tortoise grass

[oceanoasis]

i work at a pet store and am in charge of the reptile section. i have almost convinced my boss to let me build a grazing/sunning area out of an old pond liner shell for the tortoises and some of the other lizards that would greatly benefit from a few hours of sunlight.

my question is what kind of grass would be the best to put in it. I have heard that bermuda grass (i think) is good. For florida weather btw.

what do you think. And any other ideas maybe on how to make it good for the tortoises - at the moment we have a red foot, a sulcata, and 3 little leopard tortoises. i noticed the leopards are starting to get slightly soft around the edges and i want to build this so that they have an area that is up off the ground where the ants can't get them. we have already had ants attack some other sunbathers. got them out in time though. but i dont want to risk such expensive animals with stupid fire ants.
boss said spray pesticide. heck no.

 

[goReptiles]

Theres a grass mix sold by carolina pet supply that you could consider. They actually have two different mixes. It includes many different edible grasses, weeds, etc.

As for the ants, you can mix boric acid, sugar and water. Dip in cotton balls, put the cotton balls in plastic containers with lids and holes in the containers. Place around the enclosure.

1 teaspoon boric acid (available at any drug store,, $2.99 for 4 oz)
6 tablespoons sugar
2 cups water

Replace the containers every few days. after a week half the amount of boric acid

 

[snowgyre]

Any of the warm season hay grasses (Bermudagrass, fescue, Dallis grass, etc.) should be alright provided you keep them contained. All these species are nonnative and invasive, so don't dump the sod in an area with native species when you're finished with it.

I recommend purchasing some clover mix. Go to an outdoor shop and buy a deer food plot seed mix. These mixes generally contain clover (make SURE it comes with the bacteria inoculation that must be mixed with the seed before planting otherwise it will not flourish, this bacteria is harmless to animals and assists the nitrogen fixing abilities of the clover). Clover is high in protein and an excellent forage. Any sort of legumes (ie. snap peas, soybeans) and grains (ie. sorghum) are excellent foods.

DO NOT PLANT tomatoes. The vines are toxic.

But yeah, go to your local sporting goods store and see if you can purchase a food plot seed mix. It'll provide better nutrition for your animals, even if it won't grow as fast as bermudagrass and it'll take a bit longer to establish. Clover is good for up to 4 years before you have to reseed it. Also, don't forget about dandelions (Taraxacum spp.) and plantains (Plantago spp.). You can harvest them for free in your backyard and they're great foods. Heck, you can eat 'em.