Does Eco earth hurt my Russian tortoise?

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

I just added a new substrate for my boy. I added eco earth but the substrate keeps sticking onto him and when he walks over his food plate the eco earth gets smeared all over the food. dunno if it affected his diet but I'm worried that the eco earth will create an impaction when he eats his food. What can I do to prevent it and no I can't feed him out of the tank because he is a slow eater and I have school.

 

[Tom]

This is why most people don't care for coco coir...

Keep it damp and hand pack it down firmly. That will reduce the mess. Or switch to orchid bark. Its easier, better, and less messy.

 

[LudusPlus]

I'm changing mine from this when I can because he's so messy.

I limit it getting into food by stacking rocks around where he eats but he's always sticking his toes in the water dish. It's almost as if he purposely puts his dirty feet in there just to annoy me lol.