it out I'll just have couple of regular water dishes that I know will be a pain to keep clean and fresh.... That's yet another reason for my obsession with plants. I'm hoping that with the right ground cover things have a chance to stay relatively clean.... I like it clean... Another potential issue to consider proactively will be fire ants! Central Texas is a Fire Ant country as well as mosquito! Uggghhhh!!!




Wow just seen all the plant pics, nice variety! Moving water would be nice, I want to do the same, just got to be careful with the depth I guess. I thought if I made it deep enough to allow for their growth and then I could just put small stones in the bottom to make it shallower. It's easy to scoop stones out later, it's harder to make the whole thing deeper.

How high would everyone say the walls should be for Redfoots? I was thinking about 10-12". There will be a removable cover on top so they won't be able to escape, I'm just thinking of times when I'm out here and don't put the cover on. Also thinking it won't feel so nice for them if the cover is just a few inches from their shells. I'll update my outdoor thread with some starting pics later, I think I've decided where it's going to be built now


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## Kori5 (May 31, 2016)

I have 35 cm walls for my adult Hermanni. He also has a mesh on top to keep him safe. I think it should be there all the time, even if you're there because in a minute a hawk can come and take him.


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## Kori5 (May 31, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Hi there! Not out yet! Still only supervised outings we've been getting so much rain lately like never in past at least decade if not more. Seems that whenever I could dedicate couple of hrs to "getting all dirty" out there- it pours down! I have 1/2 of the area's soil turned and all bad weeds pulled. It's ready for planting. The edging stones will need to be reset in some places and leveled and then I'll have to see if my little Houdini can find some weak spot to get out because if he can, he WILL. I almost lost him twice in last few weeks! During supervised outing!!!! He is very determined. In a way I'm not really pushing for the completion, just to give it time and make sure the fire ants don't come back. So far so good though after my Orange Oil and horticultural Molasses treatment. I'll have to clear my phone as well to free up room for the updated pics and will definitely keep the updates coming. Thanks for checking in


Talking about weather, same here! We had an incredibly rainy spring and then, last week temperatures reached 33 C. It even came to a point where it is too hot too keep him out (as this summer we improvised an balcony enclosure). Finally the weather stabilised so he'll be able to spend days out. Don't worry about yours as they are still babies and benefit even from an hour two on the sun . You made a great job, it looks very natural.


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## Pearly (May 31, 2016)

Hey Guys, for the walls I'm making it 2 cinderblocks high for now. 1 layer would suffice at this time as the babies are still small but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'll have to go put there with my measuring tape. Will let you know later the exact height


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## Pearly (May 31, 2016)

Hey guys! I got a woodpecker in my backyard!!!! He's been there for 3 days now, still too fast for me to get a picture, but I will. Man! He's really loud!!! Love it!!!


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## JoesMum (May 31, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Hey guys! I got a woodpecker in my backyard!!!! He's been there for 3 days now, still too fast for me to get a picture, but I will. Man! He's really loud!!! Love it!!!


I love woodpeckers 

We have them too - Great Spotted Woodpecker. They come in to my bird feeders. Last year they brought their youngster in too 

I can't get a photo either, but our looks like this one



Just occasionally we get a Green Woodpecker as well. We call it the Lawnpecker as it likes eating ants it finds in nests in the grass


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## Pearly (May 31, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Hey Guys, for the walls I'm making it 2 cinderblocks high for now. 1 layer would suffice at this time as the babies are still small but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'll have to go put there with my measuring tape. Will let you know later the exact height




something like this, only leveled and will likely have some trailing herb coming out of those holes.

here you can see that horrible nutsedge grass (hate it!!!!) and how tall that little wall will be in comparison to those 4inch pots those plants are in.


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## Pearly (May 31, 2016)

JoesMum said:


> I love woodpeckers
> 
> We have them too - Great Spotted Woodpecker. They come in to my bird feeders. Last year they brought their youngster in too
> 
> ...


Mine is more like that first picture. I didn't take a good look but saw red on his head and white/gray spots. Love my birds! I'm so excited to have the tortoise garden there. If I can just get rid of mosquitos perhaps me and family can actually start spending time there


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## martaemha (May 31, 2016)

Hi Pearly! your enclosure looks perfect so far! such a big space for your babies! You said you're having problems with the mosquitoes, I just thought that since you are such a skilled gardener, maybe you should consider planting _Plectranthus glabratus (po polsku: komarzyca) _I don't know about the Fire Ants but mosquitoes tend to avoid areas where this little stinky thing grows!


