CeciliaCornwall
New Member
Hello all!
We live in sunny AZ and have two female desert tortoises. Which I realize now after reading the pinned thread is potentially not the greatest idea, but here we are. We will likely get a third to offset issues in the future. Our most pressing problem is habitat. We have a tortoise-proof backyard and have been letting them roam as they please, graze the grass, etc. This may have been a mistake, I’m not sure but we are open to recommendations on that. We built a habitat using cinder blocks with a plywood topper. We covered it in dirt. We made it as one habitat, but we made it with two sides so each tortoise could have her own side. They spent one night in their sides, then appeared to both want the same side. The younger one ran into the bigger one’s side one day and after that, neither would go in there again unless it was raining. Instead, they have dug a hole under an aloe vera plant and both insist on being completely smushed under it. We have tried filling the hole in to encourage them to use the house we built, but no luck. Upon reflection, the home we built was on a western wall facing east, and may just have been too hot. We took it down yesterday and are going to attempt rebuilding in a better location.
So, should we not allow them to have free range of the yard? Also, any ideas on how we can make a better home? Is it location? Did we make a mistake having two holes in one house? Should we dig up the aloe Vera so they can’t do that? Should we allow the aloe?
Finally, we have a lot of mosquitos and I’d like to spray garlic repellant on the plants/grass. If I do that, can/will the tortoises still eat the grass? Thanks!
We live in sunny AZ and have two female desert tortoises. Which I realize now after reading the pinned thread is potentially not the greatest idea, but here we are. We will likely get a third to offset issues in the future. Our most pressing problem is habitat. We have a tortoise-proof backyard and have been letting them roam as they please, graze the grass, etc. This may have been a mistake, I’m not sure but we are open to recommendations on that. We built a habitat using cinder blocks with a plywood topper. We covered it in dirt. We made it as one habitat, but we made it with two sides so each tortoise could have her own side. They spent one night in their sides, then appeared to both want the same side. The younger one ran into the bigger one’s side one day and after that, neither would go in there again unless it was raining. Instead, they have dug a hole under an aloe vera plant and both insist on being completely smushed under it. We have tried filling the hole in to encourage them to use the house we built, but no luck. Upon reflection, the home we built was on a western wall facing east, and may just have been too hot. We took it down yesterday and are going to attempt rebuilding in a better location.
So, should we not allow them to have free range of the yard? Also, any ideas on how we can make a better home? Is it location? Did we make a mistake having two holes in one house? Should we dig up the aloe Vera so they can’t do that? Should we allow the aloe?
Finally, we have a lot of mosquitos and I’d like to spray garlic repellant on the plants/grass. If I do that, can/will the tortoises still eat the grass? Thanks!