Plants
- Thread starter Meeelinda
- Start date
A warm welcome to the forum!
Have you read the threads and care sheets? These are of great help for beginners. And please post pictures of your tort(s).
safe plants for tortoise habitat:
- Bael fruit (Aegle marmelos)
- Bamboo (various species)
- Banana or plantain (Musa species)
- Bignay (Anti esma bunius)
- Breadfruit (Artrocarpus incisa)
- Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera)
- Fishtail palm (Caryota urens)
- Horseradish tree (Moringa pterygosperma)
- Lotus (Nelumbo species)
- Mango (Mangifera indica)
- Manioc (Manihot utillissima)
- Nipa palm (Nipa fruticans)
- Papaya (Carica papaya)
- Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)
- Rattan palm (Calamus species)
- Sago palm (Metroxylon sagu)
- Sterculia (Sterculia foeti a)
- Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)
- Sugar palm (Arenga pinnata)
- Sweetsop (Annona squamosa)
- Taro (Colocasia and Alocasia species)
- Water lily (Nymphaea odorata)
- Wild fig (Ficus species)
- Wild rice (Zizania aquatica)
- Wild yam (Dioscorea species)
I don't know of one that has big leaves
maxgirlie
Member
Are these to plant in enclosures or just to feed them? Or both? If there's a main thread, feel free to point me there. Thanks!
From this list, I would say they are for the outdoor pen. For indoors - spider plants, boston fern, carex, coleus, tradescantia zebrina, prayer plant, hosta and many others are safe.
maxgirlie
Member
Do you have an online vendor that's good to buy from for indoor plants? Or do you pick them up locally?
No, I don't know any (I'm across the pond
). You can repot store-bought plants in clean organic soil (wash the roots and rinse plant when repotting) and then propagate newly grown cuttings. That's easy with spider plant plantlets and tradescantia and harder but doable with prayer plant and boston fern. Or you can quarantine bought plants for, approximately, 6 months after repotting and before adding to the enclosure. Some plants like coleus or chia are easier and faster to grow from seeds
If you have something growing in your yard for a while and not treated with pesticides and such, I think you can safely repot and add such plants to the enclosure without a 6 month quarantine.
maxgirlie
Member
I'm on Biodude's website bc im looking for something I can use next week. Since the humidity will be suoer high in the enclosure, I assume I should go with tropical plant species. Any thoughts on that front?No, I don't know any (I'm across the pond
You can repot store-bought plants in clean organic soil (wash the roots and rinse plant when repotting) and then propagate newly grown cuttings. That's easy with spider plant plantlets and tradescantia and harder but doable with prayer plant and boston fern. Or you can quarantine bought plants for, approximately, 6 months after repotting and before adding to the enclosure. Some plants like coleus or chia are easier and faster to grow from seeds
If you have something growing in your yard for a while and not treated with pesticides and such, I think you can safely repot and add such plants to the enclosure without a 6 month quarantine.
Not all tropical plants are good snacks for sulcatas (e.g. I would not use pothos and "elephant's ear"). Other plants I've mentioned above (https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/plants.136947/post-2153404) should be doing great in high humidity environment. You will just need a bright ambient light (e.g. grow light LED) and avoid overwatering.
maxgirlie
Member
Okay I'm able to find the ferns and spider plants on these reptile sites at least. All others are nowhere to be found (at least on those sites). Thanks for your input.
I saw on another thread (and now I can't find it) that there's a grass seed kid that has starter grass with it and it doesn't take much light. Have you seen that thread? I'd like to get that if it's good for sulcatas.
maxgirlie
Member
Looks like spider plant is out of stock so I'm getting the Boston Fern. Would someone be able to look through this Reptile plant list at Josh Frog's to see if there's anything else that would be safe and okay for high humidity?
joshsfrogs.com
Plants for Pets
Maybe you've seen this thread (and its spin-offs and sequels):
The Mighty Odin's indoor oasis-The Build
6x6 with 3 separate sections and climates, incorporating his current enclosure which is 4x2 and 12" high. Rough sketch: Overall: U-shaped with the larger wing being a 6'x3'x18" high completely enclosed greenhouse not including the greenhouse portion. The greenhouse will add another 3 feet in...
tortoiseforum.org
For a baby sulcata you can grow the same broadleaf plants as for other tortoises. And add some tender grass sprouts a bit later. They become grass-eaters only when grow larger.
Here is some recommendations on this: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
Often recommended Testudo Seed Mix from TortoiseSupply requires much light to grow. A grow light for indoors is necessary.
Probably, you can add tradescantia callisia and peperomia from this list.Looks like spider plant is out of stock so I'm getting the Boston Fern. Would someone be able to look through this Reptile plant list at Josh Frog's to see if there's anything else that would be safe and okay for high humidity?
Plants for Pets
maxgirlie
Member
Yay, looks like a lot of Peperomia I can get! thank you!
Right now I just have a 36" LED light. Should I get 2 of these so the plants can span throughout or does it make more sense to just have them on the cooler side?
Right now I just have a 36" LED light. Should I get 2 of these so the plants can span throughout or does it make more sense to just have them on the cooler side?
Some plants benefit from indirect light (looks like boston fern is one of them). I'm not a "green thumb" so can't reliably tell how to better arrange plants and lights. As for tortoise, I prefer to have one part of the enclosure (cold end) to be in shade and shift ambient LED light slightly towards the basking area.
maxgirlie
Member
Here is what I ordered. They all had very similar watering/lighting needs. Thank you @Alex and the Redfoot! You're amazing!
You are welcome! When you get the plants - try to propagate and grow some cuttings, so you don't have to order them again every couple of weeks
maxgirlie
Member
I am absolutely terrible with plants but I will youtube that and see what I can do.You are welcome! When you get the plants - try to propagate and grow some cuttings, so you don't have to order them again every couple of weeks
thanks for the tip!
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
Y
Yep, you should have a mother plant somewhere since tortoises can chomp plants up quite fast.You are welcome! When you get the plants - try to propagate and grow some cuttings, so you don't have to order them again every couple of weeks
