Which store bought plant to use without pesticides for redfoot enclosure?

Alana

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2015
Messages
19
Oh my, so overwhelming. I've been silently reading various threads on store bought plants /pesticides..etc. Many have said to just wash the plants , remove dirt and replant. While others have mentioned of waiting 6 months to a year to plant inside the enclosure. A few questions for you wise,more experienced owners, I'm having a bit of trouble keeping humidity up, after purchasing a mini humidifier that went bad on me. I was interested in purchasing a few plants that I heard were beneficial for keeping humidity at good 90% range while not having to mist down as much as I do throughout the day, such as spider plants,rose of sharon, mother of tongue etc.

What are some that you have used, and have you had any trouble with your red foot's consuming the plants ?

How do you clean your plants that have been successful in your enclosure?

My 3 year redfoot isn't coming out of his hide and though I keep the humidity up at 80-90%, I worry when I am away at work and it drops a bit 65-75 range , he eats well and I soak every other day to hydrate and he also relieves himself at that time. He is also very curious.

I just worry about his activity being in the hide so much..and I'm wondering if he would prefer a few plants. Just a worried new owner here. I've made it through shell rot/ fungus, I'm determined to make sure he's a happy and healthy tort. His name is Yoshi!
 

Attachments

  • yoshi.jpg
    yoshi.jpg
    222.4 KB · Views: 34

leigti

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2013
Messages
7,026
Location (City and/or State)
southeast Washington
I do not have a Redfoot, I have a Russian. I am not familiar with what red foots eat but I can tell you what I put in my enclosure. Spider plants,pothos dracaena I also got some plans from Petco that are supposed to be put into enclosures. With all the plants I rinse them off thoroughly including rinsing all the dirt off the roots. And then I planted them into the enclosure substrate or into pots. I have also put in Jade plants. I have noticed that some grocery stores and even Walmart sell herb plants. Since they are in the grocery section I am assuming they are safe for human consumption so would be safe for tortoises. The tortoise may not eat them but they provide cover for the tortoise to be under. You can also get live lettuces at some grocery stores, you can plant those directly into the substrate if you want. I've heard read foots prefer filtered light. You could get plants from friends or from your yard if they don't have pesticides or fertilizers on them are in their dirt.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
Moderator
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
28,938
Location (City and/or State)
South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
Alana, the problem with big retail store plants such as The Home Depot is that they use systemic pesticides. This stuff remains with the plant forever.
Before I was told about this, my Redfooteds did sometimes munch on my plants, but not a lot, thankfully.
If fed well enough, they will leave decorative plants alone, other than smashing them and ripping them up by carelessness.
I used to purchase small plants meant for human consumption like herbs, etc. Not only are they safe, but they're cheap.
Right now I have Marigold, Spider plants and Pinto Peanut.
 

Attachments

  • 20150422_161028.jpg
    20150422_161028.jpg
    2 MB · Views: 45
  • 20150419_162718.jpg
    20150419_162718.jpg
    3.8 MB · Views: 44
  • 20140820_150320.jpg
    20140820_150320.jpg
    4.4 MB · Views: 43
Last edited:

dwright27

Active Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2012
Messages
310
Hey guys,
I thought those African marigolds were toxic.. that it's just the pot marigolds (calendula) that were safe..

That said, I am also looking for plants to put into my cherry head's tank. Looking on thetortoisetable.org.uk is helpful, but not when I'm looking for plants that thrive in specific conditions.
 

crimson_lotus

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
1,385
Location (City and/or State)
Massachusetts
I have christmas cactus, spider plant, and pothos in there right now. She had sedge in there for a while which she surprisingly had no interest in eating (it was wonderful!) but I took it out eventually for some reason. Can't remember why.

Is your enclosure closed off? Closing it off so the humidity and heat doesn't escape will help tremendously. What are the temps? If it's too cold he may not be very active.
 

pfara

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Mar 28, 2013
Messages
1,252
Location (City and/or State)
Maryland
Every redfoot is different. That being said, it will be hit or miss whether your tort will eat, destroy, sleep under, "dig" under, or <add other option here> whatever plant(s) you decide to place in their enclosure. For example, my torts never bothered to bite bromeliads, but they would rub their butt violently against them when they walked by. Eventually the bromeliads were all knocked over. However, the first time I put pothos in their enclosure, they ate it down to the ground (no ill effects). They don't eat any more pothos I add in (but they take an occasional nibble). They've left all the spider plants alone.

