Red foot tortoise substrate?

ShellyTheTortoise71

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Hi. I am soon going to adopt a baby red foot tort. I wanted to know what substrate is the best for her enclosure. Also, is cypress mulch or pine nuggets better for my older red foot tortoise? I have heard a lot of great things about cypress, but a lot better things of using wood nuggets. But, I've heard pine is bad. Can you guys reccomend some stuff?

P.s... Please don't reccomend orchid bark unless you have an online link, because I've been looking everywhere for it. I simply don't have it in large quantities where I live.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Yes. No pine and no cedar. (although pine may be safe)
I use potting soil with shredded mulch on top outside and potting soil over orchid bark inside.
Cypress mulch is good. There's just a thing here lately about saving the cypress trees. I don't use it.
 

ZEROPILOT

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For tortoises just hatching I wouldn't use the bark. It's a very good question and I've NEVER had hatchlings.
For babies that are healed and sturdy, yes.
 

G-stars

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I use coco coir, spaghnum moss and cypress for my hatchlings. The moss goes inside the humid hides. The cypress goes around the dishes to help keep them clean and the coir everywhere else.
 

ShellyTheTortoise71

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Do you think that I could replace the dirt you use with coconut coir? I feel like they would do the same thing in my adults enclosure, but I want to make sure.
 

ShellyTheTortoise71

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I use coco coir, spaghnum moss and cypress for my hatchlings. The moss goes inside the humid hides. The cypress goes around the dishes to help keep them clean and the coir everywhere else.

Thanks. I'll be buying cypress and coco coir. I already have moss.
 

Rutibegga

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Do people have preferred places to get coco coir and sphagnum moss? We went to a pet supply store today and while they had both, they were sold in really small amounts (think ten gallon tank) at sort of ridiculous prices. I'm probably going to look online, but didn't know if people have any luck with Home Depot/Lowes?
 

Rutibegga

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For some reason I can't edit my prior comment, but I'd also appreciate brand suggestions if I end up buying online.
 

ShellyTheTortoise71

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For some reason I can't edit my prior comment, but I'd also appreciate brand suggestions if I end up buying online.

I buy everything from Home Depot. I buy mosser lee spaghnum moss. They also sell coco coir. I'm not going to say a brand because they have tons of them and they are all the same.
 

NDevon

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Yes. No pine and no cedar. (although pine may be safe)
I use potting soil with shredded mulch on top outside and potting soil over orchid bark inside.
Cypress mulch is good. There's just a thing here lately about saving the cypress trees. I don't use it.

What sort of proportions for each of these @ZEROPILOT ? On your inside enclosure if you have orchid bark under soil is the bark completely covered? If so is it for drainage?

I have potting soil as a base and then sphagnum moss on top but it's not working out so I need to change what I use and the ratios I think. Happy to use anything but I want to use the right thing.
 

Pearly

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What sort of proportions for each of these @ZEROPILOT ? On your inside enclosure if you have orchid bark under soil is the bark completely covered? If so is it for drainage?

I have potting soil as a base and then sphagnum moss on top but it's not working out so I need to change what I use and the ratios I think. Happy to use anything but I want to use the right thing.
I just responded to your questions about this in my substrate thread. Those are just my ideas. We all eventually find what works best for us. I was worried about shell rot and kept trying to find a way to keep the surface that touches babies' bellies dry. You'll figure it out. Good luck!
 

NDevon

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I just responded to your questions about this in my substrate thread. Those are just my ideas. We all eventually find what works best for us. I was worried about shell rot and kept trying to find a way to keep the surface that touches babies' bellies dry. You'll figure it out. Good luck!


I've replied to your other posts - thanks.

One of my babies, Perrie, she likes to sleep on a hill I made out of topsoil. Thinking about it, it will hold moisture as its tightly packed, and I wonder if that's why she has the start of shell rot. The others go into one of a few humid hides (though wherever they are they sleep together) and I can see no sign of shell rot, nice and clean and dry.

