Artificial plants

[SamG789]

Hi! I've just recently got my little torty in a new table and was wondering if artificial plants are a good idea? The table just now is full of dark colours and i want to make it more green and vibrant i've also started to grow most of his food so i can transfer them from planters into the table but it will take a while before their ready
Thanks!

 

[Jacqui]

What type and age of tortoise do you have? The reason I am asking is that using the fake flowers/plants can be good with some and not so much so with others. Take a sulcata for instance, especially as they start growing they seem to think anything they can put their mouths on is a food source, while something like a hingebacks will not even seem to notice the plants. So to answer your question yes they can be a good idea, but use some caution. You may even want the plant to be mostly out of the tortoises reach either by hanging (draping) or into pots just a little too tall for the tortoise's reach.


While you waiting for your plants to grow that you have started, you could try other things too, such as a "living" lettuce that some stores sell. They are actually small heads of lettuce (often butter lettuce) that still have the roots attached. Not high food value, but fun for the tortoises. If you happen to have a bunch of celery, you can cut off the stalks for your own use and plant the root area. Those grow fairly fast too.

Sometimes if you ask around and ask friends and family or go onto things like Craig's list/Freecycle you can find folks who will share plant starts with you that have no chemicals on them, so you can use them right away in your enclosure.

 

[Tom]

Great advice from Jacqui above.

My tortoises will all try to eat fake plants. I have not been able to use them in the past.

 

[SamG789]

Thanks for the replies, i have a horsefield. I just want to make his table a nicer place to live lol

 

[T33's Torts]

You can use REAL plants! Those are nice.