How to Care for Tortoises : Tortoise Substrate

[viczheng]

I am using jungle mixed, is this safe? i am afraid when they trying to dig, that will get their eye effected. should I put some try hay on top?

[TheKevin1817]

carefresh says right on the bag dont use for tortoises

[nathan7grind]

excuse me , my sulcata is still a baby , and i think it has a problem because its nose is wet .... i think he catches a cold , what should i do? please help!!! , its only been 2 months since i have 'em but i love my tortoises so much

[stony1231]

i love this n his ideas :) <3 he has great stuff

[Theoccasionalcoop]

this guy is one of the few people on expert village that knows what hes talking about

[Dproguyzerz]

@Theoccasionalcoop i know right?!

[Chorizo240]

i would recommend Repti sand from Zoo med.

[crunchywilliam]

ive found a gentle slope in their enclosure they enjoy

[brotherofnite]

Carefresh bedding is brilliant for Pet rats :) great odour control. But for Tortoises -think what they encounter in nature. this guys salary is being paid. Hes not a Tort keeper by the sounds of it. Please anyone thinking of getting a Tortoise go to THE TORTOISE TRUST website. we should send 'expert' village there :)

[crabsgetsmart]

can i use sand?

[ExpertAnimal]

what is more obsorbent, should i get alfalfa meal or cypress bedding

[gogman25]

+ I use woodchip as a main bedding, then on top of that I put aload of newspaper, which tortoises love for sleeping and resting in

[gogman25]

So much stuff here is totally un-needed, a heat padd if anything is a negative, a basking light is useful I admit, but alot of the stuff that this guy says is shit.

You don't need a U.V bulb, because if possible you should have a wildy open and natural sunlight on him.

Heat pads? More damage than anything.

Vivariums and tanks? Not needed, it costs no more than £20 to make your own tortoise home.

Plus, this guy doesn't even tell you to let your tortoise outside!

[leonardbutkiewicz93]

heat pad is if u want! the U.V bulb helps give them vitemins and sunlight thru glass is dangerouse for animals that need sunlight for there skin and u let ur tortoise outside by putting him on the ground and watching him to make shur he dousnt leave!

[gogman25]

No offence buddy, your spurting crap, you don't HAVE to watch him if you don't have an outdoor enclosure, my bulb holder is dead, so he has to go without his baskings, and he's fine and cool because he always gets natural sunlight, and alot of warmth at day, and warmth at night.

though before I bring him in, I always take him for a walk, gotta keep my eye on him...he doesnt eat anything green of the ground...only white stuff!

[leonardbutkiewicz93]

well then stop complaining if u THINK what ur doing is right!!

[tofu4tortoise]

Guys, i recommend a sand/soil mix in a ratio of 50/50 more or less.  tHat is what i use for my hermann's. I also bake the mixture in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes to sanitize.

[crunchywilliam]

@tofu4tortoise sunds good i heard tortoises like burrowing and that sounds perfect for it!

[tofu4tortoise]

thanks, man! koopa (my tort) loves it! but he's currently hibernating now, and i miss him :(. but he'll be out soon!

[crunchywilliam]

I've recently bought a tortoise and use substrate similar to that, it's brilliant! Plod (my tortoise) loves it to!

[TrasherIV]

@tofu4tortoise

I've got to agree with you, this is what I've been told by the breeder I bought my tortoises from and also I've heard several other breeders say 50/50 sand/soil mix. Something very smart I read somewhere: "Think of what it's like in their natural habitat, and copy that as best you can"

[ZebraKisser4Ever]

IS the douglas fir bark digestible?

[crunchywilliam]

@ZebraKisser4Ever doesnt need to be its way to big for a tortoise to swallow

[davidloveshockey]

Can i use cyprus mulch for a russian?

[DrunkenPandaGuy]

yes

[Creamy4Custard98]

cant you just use, shredded paper.

[ericrules95]

You can but they tend to get very messy when get wet and it's not very pretty or natural looking.

[superbigchinny]

where is your shop!?

[TheBeardedragon]

i mthink its pet knigdom

[xCoffeeBlackx]

is coconut substrate ok for redfoots

[hemodes]

no to coco whatever tortoise you got

[rbrigid1]

Isn't douglas fir a conifer, in the same family as cedar and other "pines"? These all have tanins in the wood sap, which are an irritant to reptiles and other animals. You should not use them for tortoises, either.

Aspen bedding is perhaps better, but these substrates are expensive and need to be changed quite often.

Try using newpaper as a substrate, covered in a layer of timothy hay. Cheap, safe, useful, clean and happy.

[pickingonredhead]

u suck

[DrunkenPandaGuy]

douche

[pickingonredhead]

thats what u use for a shower

[DrunkenPandaGuy]

not him... some other guy