DanB
Active Member
I plan on making a new home for my growing Red and want to now what plants I can get from the bog box stores that are safe to put in it. I know spider plants are safe but what else can I put in there.
Dan
Dan
Safe Plants
- Thread starter DanB
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Hi Dan, a 'growing red' is a redfoot tortoise?
There is a thread https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...ry-and-garden-published-nutrient-list.161833/ that talks about both grocery plants for food, but also many plants that can be 'planted' in an enclosure.
I also grabbed a post from TFO and fleshed it out a bit on my webpage blog https://kapidolofarms.com/2019/01/10/live-plants-for-the-enclosure-or-outside/ regarding what to do for taking big box store plants and making them tortoise safe.
There are dozens and dozens of plants that work well for redfoots. Top of the list from my husbandry is hibiscus (there are many types) and they all seem to work out as edible.
Will
There is a thread https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...ry-and-garden-published-nutrient-list.161833/ that talks about both grocery plants for food, but also many plants that can be 'planted' in an enclosure.
I also grabbed a post from TFO and fleshed it out a bit on my webpage blog https://kapidolofarms.com/2019/01/10/live-plants-for-the-enclosure-or-outside/ regarding what to do for taking big box store plants and making them tortoise safe.
There are dozens and dozens of plants that work well for redfoots. Top of the list from my husbandry is hibiscus (there are many types) and they all seem to work out as edible.
Will
My go to plants for indoor enclosures are:
Pothos Ivy - the easiest by far to grow in an enclosure. Provides great cover and grows fast
Spider plant - fairly easy to keep healthy in an enclosure and the fronds make a nice overhanging hide.
Prayer plant - They will probably eat this more readily and it is susceptible to burning under the UVB.
Boston Fern - a Favorite of mine. I hang them in the enclosure with the bottom of the pot just above tortoise back level. Be sure to tightly pack soil when you repot as they can dry out easily.
creeping jenny - will probably eat this as well and it is more of a low creeper. Love it in small tortoise and turtle enclosures.
fescue and carex grass - I wish this did better indoors. It normally just doesn't last long term, but make a favorite and extremely effective moist hide for the tortoises.
Be sure to repot and let grow out any store bought plants. Often have systemic pesticides in them from the nursery that grows them.
Pothos Ivy - the easiest by far to grow in an enclosure. Provides great cover and grows fast
Spider plant - fairly easy to keep healthy in an enclosure and the fronds make a nice overhanging hide.
Prayer plant - They will probably eat this more readily and it is susceptible to burning under the UVB.
Boston Fern - a Favorite of mine. I hang them in the enclosure with the bottom of the pot just above tortoise back level. Be sure to tightly pack soil when you repot as they can dry out easily.
creeping jenny - will probably eat this as well and it is more of a low creeper. Love it in small tortoise and turtle enclosures.
fescue and carex grass - I wish this did better indoors. It normally just doesn't last long term, but make a favorite and extremely effective moist hide for the tortoises.
Be sure to repot and let grow out any store bought plants. Often have systemic pesticides in them from the nursery that grows them.
You'll probably want to plant seeds. All the big box stores use pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals. If you buy plants your going to wanna grow then out a while first.
DanB
Active Member
Thanks for all the info and ideas. If I do get plants from the store I'll let them grow out for at least a month before going in.
Dan
Dan
I won't bother with a list of plants- there are a lot of those. On a more practical note, though, here are a couple ideas that may help.
Torts will either eat the plants to the nub or bulldoze them flat, so have a plan for that. Some people leave the plants in pots and set the pots in 'cups' in the substrate so they can pull them out to be tended, rotated, or replaced. Other people go for hanging plants on the sides of the enclosure so only the lower leaves are at risk. This also provides humidity and hiding places. Some people plant 'flats' of grasses, etc. that they can grow outside the enclosure, then set in when grown so the torts can eat them and rotate as needed again.
Torts will either eat the plants to the nub or bulldoze them flat, so have a plan for that. Some people leave the plants in pots and set the pots in 'cups' in the substrate so they can pull them out to be tended, rotated, or replaced. Other people go for hanging plants on the sides of the enclosure so only the lower leaves are at risk. This also provides humidity and hiding places. Some people plant 'flats' of grasses, etc. that they can grow outside the enclosure, then set in when grown so the torts can eat them and rotate as needed again.
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