tortoise habitat design ideas & innovations

When planning my outdoor tortoises habitat each Spring, I focus on two areas: Food and Protection.

My redfoot tortoises eat a variety of greens, flowers, and fruit throughout the Spring and Summer.  This includes a lettuce mix, dandelion greens, nasturtium flowers, fresh figs, and berries.

The dandelion greens grow wildly in my yard each year — I have a non-chemical lawn, so I feel that this is safe to feed them.  I grow berry bushes in my yard, as well as a couple of fig trees.

In the habitat, I plant organic nasturtium flower seeds, an organic salad green mix, and seeds from a variety of weeds.  The weeds provide both food and protection — with some growing up to 5 feet tall.