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## Pearly (Jun 1, 2016)

martaemha said:


> Hi Pearly! your enclosure looks perfect so far! such a big space for your babies! You said you're having problems with the mosquitoes, I just thought that since you are such a skilled gardener, maybe you should consider planting _Plectranthus glabratus (po polsku: komarzyca) _I don't know about the Fire Ants but mosquitoes tend to avoid areas where this little stinky thing grows!


Mam komarzyce!!! Here it's called Swedish ivy. Got at least 3 varieties of it. Plus 5-6 different scented geraniums, lemon grass and other herbals aiming to discourage mosquitos. It'll probably take a season for the plants to take off and do the work they are supposed to (hopefully!) but... "everything's big-ger in Texas" ya know! That includes the pesky skeeters


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## martaemha (Jun 2, 2016)

Pearly, you know your thing!  Seems like you've got an army of anti-mosquito plants, hope they will do their job and won't bother your torts at the same time. My Russians detest certain smells, they hate melissa for instance. I planted it for them in their enclosure last year and all of a sudden they started avoiding the area where it grew and never nibbled on the poor plant. They would also turn their heads from their food when I tried mixing it with melissa. So I learned that the strong smell is a big discouragement for them and sniff the plants first before planting them


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## Sandy Martinez (Jun 2, 2016)

Pearly said:


> @NDevon, I think you were interested in following the progress of my work


Pearly, What are the names of the plants you have planted thus far? I too live in Texas and am wanting to add more to my outdoor enclosure.


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## Gillian M (Jun 2, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Hey guys, I'm starting this thread in hopes of attracting some feedback with ideas and building tips, as I'm NOT by any means handy (God help me!!!) nor am I physically strong. Persistent/tenacious PIA is what I am and I promissed my daughter we'd have the babies spend few hrs outside daily by this summer and by golly, we will. Now I just need to make sure the place is safe, escape/predator proof, and free of anything that they could eat and get sick from it.
> View attachment 170625
> so back in Winter I started tearing down the 3 raised beds that I had here for my children.
> View attachment 170626
> ...


A wonderful house, Pearly. GOD bless.


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## Gillian M (Jun 2, 2016)

Pearly said:


> View attachment 175498
> got this one and 3 of the hardy variety of hibiscus.
> View attachment 175499
> this really cool looking fern
> ...


What lovely pics!


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## Pearly (Jun 2, 2016)

martaemha said:


> Pearly, you know your thing!  Seems like you've got an army of anti-mosquito plants, hope they will do their job and won't bother your torts at the same time. My Russians detest certain smells, they hate melissa for instance. I planted it for them in their enclosure last year and all of a sudden they started avoiding the area where it grew and never nibbled on the poor plant. They would also turn their heads from their food when I tried mixing it with melissa. So I learned that the strong smell is a big discouragement for them and sniff the plants first before planting them


Well... I plan on having oregano and creeping thyme all around the enclosure perimeter in addition to all the above mentioned, so my grand-torts better like the smell. Think oregano is also on "tort food" list


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## Pearly (Jun 2, 2016)

Sandy Martinez said:


> Pearly, What are the names of the plants you have planted thus far? I too live in Texas and am wanting to add more to my outdoor enclosure.


Haven't planted any! They all still sit in pots. The ones that I know will do well in soil and weather are: hardy hibiscus, mexican petunia, wandering jew, autumn sedum (ice plant), roses, and any herb I plant in there. They are also selling gazania now so buy a few. It will come back year after year and grow into a nice big mound. Hostas will do ok but you have to have cooler/shady spot for it


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## Pearly (Jun 2, 2016)

Gillian Moore said:


> A wonderful house, Pearly. GOD bless.


Thank you Gillian


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## Pearly (Jun 3, 2016)

Sandy Martinez said:


> Pearly, What are the names of the plants you have planted thus far? I too live in Texas and am wanting to add more to my outdoor enclosure.


