The leopard yard

Yvonne G

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I have 1.2 babcocks and 1.1.1 pardalises, and for the time being they've all lived together in one shed and one yard:

leopardshed-2.jpg


I found out I have a male and a female SA leopard, and as the female isn't big enough to lay eggs yet, I wanted to separate them. So for about two weeks I've been working on dividing the leopard yard into two yards, and putting in a new door and inner wall in the shed. First of all I got rid of that little run-in shed to the right of the shed, and I cleaned out a junk storage area behind that side. I hauled in decomposed horse manure and planted grass. Then this week I've been building a fence down one side of the yard and hauling in decomposed manure. I finished up this a.m. and planted more grass seed. It's hard to get a picture of the yard but here's what it now looks like:

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The right side is sort of 'L' shaped, and goes to about 20' beyond the shed.

I've got the newly seeded area blocked off with a dog fence until it gets to growing well enough to withstand all those little elephant feet.
 

Jacqui

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Those little elephant footies are going to enjoy all those nice tender young seedlings, when you let them into that area. So did you decide to divide them by gender?
 

Eloise's mommy

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Working hard! Looks pretty good... I wish I had an outdoor setup. One day I'll buy a home and then I can create a tortoise yard.
 

Yvonne G

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I'm still on the fence (so to speak) about that, Jacqui. I think in the end what I'm going to do (because the two big girls lay eggs) is keep my male babcock with one of the bigger girls and the male SA, and then put the female SA and the other big girl in the other yard. Until the male SA displays sexual overtures towards the big girl, he won't need to be separated.


Eloise said:
Working hard! Looks pretty good... I wish I had an outdoor setup. One day I'll buy a home and then I can create a tortoise yard.

You'll wonder how you ever got along without one!


...and while I was busy with my leopard revision, Misty was hard at work on the construction portion of her project. I'm not quite sure what her plans are, but she's got the trencher going and is started on the sub-structure for something in the Aldabran yard.

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I don't ever discourage her from having her fun. That's what life's all about, right? And besides, it gives me a place to bury some of the excess poops I've picked up all around the place. And once the dirt is put back in, all that aeration and fertilizer will make the grass grow super great in that spot! Anybody want a swimming pool dug? I can rent her out by the hour.
 

Jacqui

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With her past record, it could be scarey what she is going after. :D I don't need a pool dug, but if you could teach her to do some straight line digging I would be interested.
 

kathyth

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Looks like a lot of great work in your yard!
Misty is a lucky dog and seems quite happy with herself. 😊
 

lynnedit

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Yes, Yvonne, talk her into digging straight lines, then we will all want her :p
Looks like she is measuring the depth with her nose.

Your enclosures look great. How satisfying to set up the hose and know in a few weeks there will be nice new growth.
 

wellington

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Busy, busy, busy, can't wait till our weather is good enough to work outside. It's looking good Yvonne. Love the look Misty gave in the one pic, like "what you looking at" :D. Don't forget too post pics when everyone is enjoying their improved digs:)
 

TortsNTurtles

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Misty is cute. I was raised with Dobermans and rescued a few as an adult. They are wonderful loyal dogs.

I look forward to the finish yard. It looks like a fun project .
 

mike taylor

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Its looking good Yvonne . Thats a beautiful dog .
 

Yvonne G

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Thanks for all the kind words, everybody. Yes, Misty is the love of my life. I'm so glad I got her. Its never a dull moment.

Some of you know already, but I'll share my secret with the rest of you...I'm a scrap lumber hoarder! There, I've said it and I'm glad! I have 2x4's, 2x6's, corral boards, 4x4 posts, plywood in all sizes...I have stacks and stacks of re-claimed lumber and its all stacked according to size. The nails are all pulled and its all up off the ground. I even have some manufactured lumber, but its real hard to drill a screw through, so I don't very often use it in my projects. So, anyway, my hoarding secret is the reason my brand new fences look so old. Very seldom do I ever have to buy a piece of lumber.


TortsNTurtles said:
Misty is cute. I was raised with Dobermans and rescued a few as an adult. They are wonderful loyal dogs.

I look forward to the finish yard. It looks like a fun project .

I'm surprised you recognized her. Most people ask if she's Weimaraner. Yup, she's a doberman with long ears and tail.
 

Tom

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Ahh. Now I see what you did there. Nice. That's a lot of space for them.

I didn't know you had a third Gpp. Where did that come from? New baby? How did I miss that?
 

wellington

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Yvonne, I love the fact you use reclaimed lumber. The old stuff is better then the new stuff and your helping too save trees, always a good thing. Wish I had the room to do that. Plus you can start a project when ever you want. You don't have too run to the store to pick up the wood first.:)
 

TortsNTurtles

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I do the same here . My hubby demos for a living so its fun to get the goods a think if ways to use it! My tortoise table is all done from our lumber collection.
 

Levi the Leopard

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Look what you started Yvonne!
I too became a wood collector after I read you mention it. Sorted by size and neatly kept in my wood spot. :D I've built many things for fairly cheap because of your idea.
 

Jacqui

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TortsNTurtles said:
I do the same here . My hubby demos for a living so its fun to get the goods a think if ways to use it! My tortoise table is all done from our lumber collection.

Boy, would I love a husband in that line of work! :D
 

Yvonne G

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Tom said:
Ahh. Now I see what you did there. Nice. That's a lot of space for them.

I didn't know you had a third Gpp. Where did that come from? New baby? How did I miss that?

I'm not sure it's going to be big enough, but I can still encroach more into the Manouria pen if its not.

I bought the little baby that Ben Awes hatched that he wrote about a few months ago. The one that took so long to hatch. I'm hoping it ends up being female, then I'll have 1.2, a nice group.
 

Yvonne G

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I planted the leopard pen towards the end of January. It is now about a month and a half later and here's what it looks like now:

The left side:
03-10-14a_zps058218ff.jpg


I moved the male babcock and the male pardalis along with one of the female Babcocks into this side. Under that wire chair up close to the shed is a nest she made and I left one egg in it.

Here's the right side:
03-10-14b_zps42401950.jpg


It goes up about 20' beyond the shed and 'L's' over to the shed with their own doorway. The other female babcock and the young SA female are on this side. And there's a divider in the shed to keep the two sides separate. I just have to add some sort of waterer to this side and I'm finished with it.
 
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