Enlosure plus grass

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chpete79

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I decided to add grass to Troopa's enclosure. He seems to approve. I am really proud of the work that I have accomplished.
sodded.jpg

Update: in <10 minutes flower is now half gone...haha
 

Stephanie Logan

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Is that a fenced garden? How luxurious it must feel to him to sink his elephant toesies into that thick grass. :D

I think you are going to make a lot of torties jealous when they see Troopa's "crib". He even has his own gazing ball! ;)
 

chpete79

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Yes it is fenced in for now. When the plants were just sprouting he wanted to help me tend the garden...the fence gives them a fighting chance of getting bigger. He prunes anything that gets too close to the fence though!

I thought about getting an aquarium air pump and turning his pool into a jacuzzi. Overkill? haha

Thanks for the compliments.

Chris
 

sammi

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Its beautiful! I love the grass! Wow. Everything looks so nice! Great job =]
 

Tom

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The enclosure looks wonderful, but I noticed a coil bulb in the lower left corner of the photo. Some of the members here have said those can damage your tortoises eyes. Wanted to let you know, just in case.

Good job on the beautiful pen.
 

chpete79

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Roachman26 said:
The enclosure looks wonderful, but I noticed a coil bulb in the lower left corner of the photo. Some of the members here have said those can damage your tortoises eyes. Wanted to let you know, just in case.

Good job on the beautiful pen.
I thought my CHE had gone out on me so I put the coil bulb in for a second to test the socket....turns out that that little rocker switch needs to be in the "ON" position vice "OFF".

Thanks for the heads up though...you should have been noticing the Rockband drumset controller in the background!!haha
 

Tom

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chpete79 said:
Roachman26 said:
The enclosure looks wonderful, but I noticed a coil bulb in the lower left corner of the photo. Some of the members here have said those can damage your tortoises eyes. Wanted to let you know, just in case.

Good job on the beautiful pen.
I thought my CHE had gone out on me so I put the coil bulb in for a second to test the socket....turns out that that little rocker switch needs to be in the "ON" position vice "OFF".

Thanks for the heads up though...you should have been noticing the Rockband drumset controller in the background!!haha

I did notice, but that won't hurt your tortoise, so I didn't feel the need to bother you with it. Thanks for posting pics. We all love them. I get good ideas from pics like yours.
 
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Scooter

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Did you grow the grass from seeds or find a place that sells chemical free sod? I have been thinking about putting grass in Thor's enclosure but can't find chemical free grass
 

chpete79

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I bought a sod flat. I watered the crap out of it for almost a week before putting it in to give myself a little more confidence in its safety. I assumed he would munch on it, but have yet to see him even taste it. He heads straight for the food bowl or the edge of the greens that I am growing. I made a lawnmower blade out of a piece of a steel can and attached it to a Dremel tool, it really keeps it looking neat.
 

jinmin17

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Hello, I am wondering what is your substrate on the right side?

How big is yr box?

How big are your stones?

Your enclosure is indeed an inspiration to me:)
 

Stephanie Logan

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chpete79 said:
I made a lawnmower blade out of a piece of a steel can and attached it to a Dremel tool, it really keeps it looking neat.

That is hilarious...an authentic example of maximum overindulgence in tort comfort...and I totally approve. ;)

I don't see this "Rockband drumset controller"...does that provide a percussion background beat for Troopa to aid his digestive process? :p
 

chpete79

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jinmin17 said:
Hello, I am wondering what is your substrate on the right side?

How big is yr box?

How big are your stones?

Your enclosure is indeed an inspiration to me:)

I have a base of topsoil to hold water and provide the terrain, on the right side I have a layer of Mosser Lee spagnum moss.

The stones are rounded slate about the size of marbles. It was a 15x15" welcome mat sort of thing that I found at the hardware store, I just cut it to suit my needs and scrubbed it real well before adding it in there. I rubbed it with dirt to fill in the cracks. I like it because he cant disturb his path or ingest the stones when he gets a bit bigger. It was like this http://www.motiffurniture.com/Beach-Stone-Door-Mat-Black but much cheaper where I found it.

