Cinders and Mulch

[Oldbattleaxe]

I was unable to break ground on the redfoots wall today, but I've been told that I can get my cinders at a much lower price if I'll wait a couple of weeks, so the fence is on hold.
I recently read on this forum that torts will ingest mica from potting soil and as there was plenty of mica in one of my Russian runs, I mulched it today.

Also noticed a little mica in Sophie's enclosure so that got a mulching too.

thats all for now, I guess. Mulch.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I like mulch a lot. It will eventually decompose and you just ad more on top.
Eventually it becomes a nice soft and absorbable surface. Good for plants and egg laying.

 

[Tom]

I looked up mica to make sure I wasn't ignorant. I don't think it is used as a soil additive.

Are you talking about perlite? Or vermiculite?

 

[Oldbattleaxe]

It may well be perlite or vermiculite. The post I was reading called the little white bits 'mica'
(If I remember corectly) and said torts would eat it. I didn't want to risk it, and mulch is cheap and can't hurt. Here's a pic of the offending white bits:

 

[Oldbattleaxe]

I've also noticed them Inthe soil of my Russians laying area, I'm planning on digging it all up and replacing it with coconut and playsand.

If I'm mistaken, please steer me into right direction.

 

[Tom]

Ahh yes. That is perlite.

Personally, I don't think covering it with mulch is the way to go. The tortoise and other critters will dog around in there and that perlite will work its way to the surface. Tortoises tend to eat it for some reason and it coats their GI tract and eventually kills them. I necropsied some babies that were hatched on perlite, and the COD was perlite ingestion.

I would not risk my tortoises life by leaving them on it. I would dig it all out and replace the soil with some regular dirt.

 

[Oldbattleaxe]

Good to know. Thanks Tom I'll do that! Fortunately there wasn't a whole lot of it, and just in the three areas mentioned. The worst spot is the laying area, because that's about 6" deep. The other two areas were just where I dumped old potting soil before I built the tort yards. Is coconut and sand going to be alright for filling the laying area?

 

[leigti]

I personally would not use sand.

 

[Oldbattleaxe]

I can forgo the sand, but please advise me on what to fill the laying area with. The local soil is thick with clay, and the Russians can't make a dent in it.

 

[Yvonne G]

I really like your outdoor enclosures. You've done a nice job on them. I know some folks on here don't like to use store bought soil because one never knows what kind of stuff has been incorporated into it, but for an outdoor enclosure, I think it would be ok to till some top soil from the store into your clay soil and mix it all up. The top soil will loosen up the clay. In fact, since you're putting it outside, I wouldn't hesitate to use sand. As long as you take the shovel and turn the soil and mix it all up with the clay, it should be ok to use.

 

[Tom]

I agree with @Yvonne G here.

Just don't use a whole lot of sand, and don't feed your tortoise near that area.

If you do use some store bought soil, just make sure there are no additives like vermiculite, perlite, or "wetting agents". Guano or other "natural" fertilizers should be fine for this application as a small part of an outdoor enclosure.

If this were my place, I would just refill the area with regular dirt.

 

[Oldbattleaxe]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll tackle that first thing tomorrow morning. I appreciate all the help and support.

 

[Greta16]

I was unable to break ground on the redfoots wall today, but I've been told that I can get my cinders at a much lower price if I'll wait a couple of weeks, so the fence is on hold.
I recently read on this forum that torts will ingest mica from potting soil and as there was plenty of mica in one of my Russian runs, I mulched it today.View attachment 204942

Also noticed a little mica in Sophie's enclosure so that got a mulching too.View attachment 204943

thats all for now, I guess. Mulch.

Is that an elephant ear plant in the back in the green pot? If it is I know it to be poisonous to cats.

 

[Oldbattleaxe]

I do grow elephant ear, I have seen it listed as a plant that can be toxic to reptiles, but I also know of a large scale breeder who raises it specificly to feed to large African torts. I'm using it in a decorative capacity, it will soon be replanted in a tortfree zone. As far as cats go, most of my neighbors have dogs so this area is largely cat free. Live ones, anyway.

 

[leigti]

In my outdoor enclosure for my Russian I went to Home Depot and found some organic soil without any sort of chemicals or fertilizers and added Pete Moss. It has worked well, my tortoise can dig in it easily in the plants grow well