coconut coir substrate - how often do you need to change

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Urtle

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I think, it depends on how you maintain it. You cant do much about the urine that sinks in but if you are always removing the poop and making sure there are no greens piling up over time i would say 1 year tops.

Hope that helps
 

Tortoise Princess

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Urtle said:
I think, it depends on how you maintain it. You cant do much about the urine that sinks in but if you are always removing the poop and making sure there are no greens piling up over time i would say 1 year tops.

Hope that helps

Thank you:)
 

wellington

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I agree. One member uses theirs for about a year and then they boil it and reuses it. I use mine for as long as I can. 6 months to a year. The only reason I really change mine out is the little bugs that will appear after time. I don't have a pot I am willing to boil it in. As I would have to use a pot that I use for food and I don't have a spare, yet.
 

DeanS

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I'm still using my ORIGINAL batch...it's going on two years now! I do boil it once a month...and that is the ONLY reason I've used it this long...if I didn't boil...I'd probably change it out after a year. Of course, for those who recall, I use a mixture of 80% Coco bark 20% coco coir.

I dump it in a Rubbermaid 30g and add boiling water...let it sit for half an hour then drain MOST of the water. I, too, would NEVER use a good pot for this!
 

GeoTerraTestudo

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I spot clean and pick out their waste, so that allows me to keep using the same batch of coco coir. It's been over a year so far, and I see no need to replace it yet.
 

L82lalaland

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Wow I have changed mine cypress mulch and coco core twice now and only had them since December. I try to hunt down their poop but I think they eat it as fast and the poop it, ewwwww. I can't seem to stop them from doing that either. Mostly the cage smells its right behind the couch. Adding boiling water to a bucket is a great idea Thanks I will try that next.
 

BeeBee*BeeLeaves

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Boiling it? Great tip. Thanks!!
Such great stuff for substrate this coco coir/coco bark. Whomever out there came up with the idea to use it, you rock!
 

Tom

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I spot clean daily and use it forever. I'll only change it if I'm putting new tortoises or a new species in that enclosure. I also soak all my small tortoises daily and they urinate and defecate in their soak water, so my substrate stays pretty clean anyway. Occasional bits of leftover food are all I usually pick up.
 

L82lalaland

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Aww maybe that is it. I soak daily and they mess up the water pretty well. I change it at least 6 times in their 30 minute soak.
 

sibi

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I haven't changed the substrate out but once in over a year. My torts go in their soaks, and I feed them outside their enclosures. So, aside from a few spring mix leafs, their substrate stay clean. I only change it if there's a lot of those tiny bugs that really annoy me. You pretty much know when it needs to be changed...much like a baby's diaper.
 

Tom

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sibi said:
You pretty much know when it needs to be changed...much like a baby's diaper.

This struck me funny. I changed my kids diaper several times a day though...
 

andy12

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Hi, i'm using eco terra coco husk, i didn't wash them prior using it, just add water. the feet and head of the sulcata is very dark, it seem that the water is coloured, is this normal or should i wash them before using it? thanks
 

Jlant85

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Wow! I never knew that it can be kept for that long! I change mine every 2-3 months. One, because they are soooooo cheap and two... well i cant think of another reason why.... lol...
 

dukat

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Jlant85 said:
Wow! I never knew that it can be kept for that long! I change mine every 2-3 months. One, because they are soooooo cheap and two... well i cant think of another reason why.... lol...

I thought that the substrate would have to be changed more regularly as well. I am so glad I did some research and joined this wonderful forum before I invested any money in a tortoise.
 
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