The box is 2x3 ish. It is just one of those Sterilite under bed storage boxes.

I'm glad you like what you see. I am still planning an artificial plant hide in the moss area, but haven't yet found the right one.

Stephanie Logan said:
chpete79 said:
I made a lawnmower blade out of a piece of a steel can and attached it to a Dremel tool, it really keeps it looking neat.

That is hilarious...an authentic example of maximum overindulgence in tort comfort...and I totally approve. ;)

I don't see this "Rockband drumset controller"...does that provide a percussion background beat for Troopa to aid his digestive process? :p

The grass clippings were getting everywhere so modified a small clear tuperware and attached it to the dremel as well. It is now a mulching mower, and much safer for me.

Haha yes he won't eat if he is not rocking out to some 80's hair bands. Troopa's high kicks rival David Lee Roth!
 

Stephanie Logan

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That comparison begets a laugh-out-loud visual image...I am a big believer in anthropomorphism for our beloved tortoise pets. ;)

Glad you are taking care of his needs so well. I want to see a photo of that mower...you could pose Troopa behind it so it looks like he's doing the chore! :p
 

chpete79

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Stephanie Logan said:
That comparison begets a laugh-out-loud visual image...I am a big believer in anthropomorphism for our beloved tortoise pets. ;)

Glad you are taking care of his needs so well. I want to see a photo of that mower...you could pose Troopa behind it so it looks like he's doing the chore! :p

Ask and you shall receive. I am going to find a smaller plastic container so it can mow closer to the edges. It makes it impossible to cut it too short.

As you can imagine Troopa was thrilled by these:
DSC01784.jpg

DSC01783.jpg

DSC01785.jpg

"You woke me up for THIS?!"
 

Yvonne G

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That is just too funny! What a bunch of inventive S.O.B.'s our forum members are!
 

ChiKat

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hahaha LOVE the last few pictures...too funny :)
I really love his enclosure! It gives me great ideas to spice up my poor Nelson's boring enclosure ;)
When you get a chance could you post close-ups of the enclosure so I can get a really good look at it?
 

chpete79

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Scooter said:
Love the new Dremel bit. You should get it patented!

Don't tell the people at Dremel you can use their tool to make bits for itself...I may get a cease and desist order. haha

I was originally going to use razor blades!

Here are some bigger pics as requested. Some may be overkill, but beggars can't be choosers right?

DSC01794.jpg

DSC01787.jpg

DSC01788.jpg

I plan on replacing the water dish with a more natural looking one....it was day one of tortoise ownership orange seemed like a good idea at the time. Also couldn't find a slate tile so terracotta plant saucer thingy is temporary too.
DSC01791.jpg

I liked the idea of a stone path, and he really does utilize it when he is trying to get somewhere in a hurry(food or hide)
DSC01790.jpg

The blue thing adds about a cup of water to the soil over the course of a day. Plus everyone needs something "As Seen On TV"

Thank you all for the great feedback. I was hoping to buy a house soon and set up an outdoor enclosure but it is half a million dollars out here(Oahu) for the low end of what I would consider(the Navy is paying me well....but not that well haha). I am moving him out to the lanai(Hawaiian for balcony) once the weather gets a little nicer.

Chris
 

ChiKat

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That is so cool! What a lucky little tortoise! I love the idea of the grass and the stone path. And the fence is awesome...it's truly a work of art :D

(Now you just need to put the betta in a bigger container ;))
 

Stephanie Logan

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OMG, I just got back to this thread...Troopa is such a good sport to ride the lawnmower for the camera! He looks large and in charge. :p

And he's got his own little stretch of the Appian Way...paved just like the Roman road. ;)
Appianway.jpg


I'll bet you never thought of your "Troopa" as a true legionary!
 
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