Care with the plants get lumped in with caring for the torts. Substrate gets sprayed down, plants are pruned when they get too massive, cuttings are taken to add back in when well established. To be honest, I let the whole enclosure run itself for the most part.

The plants that I've used in my enclosures are cuttings of tort-safe plants, started from seed, or those that I've kept for at least 6 months. I always treat my water with tap water conditioner because some plants like spider plants and dracaenas are sensitive to chlorine, fluoride and other metals. Kinda a pain, but worth it.

Indoor plants: Spider plant, pothos, wax begonia, christmas cactus, norfolk island pine, lipstick vine, wandering jew, grass and testudo seed mixes, bromeliad, bird's nest fern, dracaena marginata, mimulus..

Outdoor plants: Rose of sharon, abutilon, hibiscus moscheutos, dandelions, chickweed, sow thistle, purple deadnettle, bittercress, various lettuces, testudo seed mix, hosta, fig, mulberry, wild violet, mock strawberry, clover..

There's so much more to try. Gardening is one part of the tortoise keeping process that I've also really enjoyed.
 

Alana

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2015
Messages
19
Every redfoot is different. That being said, it will be hit or miss whether your tort will eat, destroy, sleep under, "dig" under, or <add other option here> whatever plant(s) you decide to place in their enclosure. For example, my torts never bothered to bite bromeliads, but they would rub their butt violently against them when they walked by. Eventually the bromeliads were all knocked over. However, the first time I put pothos in their enclosure, they ate it down to the ground (no ill effects). They don't eat any more pothos I add in (but they take an occasional nibble). They've left all the spider plants alone.

Care with the plants get lumped in with caring for the torts. Substrate gets sprayed down, plants are pruned when they get too massive, cuttings are taken to add back in when well established. To be honest, I let the whole enclosure run itself for the most part.

The plants that I've used in my enclosures are cuttings of tort-safe plants, started from seed, or those that I've kept for at least 6 months. I always treat my water with tap water conditioner because some plants like spider plants and dracaenas are sensitive to chlorine, fluoride and other metals. Kinda a pain, but worth it.

Indoor plants: Spider plant, pothos, wax begonia, christmas cactus, norfolk island pine, lipstick vine, wandering jew, grass and testudo seed mixes, bromeliad, bird's nest fern, dracaena marginata, mimulus..

Outdoor plants: Rose of sharon, abutilon, hibiscus moscheutos, dandelions, chickweed, sow thistle, purple deadnettle, bittercress, various lettuces, testudo seed mix, hosta, fig, mulberry, wild violet, mock strawberry, clover..

There's so much more to try. Gardening is one part of the tortoise keeping process that I've also really enjoyed.
Thank you so much for the info and insight! Much appreciated!
 

Alana

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2015
Messages
19
I have christmas cactus, spider plant, and pothos in there right now. She had sedge in there for a while which she surprisingly had no interest in eating (it was wonderful!) but I took it out eventually for some reason. Can't remember why.

Is your enclosure closed off? Closing it off so the humidity and heat doesn't escape will help tremendously. What are the temps? If it's too cold he may not be very active.
Thanks for your info! I do have it covered at night mostly, I'll consider doing so for the day!
 

Alana

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2015
Messages
19
Alana, the problem with big retail store plants such as The Home Depot is that they use systemic pesticides. This stuff remains with the plant forever.
Before I was told about this, my Redfooteds did sometimes munch on my plants, but not a lot, thankfully.
If fed well enough, they will leave decorative plants alone, other than smashing them and ripping them up by carelessness.
I used to purchase small plants meant for human consumption like herbs, etc. Not only are they safe, but they're cheap.
Right now I have Marigold, Spider plants and Pinto Peanut.
I saw that on the tags of a nearby Home Depot. Unfortunately the employees there weren't as helpful as I thought they would be. I have seen herbs like parsley,cilantro, basil and was considering trying that. Thanks so much for the info, heard a lot of positive word about spider plants. Greatly appreciated. I remember a little bud growing in the substrate a while ago, and Yoshi completely trashed it.
 
Top