Rose bush?

[Dartanner88]

I've seen people put rose bushes in or near their sulcata enclosurer I am wondering if this is recommended? Won't the Thorns hurt them if they eat it?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Tender young rose bush shoots have few or at least soft thorns. But some older rose bushes have some pretty nasty thorns. Torts are pretty good at munching cactus pads with thorns without harm or discomfort. That all said, personally I wouldn't plant rose bushes in a torts enclosure. Too many chances for a poked eye, or other body part as they crawl over & through.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Actually, I love roses and have a bunch growing around, with 8 growing in my Sulcata enclosure...my 2 Sulcata love rose blooms to eat...but some years ago, Bob my 100+ lb Sulcata, decided to simply bulldoze those rose bushes...he knocked down and crushed about half of them...he was just trying to get closer to the chain link fence I think...so I have replanted with the bed now protected by a cinder block fence...but with all the damage Bob did to my roses, he didn't have one scratch on him...

 

[Maro2Bear]

Actually, I love roses and have a bunch growing around, with 8 growing in my Sulcata enclosure...my 2 Sulcata love rose blooms to eat...but some years ago, Bob my 100+ lb Sulcata, decided to simply bulldoze those rose bushes...he knocked down and crushed about half of them...he was just trying to get closer to the chain link fence I think...so I have replanted with the bed now protected by a cinder block fence...but with all the damage Bob did to my roses, he didn't have one scratch on him...

yep....but he ruined your bushes too! And Bob‘s middle name was BULLDOZER !

 

[Relic]

If the World War II German's had been a bit more knowledgeable, they would have named their most feared tank the Sulcata, instead of Tiger...

 

[Maggie3fan]

yep....but he ruined your bushes too! And Bob‘s middle name was BULLDOZER !

LOL!!! yep! He didn't just knock them over, but he stomped them into the ground then pooped on them...What a tortoise, I sure miss him and all the excitement he caused...

 

[Yvonne G]

My back yard is where I used to put the large sulcatas that came in to the rescue until they could find a new home. Across the back wall of my house is a flower bed with several rose bushes in it. Almost every single sulcata that I put out there pushed those rose bushes over daily. I would just leave them on the ground until the tortoise was adopted, then I'd push them back up and replant them. The thorns don't bother the tortoises, and the tortoises don't eat the bushes. But rose leaves and flowers ARE edible.

 

[Maggie3fan]

If the World War II German's had been a bit more knowledgeable, they would have named their most feared tank the Sulcata, instead of Tiger...

What a good laugh this morning...people who keep Hermanni or Redfoorts et.al don't know the kind of excitement caused by Sulcata...I remember one afternoon I was having a nap when my neighbor kid knocked on my door...he said, "Maggie, Bob is walking up the street"...In all my glory I say..."Are you sure it's Bob?"(!)...he had to open the gate...climb up 8 stairs, walk across the deck, down 7 stairs and on up the street...
What an adventure that tortoise was. So many incidents...I wish I still had copies of those Bob stories, and the many pictures of him...they got lost when Josh updated the software, and I lost my copies in the Google cloud somewhere...I have one picture of him...

 

[Tom]

I've seen people put rose bushes in or near their sulcata enclosurer I am wondering if this is recommended? Won't the Thorns hurt them if they eat it?

Freshly bought rose bushes will be full of systemic pesticides. Don't let your tortoise have access to them for at least one year after planting.

 

[Relic]

What a good laugh this morning...people who keep Hermanni or Redfoorts et.al don't know the kind of excitement caused by Sulcata...I remember one afternoon I was having a nap when my neighbor kid knocked on my door...he said, "Maggie, Bob is walking up the street"...In all my glory I say..."Are you sure it's Bob?"(!)...he had to open the gate...climb up 8 stairs, walk across the deck, down 7 stairs and on up the street...
What an adventure that tortoise was. So many incidents...I wish I still had copies of those Bob stories, and the many pictures of him...they got lost when Josh updated the software, and I lost my copies in the Google cloud somewhere...I have one picture of him...View attachment 291319

Your Bob stories should be required reading for every person tempted by the cute sulcata hatchling...

 

[Maggie3fan]

Your Bob stories should be required reading for every person tempted by the cute sulcata hatchling...

