need bedding advice!

[geekinpink]

My history with beddings:

I used - aspen bedding - for a day because someone told me it could be harmful I remove it immediately.

then i used timothy hay and alfalfa hay- my tort and I were both allergic! She had nose bubbles, i had it too!

I put garden soil and planted some grass on one part of her enclosure but insects and stuff are making it their home so i removed it.

now i'm using newspapers laid flat but I'm a bit worried about the humidity. I made a hide I saw online putting a sponge on the roof but she rarely uses it...How do i create humidity now? Take into consideration that i live in the Philippines where it's humid all the time...

I recently saw someone here selling cypress mulch, should i try it with my tort and my allergy history with other beddings? Or forget that ?

 

[ruanda]

You have a problem there...
How humid in Philipines? (Maybe you don't need to create it)

 

[jobeanator]

well depending on how old your star is, i would use cypress mulch for older stars, or soil and bed a beast mixed together. for my baby star i just use paper towels misted.

 

[tortoisenerd]

What did the person say was harmful about the aspen? Is the harmful thing specific to Stars, or in general? I ask because I use aspen and the only bad thing I can see about it is that if a tort needed humidity, that isn't a good substrate. I am not familiar with Stars besides that people who post about them here tend to have them on a dry substrate (more so than any other species). So, I am curious both about if you need to create humidity and if aspen may in fact be a good choice for you and your tort. Beware of getting advice from one person/source. Even many products like substrates sold for torts are harmful (such as calci sand). Do your own research and make sure you know in your head why you are making specific choices, not just so and so told me so. Newspaper is never a good choice beyond a hospital set up (sick tort) because it doesn't allow the tort to live naturally (dig and build up leg muscles due to resistance from the substrate--the newspaper and even paper towels are slippery). In short, I don't have any answers for you but have a couple questions myself, lol. Good luck!

 

[geekinpink]

The previous owner recommended aspen bedding actually, but a friend told me to not use it because of the scent it emits and that scent is the chemicals used to treat the aspen shavings, and if ingested by the tort it's not good for them..With some research around here, i saw some people say that aspen bedding can be very dry because they are highly absorbent which come to think of it, now that you mentioned it, might not be a problem for me due to high humidity in our country. But still, I am not clear if I should still create humidity on her enclosure :/ (to be clear, the aspen bedding kind i'm talking about is those used for rabbits, same thing right? or there are other kinds) If I could use aspen bedding, it would be great because it's easily available here, cypress on the other hand is not.


I agree with you about the newspapers...that's one of the reasons why i'm looking for another substrate, because my tort likes to dig and newspapers laid flat does not give her that option

i don't really know my torts age, nor does the previous owner..she's 3.5 inches

Humidity today is 70%

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I just saw someone here in our country selling corn cob substrate for tort...does anyone ever tried it?

 

[tortoisenerd]

If a Star owner can pipe in with whether at 70% humidity you need a moist substrate or not, I can give some advice. Everything I hear about Stars has led me to believe that you want to go with a dry substrate like the aspen, but I don't have enough information to give you a definitive answer. Doing a forum search on Star substrate might help, you can private message some Star owners here, or hopefully you'll get more replies.

You can get small animal aspen (usually flake shaped) or snake bedding aspen (chips that are more cylindrical, which I prefer as it lays more flat and is easier for the tort to dig in, plus I can get this type in a 45 lb bag for very cheap near where I live). As long as its pure aspen (no other wood types mixed in--a wood mix is very bad as it could have cedar, which is toxic), you should be good to go. They should not use any chemicals on it for animal bedding. The bag would have to say so. This stuff isn't picked up off the floors after manufacturing--they make the product (at least it says so on the type I buy).

I think your friend was misinformed about aspen, or confusing it with other types of wood. It is a good wood substrate to use for animals who don't need the moisture--vs. pine or cedar, which are aeronautic and have oils which are toxic to animals such as torts. People's torts have been blinded or died of respiratory problems from pine and cedar. Aspen is great. Its actually not too absorbent, which is good. If a substrate is too absorbent it can literally suck the moisture from the tort (think super absorbent pellet type substrates, which in addition don't let the tort's leg muscles develop right as the substrate rolls around). If ingested in small amounts it will pass right through, but if you ever see your tort eating more than a test bite or two, then you need to change the substrate anyways. Feeding on a tile or other large surface to keep the substrate away from the food is another precaution.

