Box Turtle and Tortoise Discussion :: Plan...

[emma]

Very nice pictures Terryo! Looks like your tortoises are living a wonderful life! I think they are spoiled a bit They are very beautiful (handsom for the guys ) too!
I think your plan seems pretty good Aqua8. How did you make that pic of the cage?

[Aqua8]

lol yeah I used simple paint... on windows!! LOL yeah it looks a little funny but that's because I had to draw it out with a mouse-pad... If I had a mouse oh-boy!! LOL But thank you very much. And I can't wait to start buying the supplies and putting it together!! What type of soil would you all recommend?? I doubt dirt from outside would be clean and healthy enough...

[Terryo]

Sterilized soil, peat moss, leaf litter, and un milled peat moss (or some stuff from the pet store called...don't remember...forest floor or something. I mix it all up, and put moss on top. I order the moss on line or buy it from the nursery. Sometimes I collect it from the woods near by. My friend uses Long fibered Sphagnun Moss. He dampenes it first.

[Tenodera]

You could try keeping VFT's in there, but they'll probably die. They need specialized care. Their dirt HAS to be acidic like spaghnum moss or acidic soil which your turtle might not agree with. Also, VFTs need to become dormant in the winter otherwise they die.

[Terryo]

Also, VFTs need to become dormant in the winter otherwise they die.

Kevin...what do you mean by this? I am minding my son's VFT and he told me to put the pot that it is in into a cup half filled with water. He was using it as a bog plant on a little shelf in his pond. He is scared it is going to die at his house..wife isn't too good with plants. Now I am scared.....how do I make it dormant for the winter?

[DavidY]

Keeping it in the cup of water is good since its roots should never be allowed to dry out (but the water level should remain about 2/3 the height of the pot). You can leave the plant outside or in an unheated room/greenhouse so it can experience the decrease in daylight and temperature. Do not feed the VFT once the weather starts to cool down.

The big summer stems and leaves will wither and should be clipped off as close to the base as possible. They will be replaced with much smaller ones during the winter dormancy period. In southern climates it can remain outside through the winter but around here (and NY) you should bring it in when the night temps get down to the low 40's. Keep the plant in a dark cool area where the temps will remain between 40 and 50 degrees and keep the pot in a tray of shallow water that's about 1/3 the way up height of the pot. Make sure to check on it occasionally and add more water to the tray as necessary. You can also lightly mist the plant once a week.

You can find some more info on VFT's here...http://www.cobraplant.com/venus-flytrap.html and also here...http://www.blackjungle.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Store_Code=BJTS&Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=VFTC

[Terryo]

More work! Just what I need. Thanks for the info.