I laughed at that, but it's really true...newbies who buy that cute little hatchling can't even imagine the irritation, stress, fun, destruction, destruction and destruction they are going to go thru...
I figured after Bob died that I was a Sulcata expert and could keep them happy and safe...HA! one day last summer I checked on the 2 Sulcata I have now, and Big Sam had knocked down the cinder block fence... 3 high cinder block...he had attacked Knobby and had Knobs on his back and was just crushing him...shocking and violent...if you have never seen a tortoise fight it can be just awful...so putting a solid cedar fence between them is the best option...with a big tortoise, there's always something...

 

[Relic]

Having never owned a sulcata, I can only imagine it as having exuberant toddlers driving bumper cars in your backyard. Something or someone is bound to get hurt...

 

[Dartanner88]

Thanks everyone for the info I appreciate it. I've only owned smaller indoor tortoises so this is a learning curve I don't want to harm my new buddy ?

 

[jeneliza]

LOL!!! yep! He didn't just knock them over, but he stomped them into the ground then pooped on them...What a tortoise, I sure miss him and all the excitement he caused...

Sorry I laughed at the pooping all over them, I don't know why I find that funny, I am sure it wasn't to you at the time, but it sure sounds funny ,

 

[jeneliza]

What a good laugh this morning...people who keep Hermanni or Redfoorts et.al don't know the kind of excitement caused by Sulcata...I remember one afternoon I was having a nap when my neighbor kid knocked on my door...he said, "Maggie, Bob is walking up the street"...In all my glory I say..."Are you sure it's Bob?"(!)...he had to open the gate...climb up 8 stairs, walk across the deck, down 7 stairs and on up the street...
What an adventure that tortoise was. So many incidents...I wish I still had copies of those Bob stories, and the many pictures of him...they got lost when Josh updated the software, and I lost my copies in the Google cloud somewhere...I have one picture of him...View attachment 291319

You should write a story book about Bob, children would love to enjoy a story book, or even adults

 

[Maggie3fan]

You should write a story book about Bob, children would love to enjoy a story book, or even adults

several people have said the same thing...and I've thought a lot about it. I'm thinking that the pictures of Bob and whatever he did that time are so important to how I wrote about him...my enthusiasm for writing and the stories I wrote about him can't be duplicated sitting at my desk now...I reacted to the event, I had pictures and emotion right at that time...sitting now, I can't duplicate it...

 

[jeneliza]

What a good laugh this morning...people who keep Hermanni or Redfoorts et.al don't know the kind of excitement caused by Sulcata...I remember one afternoon I was having a nap when my neighbor kid knocked on my door...he said, "Maggie, Bob is walking up the street"...In all my glory I say..."Are you sure it's Bob?"(!)...he had to open the gate...climb up 8 stairs, walk across the deck, down 7 stairs and on up the street...
What an adventure that tortoise was. So many incidents...I wish I still had copies of those Bob stories, and the many pictures of him...they got lost when Josh updated the software, and I lost my copies in the Google cloud somewhere...I have one picture of him...View attachment 291319
[/QUOTE if it's on Google cloud, it's still out there, contact Goole to see if they can help find the cloud, it get stored in there system,

 

[Maggie3fan]

Sorry I laughed at the pooping all over them, I don't know why I find that funny, I am sure it wasn't to you at the time, but it sure sounds funny ,

Sorry I laughed at the pooping all over them, I don't know why I find that funny, I am sure it wasn't to you at the time, but it sure sounds funny ,

Oh no...you are SO wrong. Bob DID poop at me. During the winter when he got mad at being cooped up he would walk around banging on the walls and doggie door. He would put one turd in his water dish. Then I knew to let him out even if the weather was bad. I have often wondered if he really had the thought processes to consciously hang his butt over his large dog water bowl and deposit a perfectly formed Sulcata turd in it for me. It wasn't damaged in any way so it didn't like get stuck on his foot and in his pacing he left it in the dish...so...yep...I think he did it on purpose. And it's stuff like that which made him different...

 

[jeneliza]

I found one of your stories of Bob, the pictures are missing but the store is there,

 

[jeneliza]

several people have said the same thing...and I've thought a lot about it. I'm thinking that the pictures of Bob and whatever he did that time are so important to how I wrote about him...my enthusiasm for writing and the stories I wrote about him can't be duplicated sitting at my desk now...I reacted to the event, I had pictures and emotion right at that time...sitting now, I can't duplicate it...

Is this your Bob,