Tortoise friendly lawn maintenance

BenDoc

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Hello,

So i live in central Florida and its starting to get warmer outside and about that time of year to put my baby sulcata in the yard for a little while to get some real sun. I own 2 dogs and i have treated my yard before for flea and ticks and red ants. I was wondering if my tortoise can eat my grass after i put that stuff down? If not, is there certain flea and tick yard treatment stuff i can use on a monthly basis that wont harm her? I usually spread it in my yard once a month and its that little tiny pebble looking stuff. Thank in advance!
 

Yvonne G

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I too sometimes have the flea problem, as I live out in the country and there are wandering mammals throughout the night.

You need to dedicate a portion of the yard to the tortoise. Set aside a section for the tortoise and DO NOT TREAT that section. Fence it off. Don't walk over the treated section then walk into the non treated section. Be very careful you don't get the flea treatment on the grass the tortoise will be eating.
 

Tom

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Nope. Not safe. And I know of no product to use in that manner that is safe.

You can treat the house and the dog for fleas and that should get most of them. For the fire ants, I would treat individual mounds to kill them off and block those areas off during treatment. Treat them all over your property and anywhere possible around your property to slow them from coming into the tortoise area.
 

BenDoc

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Nope. Not safe. And I know of no product to use in that manner that is safe.

You can treat the house and the dog for fleas and that should get most of them. For the fire ants, I would treat individual mounds to kill them off and block those areas off during treatment. Treat them all over your property and anywhere possible around your property to slow them from coming into the tortoise area.

Thanks for the response! I was thinking that nothing is considered safe for them. Would it be safe to block off part of my yard for my tortoise and treat the rest of the yard? I was thinking of cinder blocking off a decent size of the yard for her when she gets big enough. If not safe then the dogs and the front yard will have to be treated accordingly for the insects lol
 

BenDoc

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I too sometimes have the flea problem, as I live out in the country and there are wandering mammals throughout the night.

You need to dedicate a portion of the yard to the tortoise. Set aside a section for the tortoise and DO NOT TREAT that section. Fence it off. Don't walk over the treated section then walk into the non treated section. Be very careful you don't get the flea treatment on the grass the tortoise will be eating.

Thank you for the response! I guess for the time being i just wont treat the yard while she lives inside till shes large enough to live outside. When its time to move outside ill cinder block a section of the yard off and only treat around it lol
 

Tom

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Thanks for the response! I was thinking that nothing is considered safe for them. Would it be safe to block off part of my yard for my tortoise and treat the rest of the yard? I was thinking of cinder blocking off a decent size of the yard for her when she gets big enough. If not safe then the dogs and the front yard will have to be treated accordingly for the insects lol
When it rains all that poison is going to dissolve and drift everywhere. I wouldn't do it.
 

BenDoc

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When it rains all that poison is going to dissolve and drift everywhere. I wouldn't do it.

How long should i wait to let my tortoise in my yard after i have treated it? i did it like a month and a half ago and im not going to treat it anymore just so she can be outside more often.
 

goReptiles

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When it rains all that poison is going to dissolve and drift everywhere. I wouldn't do it.

That’s what I was going to ask. We don’t treat for pests or weeds (for obvious reasons on weeds).

My mother in law was determined to bring us any spray. Then insisted I was a democrat bc I told her I’d never use it - front yard or back. My husband just looked at her and was like “not everything is politics mom. Sometimes it’s for the betterment of her pets.”

Now I know for sure my worries have always been right. I went all over town 10 years ago looking for supplies for an all natural ant attractor that they’d take to their nest to kill everyone. Worked great. It was safe for pets but not ants. I think I got it off here. I can’t remember. I only needed it once.
 

Tom

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How long should i wait to let my tortoise in my yard after i have treated it? i did it like a month and a half ago and im not going to treat it anymore just so she can be outside more often.
That is hard to answer. Depends on what the poison was, how much you used, how and where it was distributed, what the weather and rainfall has been like, and what sort of residual effect it has.

I'd wait a year or more personally. I'm squeamish about poisons and don't like to risk it.
 

Tom

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That’s what I was going to ask. We don’t treat for pests or weeds (for obvious reasons on weeds).

My mother in law was determined to bring us any spray. Then insisted I was a democrat bc I told her I’d never use it - front yard or back. My husband just looked at her and was like “not everything is politics mom. Sometimes it’s for the betterment of her pets.”

Now I know for sure my worries have always been right. I went all over town 10 years ago looking for supplies for an all natural ant attractor that they’d take to their nest to kill everyone. Worked great. It was safe for pets but not ants. I think I got it off here. I can’t remember. I only needed it once.
Ha! That's kind of funny. The stereotypes about the two warring political sides. Most conservatives that I know do not want to poison the earth or their pets, but the opposition would sure have you believe otherwise.

I won't get into politics but both sides have their dummies and extremists. I've found that if you actually talk to someone on the other side, people agree about more issues than they disagree about, even though they might not think so at first.
 

BenDoc

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Ha! That's kind of funny. The stereotypes about the two warring political sides. Most conservatives that I know do not want to poison the earth or their pets, but the opposition would sure have you believe otherwise.

I won't get into politics but both sides have their dummies and extremists. I've found that if you actually talk to someone on the other side, people agree about more issues than they disagree about, even though they might not think so at first.

Hey Tom,

Since I've been on the forum and taking advice from everyone my sulcata seems to be doing very well! When I first joined she was 74 grams and now shes consistently above 200 grams! Attached is some new photos of her and I just want an opinion on how shes looking and if her growth rate is normal? I've had her now for about 5 months.
 

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Tom

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Hey Tom,

Since I've been on the forum and taking advice from everyone my sulcata seems to be doing very well! When I first joined she was 74 grams and now shes consistently above 200 grams! Attached is some new photos of her and I just want an opinion on how shes looking and if her growth rate is normal? I've had her now for about 5 months.
I can see some mild pyramiding in your pics, but I'd need a close up profile to give you a better answer. Over all the tortoise looks good to me.
 

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