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Old 11-01-2017, 12:49 PM   #1
Suze65
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Default Plans for the spring

So it's the new year, so thought it time to be thinking about our out door enclosures. I update my tortoise garden every spring, it's my favourite kind of gardening, and this year is no exception. As I'm getting a new fence and wall, I gained a little more space at ground level, so that means more planting . I've got the usual plants , like lavender, thyme, grasses, etc, but I want some taller plants/ flowers for the back of the flower bed, against the fence. I did think of echinacea, but apparently the slugs like them, and obviously I can'tut down slug pellets. Any ideas for taller flowers , that will make it look pretty as well as being appropriate for the torts, will be very welcome.
And let's here your plans for the summer.
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Old 11-01-2017, 12:59 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by Suze65 View Post
So it's the new year, so thought it time to be thinking about our out door enclosures. I update my tortoise garden every spring, it's my favourite kind of gardening, and this year is no exception. As I'm getting a new fence and wall, I gained a little more space at ground level, so that means more planting . I've got the usual plants , like lavender, thyme, grasses, etc, but I want some taller plants/ flowers for the back of the flower bed, against the fence. I did think of echinacea, but apparently the slugs like them, and obviously I can'tut down slug pellets. Any ideas for taller flowers , that will make it look pretty as well as being appropriate for the torts, will be very welcome.
And let's here your plans for the summer.
Fushia "Mrs Popple"
"honesty"
Holly hocks.
Minds gone blank now:0)
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Old 11-01-2017, 02:50 PM   #3
JerryMaffz
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I was considering implementing some way of restricting Jerry's access to feeder plants, this year.
I love to see him self sufficient and he really does thrive being outside 24/7 from May to September. However, during this time he has access to green, succulent leaves all the time. This simply wouldn't happen in the wild....and Jerry definitely does not regulate his feeding!!
Not sure what to do yet, or how this can be achieved. I guess some sort of barrier/fence. Suggestions are welcome.
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Old 11-01-2017, 03:41 PM   #4
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I was considering implementing some way of restricting Jerry's access to feeder plants, this year.
I love to see him self sufficient and he really does thrive being outside 24/7 from May to September. However, during this time he has access to green, succulent leaves all the time. This simply wouldn't happen in the wild....and Jerry definitely does not regulate his feeding!!
Not sure what to do yet, or how this can be achieved. I guess some sort of barrier/fence. Suggestions are welcome.

What you have to do is, let him feed on what is growing, then leave him without food for a couple of weeks. Grow some weeds in trays and then put them in every now and again so he has something to eat now and again.
My tortoises graze on grass when there are not a lot of weeds growing or they have eaten them. I also feed them just flowers when they are in season.
The nearest to nature I can get:0)
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Old 11-01-2017, 03:44 PM   #5
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Fushia "Mrs Popple"
"honesty"
Holly hocks.
Minds gone blank now:0)
Thanks Sandy, I like the idea of hollyhocks, I've got one growing in a pot, I will definitely put that in the torts planted area. And I will look up Honesty, I've forgotten what it looks like. I'm going to put in some Sea holly cos it looks pretty. I did plant some campanulas last year and they ate the lot , before they had chance to flower !
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Old 11-01-2017, 03:50 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JerryMaffz View Post
I was considering implementing some way of restricting Jerry's access to feeder plants, this year.
I love to see him self sufficient and he really does thrive being outside 24/7 from May to September. However, during this time he has access to green, succulent leaves all the time. This simply wouldn't happen in the wild....and Jerry definitely does not regulate his feeding!!
Not sure what to do yet, or how this can be achieved. I guess some sort of barrier/fence. Suggestions are welcome.
If you leave him to it, you will find he will naturally eat less on cooler days, just like they do in the wild. Don't forget our summer is more like their spring, and like the wild in the spring ( when food is lush) there will be cool days when they don't eat all the lovely food that's available. So he will naturally regulate his food intake, and as Sandy has said, don't supplement his weed patch with extra food , from time to time.
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Old 11-01-2017, 04:56 PM   #7
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You could try Russian Vine to grow up the fence as although they shouldn't have too much they can only reach it so far. Also maybe honeysuckle.
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Old 11-01-2017, 08:26 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sandy View Post
What you have to do is, let him feed on what is growing, then leave him without food for a couple of weeks. Grow some weeds in trays and then put them in every now and again so he has something to eat now and again.
My tortoises graze on grass when there are not a lot of weeds growing or they have eaten them. I also feed them just flowers when they are in season.
The nearest to nature I can get:0)
He only feeds from April to Sept on what is growing. My problems is that there is too much natural food available to him. He has no supplemental food at all!! The tray idea is a good plan, but his enclosure is a bit too 'wild' for that. I guess I'm going to have to thin it out a bit.
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Old 11-01-2017, 08:31 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Suze65 View Post
If you leave him to it, you will find he will naturally eat less on cooler days, just like they do in the wild. Don't forget our summer is more like their spring, and like the wild in the spring ( when food is lush) there will be cool days when they don't eat all the lovely food that's available. So he will naturally regulate his food intake, and as Sandy has said, don't supplement his weed patch with extra food , from time to time.
He has no extra food at all through the warmer months, Suze. The problem is that the little rascal doesn't regulate his feeding on the natural, at all.
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Old 11-01-2017, 08:58 PM   #10
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He has no extra food at all through the warmer months, Suze. The problem is that the little rascal doesn't regulate his feeding on the natural, at all.
Lol it sounds lush, may be you do need to put up a little fence of some sort. Could you build an add on bit to the enclosure , so he can't eat all the time.
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