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dsreptiles
Guest
Hello everyone. Hope all is well. I've always been into reptiles mostly
leos. And dabbled in various other reptiles King snakes, boas, and the like. I've owned a little bit of everything over the past 8 years but have now toned down my collection to just the three forementioned. But I have recently acquired a house from my dad in Florida (I currently live in New York where the weather is cold most of the time.) And have always wanted Torts but didn't have the room inside for them. But in Florida I figured they would do really well. But my fiance and I are having a hard time trying to find the right one for us.
First of all we're going to try and buy adults. As raising babies in the area we want them is out of the question because the outdoor area is too big for them. In one of our fenced in areas where we plan to keep them we've got a 20x12 area equipped with a shallow water fall/pond where my dad raises excess cichlids that aren't in his breeding projects. And another small built in pond about six inches in depth. This area has a portion 6x4 that is constantly shaded by his palm trees and natural cherry tomato vines that grow alongside of the house and fences.
The problems I am running into in selecting a tort is that they all seem to dig which is why I'm looking for a species that doesn't tend to dig as a pass time which may be impossible because maybe that's just what all Torts do. But he has a wooden fence that doesn't go into the ground more than a couple of inches which with a few hours worth of work they could easily get under. And If I could help it I'd like them not to dig up the yard because of the expensive grass my dad has surrounding the property that prevents sand spurs from forming and fire ants from nesting. (however it is all natural grass, no fertz etc.) That is my first thing is a species that doesn't dig, if possible. Or one that doesn't dig often.
Second is heat. And bringing them inside except for in extreme weather is out of the question in my fiances eyes. So I'd need a species that enjoys to bask in acceptionally hot weather, and doesn't mind humidity.
Other than those two things I can easily adapt as all other sacrifices are doable. Those two are as well if need be but preferably there's a solution to both of those because the 30.00 a square foot for the grass my dad had laid is kind of hard to watch go to crap as the Torts tear up almost a thousand dollars worth of it. Even though he'd be moving into a much larger house I'm sure he wouldn't be too impressed watching all the work he put into maintaining that grass go to crap. Even if it was in such a small section of the yard.
Thanks for all of your time
leos. And dabbled in various other reptiles King snakes, boas, and the like. I've owned a little bit of everything over the past 8 years but have now toned down my collection to just the three forementioned. But I have recently acquired a house from my dad in Florida (I currently live in New York where the weather is cold most of the time.) And have always wanted Torts but didn't have the room inside for them. But in Florida I figured they would do really well. But my fiance and I are having a hard time trying to find the right one for us.
First of all we're going to try and buy adults. As raising babies in the area we want them is out of the question because the outdoor area is too big for them. In one of our fenced in areas where we plan to keep them we've got a 20x12 area equipped with a shallow water fall/pond where my dad raises excess cichlids that aren't in his breeding projects. And another small built in pond about six inches in depth. This area has a portion 6x4 that is constantly shaded by his palm trees and natural cherry tomato vines that grow alongside of the house and fences.
The problems I am running into in selecting a tort is that they all seem to dig which is why I'm looking for a species that doesn't tend to dig as a pass time which may be impossible because maybe that's just what all Torts do. But he has a wooden fence that doesn't go into the ground more than a couple of inches which with a few hours worth of work they could easily get under. And If I could help it I'd like them not to dig up the yard because of the expensive grass my dad has surrounding the property that prevents sand spurs from forming and fire ants from nesting. (however it is all natural grass, no fertz etc.) That is my first thing is a species that doesn't dig, if possible. Or one that doesn't dig often.
Second is heat. And bringing them inside except for in extreme weather is out of the question in my fiances eyes. So I'd need a species that enjoys to bask in acceptionally hot weather, and doesn't mind humidity.
Other than those two things I can easily adapt as all other sacrifices are doable. Those two are as well if need be but preferably there's a solution to both of those because the 30.00 a square foot for the grass my dad had laid is kind of hard to watch go to crap as the Torts tear up almost a thousand dollars worth of it. Even though he'd be moving into a much larger house I'm sure he wouldn't be too impressed watching all the work he put into maintaining that grass go to crap. Even if it was in such a small section of the yard.
Thanks for all of your time