Rock Rose for the sunny spot and Turks Cap for shady place will do very well here, any type of grape vine (for their leaves, Rose of Sharon and Hardy Hibiscus (they are selling all those now). I'm still thinking about the mulberry, just not sure about it. I am in suburbs with limited space and need to consider the size of all the perennials I plant as well as esthetics of the end result


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## Momof4 (Jun 3, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Rock Rose for the sunny spot and Turks Cap for shady place will do very well here, any type of grape vine (for their leaves, Rose of Sharon and Hardy Hibiscus (they are selling all those now). I'm still thinking about the mulberry, just not sure about it. I am in suburbs with limited space and need to consider the size of all the perennials I plant as well as esthetics of the end result



Have you found the dwarf mulberry? It doesn't get gigantic. 
That's what I have.


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## Pearly (Jun 19, 2016)

Momof4 said:


> Have you found the dwarf mulberry? It doesn't get gigantic.
> That's what I have.


Don't know how I missed your question... Sorry! No mulberry yet but I know where to find them now. Got 2 roses, 3 nice size hibiscus, few big sunflowers standing over 5 ft tall (i moved volunteers of those from other areas of the garden) so plenty of dapple light but even more shade in this tortgarden. I have to take pics of the progress I've made last 2 days I worked there I finally had the guts to turn the babies loose but found myself checking on them all the time like an OCD


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## Pearly (Jun 19, 2016)

Went out to work on the tortoise garden yesterday. The cinderblocks are set in place (hurt my wrist doing it the other day) best I possibly could with my own 2 hands. Looking around the perimeter from the ground level it looked impenetrable so yesterday for the first time I took the babies out there and turned them loose without someone's constant supervision. Before then I'd have my kids take turns watching them while I was working on the enclosure. Well, I started filling the cinderblocks with dirt, and look what jumped at me out of the very first one

. He is probably a prince turned into a frog (no, I'm not kissing him). He was hanging around the whole time I was out there. The babies did very well, filled up on snails again. Today I'll be adding compost to the cinderblocks and will try to get all them planted. That and few more plants for the inside, mulch, couple of hides... Still a lot of work to do, but I'll have the babies with me each time I work there so perhaps by the time the work is done I won't be freaking out so bad about leaving those babies out there unattended. As for now, I just can't do it! I know! I'm crazy


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## Pearly (Jun 24, 2016)

Most of the sedge grass is out, some stubborn "whiskas" still popping back out but the ground looks much clearer

now you can actually see it (the dirt), before it was like a savanna of weed grass that I didn't want in there with some good plants mixed in. If it hadn't been for those plants I'd possibly just wide range round up the whole area and start from scratch Here you can see most of the plants already in. Edging done fairly securely with the hollow spaces fillied in with dirt and trailing succulents and herbs already planted there. I had hurt my wrist while doing it Now just dealing with remnance of the sedge grass and stray ants that pop up here and there. Did another orange oil and molasses treatment 2 days ago. I'll move few more shade plants from my front garden, dig up water hole and maybe a in ground hide, and place will be ready to get mulched, hides, dishes, rocks, driftwood put in place for finishing touches. I'm really enjoying this work rather than stressing about it. Babies get to go out there spend few hrs every day while I'm either there working or between myself and the kids we check on them about every 10-15 min to make sure they are accounted for, no escape attempts, no tresspassers etc. while they are out there I have the misting hose going in there the whole time.

. Next time I go there I'll take some close up pics.


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## Pearly (Jul 4, 2016)

Fighting with the darn ants now!!! The other day I went to pick them up for their bath around sunset, both were huddled in corners under some plants next to the fencing where I've seen some ants crawl but now mounds.., well Tucker had bunch of ants on top of his carapace. I freaked out, washe him really good under the hose, gave them long bath that night and through exam under good LED lamp. No bite marks or anything but I'm just worried about that now. Other than that, I'm still digging out the roots/rhizomes of that sedge grass. Want to deal with it now rather than after I put down thick layer of cyprus mulch. I did make a little temp hide

out of a little stackable bin put coco coir and reptibark on the bottom. It's dug into the ground about a foot... and I threw the dirt on top of it... They don't seem to like it. I think I'll make few of these in couple different spots of their garden, just deeper and more soil cover on top, maybe plant groundcovers on the roofs... And hopefully they will start using them. I'm just little scared that one of these days I'll find a snake in there. Brrrr!!!!


