Recent content by Michael Bird

Thank you for the feedback.

I have two hardy hibiscus plants growing in large 20 gallon pots that I roll into my garage during the cold winters. They aren't big (about 18-24 inches tall at full growth in the summer) but they have been reasonably healthy. However, last year their growth was much slower than before and they...

Tom already mentioned the potential issues with sand. This is particularly true if you have a lot of sand, but if it is mixed in to the soil and buried by plants it might not be as big of an issue. It is still something to avoid when possible, though. If you still have open areas with sand...

The ramp in my enclosure is 36 inches long and rises 16 inches. Hermes had a lot of trouble using the ramp when it was just bare wood at first (while I was still building the enclosure), but as soon as I tacked a layer of coconut fiber mat onto it, he has had absolutely no problem cruising up...

A multiple level enclosure can be a good way to provide more walking space for the tortoise when actual floor/room space is limited. This thread shows what I ended up doing for an indoor (winter) enclosure for my Hermann's Tortoise...

One adult male and one adult female in the same enclosure will be bad for the animals. So you either need a separate enclosure for each of them, or a really large enclosure where you can have multiple adult females, and a separate enclosure for the babies if/when they hatch.

If you can't expand the current enclosure any farther, could you turn it into a multiple level enclosure with a full second (or even third) level and ramps between them? That's what I ended up doing with my Hermann's Tortoise to give him some more wandering space during the winter in an area...

Thanks. I'll see if I can get some diatomaceous earth, or those Terro bait traps, locally tomorrow.

I suspect that there is an ant nest hiding somewhere in the substrate in the indoor enclosure for my Hermann's tortoise. I have been trying to watch to see exactly where they are coming from but haven't been able to track it down yet. All I know for sure is that they are occasionally crawling...

You're welcome! Ever since I (i.e. my wife) decided where the outdoor enclosure was going to be, with a section where the ground has a significant slope, I knew that I wanted to put a "cave" in it. I'm pretty pleased with how it turns out, and Hermes seems to like it as well. He still naps in...

I used three approximately 12 inch by 12 inch by 2 inch thick sandstone paving stones for the roof. I sorted through the stack at Home Depot and found three that almost fit together like a puzzle so they make a nearly solid roof, and with between 4 inches (at the front) and 18+ inches (at the...

I'm not an expert on Marginated Tortoises so it's probably best to wait for someone who is more familiar with their specific needs. But for now I think it looks like a great start for a young one, especially if you add another hide. As far as cluttering the place with plants, I again don't know...

Succulents

Rose of Sharon

Hiding in the jungle