the Turtle Shepherd
Active Member
i hate ants...
Are ants safe?
- Thread starter Tortski
- Start date
It's usually not a good idea to take him to a public park. Not just the use of pesticides, but you don't know what has been dropped there by other visitors.
A 5 year old sulcata thrives best if it can live outdoors full time. Your best solution is to put up a wall to keep him away from the pool after you get rid of the ants.
I agree with Big Charlie. That is a bad idea. All parks use chemicals to keep things looking pretty. Even when that managers say they don't, the guys doing the actual work do. Seen this many times with my own eyes. The managers tell people what they think they want to hear, or they truly don't even know. Plus you don't want your tortoise loose where the public has been. Cigarette butts, lost earrings, long bits of thread from clothing, sunscreen residue all over the grass from the lady who sprayed her kids right before you drove up, etc…
Make a simple enclosure in your own yard and keep your tortoise safe. Like these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/cheap-easy-simple-sunning-enclosure.14680/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/simple-sunning-enclosure.104351/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...table-but-safe-outdoor-baby-enclosures.30683/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/outdoor-enclosures.121732/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/enclosure-expansion.38788/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/daisys-new-enclosure.28662/
These are just a few suggestions for ways to do it. Show us a pic of your yard and we can help you think of more ways that are custom tailored to your space.
Thanks people. I realized the dangers of other visitors after I posted, so I wasn't going to. I will try to get some pictures soon. I don't know if she was serious, but my mom has been thinking about looking for a new house, so hopefully if we do we will get a big grassy danger free backyard. We also have a bit of a stray cat issue currently, so I will have to make stuff cat proof too.
If you could block off a section along the wall behind the barbecue, It looks like there are some weeds your tort could graze on.
Thank you. You wouldn't be saying lovely pool a month or two ago, it was bright green! As for the dog, we also have an eye on both Tort and the biggest dog (the others are Chihuahuas and they have very little interests in Tort)
I can try the very corner, but behind the barbecue won't work. The weeds I think you are talking about is either Bermuda grass (I forgot that there was some grass) and the startings of a Willow Acacia. If I put it in the corner, we will definitely have to be careful because cats like to walk on that wall, and my dog charges them.
A nursing home aide took a lady in a wheelchair outsideto get some fresh air and one wheel accidentally came to rest onto a fire ant nest. The lady was left there unattended for an hour. When the aide returned to get the lady she had been so severely bitten by the ants that she died.---////////::::::::-------///-/---//////- this is the most horrific nursing home story I have heard in a long time! Omg!!!! Poor Old Lady! Can't begin to imagine her agony and terror being so helpless
I have a couple of questions before I make the enclosure. How big do you recommend I make it, and what should I make the sides. I like the third design and I would like to try it, but it will have to be taller, I have a feeling he will topple bricks onto himself.
I'm planning on adding a basking area, food/drink area and a hide. That's all I can think of at the moment, but please tell me if I'm missing something. What kind of grasses, or plants would you recommend I put in the cage as well?
To answer one of your questions, make it as big as you can. Bushes are good for cover. There are recommendations of plants on several places in the forum. You should tailor it to what grows easily in your area and is still safe for tortoises. A pond or a mister would be wonderful. There is a recent thread about what to build the walls out of. Check out the enclosures section of the forum.
Thank you. I'll research that stuff when I come to it. I'll see if I can add a mister, as I know he will just make a mess of the pond right away. As for the thread, I think you are talking about the one I posted so I could get some more opinions/ideas.
Ooh I didn't see that you posted this. I am going to try my best to make sure he isn't out when it isn't too hot. Of course he will have a hide and a shady area in case I'm not able to put him in his indoor cage.
Dogs love chew toys, don't let your tort accidentally become one.
I do make sure my biggest dog stays away from my tort. As for the Chihuahuas they have almost zero interest in him. One's snout is too small for even a squeaker in a chew toy and he's missing his front teeth so I don't worry about him. As for the other one she is usually just laying on a cushion when he's out. Even then I keep close watch when Tort is out and the biggest dog is in his crate. My family tries our best to make sure the big one stays away.
As for plants, thetortoisetable.org will show you goods and bads.