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## Momof4 (Jul 4, 2016)

Pearly said:


> Fighting with the darn ants now!!! The other day I went to pick them up for their bath around sunset, both were huddled in corners under some plants next to the fencing where I've seen some ants crawl but now mounds.., well Tucker had bunch of ants on top of his carapace. I freaked out, washe him really good under the hose, gave them long bath that night and through exam under good LED lamp. No bite marks or anything but I'm just worried about that now. Other than that, I'm still digging out the roots/rhizomes of that sedge grass. Want to deal with it now rather than after I put down thick layer of cyprus mulch. I did make a little temp hide
> View attachment 179160
> out of a little stackable bin put coco coir and reptibark on the bottom. It's dug into the ground about a foot... and I threw the dirt on top of it... They don't seem to like it. I think I'll make few of these in couple different spots of their garden, just deeper and more soil cover on top, maybe plant groundcovers on the roofs... And hopefully they will start using them. I'm just little scared that one of these days I'll find a snake in there. Brrrr!!!!



Snakes in the hides are my biggest fears!!


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## Pearly (Jul 4, 2016)

Momof4 said:


> Snakes in the hides are my biggest fears!!


So what is a girl supposed to do???!!! Oh how I hope to hear some words of wisdom from other tort moms/grandmas who don't particularly adore snakes like they adore their torts. Not necessarily disliking them, just kinda scared/intimidated or if taken by surprise-freaked out by them


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## Anyfoot (Jul 4, 2016)

Can't help you pearls, our biggest fears are earwigs. Lol.


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## Pearly (Jul 5, 2016)

Anyfoot said:


> Can't help you pearls, our biggest fears are earwigs. Lol.


That sucks!!!! I had absolutely NO exposure to snakes growing up! And I loved outdoors, camping, hiking and stuff. Just had NEVER seen one. The only snakes I saw growing up were ones at ZOO's and on tv. We had 2 known species, and one of those 2 was a small little viper that we'd hear of being in southeast corner of the country. That's probably why snakes freak me out so bad. And Craig, for your earwigs, I just use my "ruby slipper"


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## Momof4 (Jul 5, 2016)

Pearly said:


> So what is a girl supposed to do???!!! Oh how I hope to hear some words of wisdom from other tort moms/grandmas who don't particularly adore snakes like they adore their torts. Not necessarily disliking them, just kinda scared/intimidated or if taken by surprise-freaked out by them



I'm going to make a burrow/hide where I can lift off the top and grab the tort! I cringe every summer when I reach in the the half buried flower pot!
We have rattlers all over our community! 
The fire station sends a couple guys out and removes them.


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## Pearly (Jul 5, 2016)

Momof4 said:


> I'm going to make a burrow/hide where I can lift off the top and grab the tort! I cringe every summer when I reach in the the half buried flower pot!
> We have rattlers all over our community!
> The fire station sends a couple guys out and removes them.


That's my fear! I am guilty of not respecting my grandtorts privacy or personal space and get their booties out of their hides all the time for feedig, or bath... My babies are used to me disturbing their peace. They know "grandma has something good for them" but mr. Snake is not gonna know... It scares me to think that I put my hand in the hide looking/feeling for the baby, and get pissed off snake instead....


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## AJK Aquaria (Jul 11, 2016)

Really like the look of your enclosure.
How large are the tortoises?
Where exactly do you live? What species of snake are native to your area? I'd imagine quite a few in Texas.


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## Pearly (Jul 12, 2016)

AJK Aquaria said:


> Really like the look of your enclosure.
> How large are the tortoises?
> Where exactly do you live? What species of snake are native to your area? I'd imagine quite a few in Texas.


Oh boy! Where do I begin! First of all, thank you for the nice comment. we are in central Texas, on edge of Texas Hill Country. We are a family who owns 2 RF yearlings, they are 4, 5 and 5.5 inches. Still have lots of growing to do. The house is located in subdivision that wraps around big public golfcourse with lots of wodded patches of land, several ponds, streams and pretty big creek nearby, so despite of the area being developped there's still quite a bit of wildlife around here. 10yrs ago I heard coyotees howl every single night, and 20 yrs ago we had a bobcat sighting here... but none since then. There are many snakes that call this area home, the venomous species are mainly rattlers, copperheads and water mocassins. My gardener buddy said she saw a coral snake couple of yrs ago. I've never seen one around here. Other than those I think the most common are rat snakes, garter snakes and little common garden snakes.


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