Help tortoise keep nibbling on substrate

[TankTheHermann]

I keep seeing my tort eating a bit of the substrate and I've changed from aspen to 50sand and 50topsoil mixture and my tort still eats the substrate what should I do and my tort just nibble on the substrate from time to time and is there any affect from my tort eating the substrate

 

[Tom]

Get rid of the sand mixture right away. Sand should never be used. It can cause impactions and skin or eye irritations. Aspen is not good either. Much too dry unless the whole room is moderately humid. I prefer coco coir or orchid bark.

What sort of lighting are you using? Any colored bulbs? Coil type UV bulbs?

 

[TankTheHermann]

A sun spot heat and uvb light all together. Is just top soil fine? I also have Eco earth is that good.

 

[Carol S]

Moist Eco Earth (coir) is great. It holds moisture well and does not cause impaction. My Desert tortoise was eating dirt so I bought some Sticky Tongue Farms Miner-All and I sprinkle it on his food once a week and he quit eating dirt.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thanks. I had a tortoise that was fond of eating small rocks and coral. (Coral is a common land fill material here. My house is sitting on an old swamp!) Any way, I found that if I offered him a cuttlebone in his dog house, he left the rocks alone. Sometimes it's a mineral thing. I use sterile garden soil and mulch mixed in my out door enclosure and garden soil and moss for my inside tanks. Garden soil has far less sand and is still very economical. I use the cheap stuff with out any added minerals, fertilizers, etc.