ChileanTaco
Gray-bearded Member
- Beardie name(s)
- Taco
Today I dug out the (former) big aloe in Taco's enclosure and replaced it by another one I grew on the balcony (the aloe from the enclosure is now on the balcony).
I first took Taco out of the enclosure (for safety so he won't get hurt by accident, but also so he doesn't see me working on this); Taco spent the time with my husband.
As Taco's cave is right behind the aloe, it was important to me to not destroy the cave but to preserve it as good as possible and to remodel it if necessary.
I thus first took pictures of the cave. Before pulling out the plant, I lifted off an approx. 4 cm thick layer of sand which luckily came off in almost one piece (as this sand hardens nicely).
With the old aloe, a mayor problem was that Taco dug his burrow right behind the aloe once he was close to 6 months old - which I didn't expect when I planted it. (Nowadays I would rather suspect that happening.) With that, parts of the roots always got destroyed, and I was not able to water the plant as much as I wanted, especially when he brumated down there almost 4 months. With that in mind, my approach was now to force all the roots of the aloe into a small pot (normally ways too small for a plant that size) to have something where the soil can stay wet without my dragon getting a wet burrow.
After the plant was in, I added some wet burrowing clay around to cover up the pot, and then added the layer of hardened sand I had lifted off before.
Once Taco was in, he stayed on his basking spot looking skeptical (also briefly showing a dark beard), but half an hour later went exploring on his usual inspection tour he does whenever I change something. Dark beard was gone and he ate a mouthful of his golliwog plant. We were then gone for some hours and when we came back he had his usual light coloration.
I first took Taco out of the enclosure (for safety so he won't get hurt by accident, but also so he doesn't see me working on this); Taco spent the time with my husband.
As Taco's cave is right behind the aloe, it was important to me to not destroy the cave but to preserve it as good as possible and to remodel it if necessary.
I thus first took pictures of the cave. Before pulling out the plant, I lifted off an approx. 4 cm thick layer of sand which luckily came off in almost one piece (as this sand hardens nicely).
With the old aloe, a mayor problem was that Taco dug his burrow right behind the aloe once he was close to 6 months old - which I didn't expect when I planted it. (Nowadays I would rather suspect that happening.) With that, parts of the roots always got destroyed, and I was not able to water the plant as much as I wanted, especially when he brumated down there almost 4 months. With that in mind, my approach was now to force all the roots of the aloe into a small pot (normally ways too small for a plant that size) to have something where the soil can stay wet without my dragon getting a wet burrow.
After the plant was in, I added some wet burrowing clay around to cover up the pot, and then added the layer of hardened sand I had lifted off before.
Once Taco was in, he stayed on his basking spot looking skeptical (also briefly showing a dark beard), but half an hour later went exploring on his usual inspection tour he does whenever I change something. Dark beard was gone and he ate a mouthful of his golliwog plant. We were then gone for some hours and when we came back he had his usual light coloration.