Corn cob is very bad. It can swell up in the intestines if ingested and cause impaction. Too absorbent and a bit slippery to walk on too. That is pretty old school substrate, same with alfalfa pellets--both poor choices.

 

[geekinpink]

I'm still looking for answers for this I still use the laid flat newspapers but I put some tiles around for her to walk on and not slip. I had some dried bermuda grass, i put it on one side of her enclosure but she never goes there. It's dried so I'm guessing still no humidity...which I still don't know if i need:/

I am also a little scared of substrate catching fire because the heating bulb is on all the time...which is safer?

by the way: i tried paper towels and she ate it!!!

 

[Alx910]

I have never had bad luck with cypress mulch. My only issue was that our tortoises ate it. It's okay if they eat it BUT you have to get the really fine untreated kind or it will get stuck and hurt them . Other than that Cypress mulch is good for many different species. If you can't find the really fine cypress then aspen shavings work well too.

As for the humidity, It would be a good idea to get a thermometer and a hygrometer to measure temp and humidity. Humidity should be around 45-55% but high humidity is better for babies.

As for the substrate setting on fire. Don't let the bulb touch the substrate. Keep it atleast 4 fingers away and you should be fine

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Oh and if you need more humidity just buy a spray bottle and spray down the corners of the pen .

 

[geekinpink]

I just tried coco coir or bark and I also tried sphagnum moss, she stays away from both, I didn't put it in her whole enclosure bec I wanted to try it out, she stays away from them and just sleeps on the clay pot hide where there's only a newspaper laid flat. I just left the coco barks and spray them everyday to create humidity instead even if she does not go near it. I hope that's fine.

 

[SILVERSTAR]

i wouldnt give up on the paper towels yeah your tortoise may nibble or even take in a small amount as mine took a nibble to but quickly lost interest.

 

[jobeanator]

i think right now, in my opinion when stars are hatchlings, you dont want any type of bedding thats too abrasive, or something that could cause impaction in one way or another. the paper towels i use for my star work good, and keep humidity and they seem to enjoy walking on it. mine have tried to nibble on it, but learns fast that its not something to eat.

 

[geekinpink]

I gave up on the coco bark...she does had a hard time walking around it. The sphagnum moss was too smelly when wet, she hates it too...does not go near it at all.

here's what i did right now while still trying to find cypress mulch.

IMG_2822 by chinadoll, on Flickr

IMG_2819 by chinadoll, on Flickr
her hides...she likes the small one best.

IMG_2820 by chinadoll, on Flickr
even if she does go to the grasses, she prefers this hide where there's only newspapers around..

I hope this is fine...I spray the dry bermuda grass everyday. It's really hard to find cypress mulch here(even online), even aspen bedding that's suitable for tort...all I could find are aspen bedding for hamsters and they are treated with chemicals to make it more absorbent and cover the smell of pee, it emits a very strong smell...I'm afraid to use it.

lastly, on a totally different topic...When I got my tort she has this hole on her shell, I was wondering if they would grow out of it?
IMG_2812 by chinadoll, on Flickr

by that pic,is she still a hatchling? Until how old or big do they have to be, to be considered a juvenile? (she's 3.75in)

 

[SILVERSTAR]

yeah id say shes a juvenile,mines a pre juvenile he weighed 38grams when i got him,im gonna reweigh him soon ive had him for a month now exactly,im hoping when i weigh him hes gained weigh cuz he does eat alot.

 

[geekinpink]

update...Is it possible that my tort does not like me putting substrate at all??? I've removed the hays because she stays away from it anyway. as soon as I removed it she went straight to that area and slept there. She now has laid down newspapers and some upside down tiles for her to walk on. She moves around more than when there was hay...I think she hates that it gets between her shell and pokes her face lol!

for the humidity- oddly i cannot find a hydrometer anywhere here I just always leave her "pool" filled with water and below the light,i hope the humidity it produces is enough .