I am angry that I have got this wrong, as always knew it was hard and I am happy that I wasn't over confident and thought it would be easy and I knew best, I guess I just ignored the one bit of advice about pouring water into the corners and keeping top layer dry.
 

Pearly

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I've replied to your other posts - thanks.

One of my babies, Perrie, she likes to sleep on a hill I made out of topsoil. Thinking about it, it will hold moisture as its tightly packed, and I wonder if that's why she has the start of shell rot. The others go into one of a few humid hides (though wherever they are they sleep together) and I can see no sign of shell rot, nice and clean and dry.

I am angry that I have got this wrong, as always knew it was hard and I am happy that I wasn't over confident and thought it would be easy and I knew best, I guess I just ignored the one bit of advice about pouring water into the corners and keeping top layer dry.
Don't worry about the shell rot. It's easy to treat with no longterm ill-effects to your tort. About the humidity, I don't dump water in the corners, but I still have the babies in the nursery tank with Reptifogger that we turn on for only few minutes every day. The humidity hardly ever drops below 80%. Occasionally I mist the moss and some plants in couple of areas around/under the basking lamp. That's about it
 

NDevon

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Don't worry about the shell rot. It's easy to treat with no longterm ill-effects to your tort. About the humidity, I don't dump water in the corners, but I still have the babies in the nursery tank with Reptifogger that we turn on for only few minutes every day. The humidity hardly ever drops below 80%. Occasionally I mist the moss and some plants in couple of areas around/under the basking lamp. That's about it

Thanks, I just feel bad that Imlet it happen but it wasn't on purpose or through neglect of course, I almost give these littluns more time than I do my kids!

My humidity would be late 80s after a misting and then drop overnight, in the morning Imwould need to most again as it would be 70s but the min/max settings would show it had been down to the 60s. Reading what others were doing and especially @Tom I realised I needed to block the vents in the vivarium.

I blocked he ones on the back and it was a bit better but still dropping, so I decided to block the two on the sides and then where the CHE fitting sticks out the top of the enclosure it has some small air holes in the metal housing, so I put tin foil over the holes. Since then the humidity has never dropped below 85% and I just mist a few sprays once in the evening. I was worried I needed some air flow into the vivarium but aI'm just going to trust he people who have gone before me. As I said to my partner if they were big animals in a small enclosure it would make a difference but they are tiny in a fairly large space, some air can get in still as it's not totally air tight obviously, and when the doors are opened a few times a day air will flow in and out.

I do need to sort the substrate out though, that's happening once I've posted this!
 

Pearly

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Thanks, I just feel bad that Imlet it happen but it wasn't on purpose or through neglect of course, I almost give these littluns more time than I do my kids!

My humidity would be late 80s after a misting and then drop overnight, in the morning Imwould need to most again as it would be 70s but the min/max settings would show it had been down to the 60s. Reading what others were doing and especially @Tom I realised I needed to block the vents in the vivarium.

I blocked he ones on the back and it was a bit better but still dropping, so I decided to block the two on the sides and then where the CHE fitting sticks out the top of the enclosure it has some small air holes in the metal housing, so I put tin foil over the holes. Since then the humidity has never dropped below 85% and I just mist a few sprays once in the evening. I was worried I needed some air flow into the vivarium but aI'm just going to trust he people who have gone before me. As I said to my partner if they were big animals in a small enclosure it would make a difference but they are tiny in a fairly large space, some air can get in still as it's not totally air tight obviously, and when the doors are opened a few times a day air will flow in and out.

I do need to sort the substrate out though, that's happening once I've posted this!
Can you show pictures of your set up? Btw drop in humidity for few hrs is never as bad as drop or rise of temperature. Humidity (or lack of it rather) doesn't kill them, bad temps can and they do
 

NDevon

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I'll snap some pics this evening and put them on. Not having a humidity issue now I've made the changes (see other thread where I was asking you loads of stuff!), however it does look a bit like a jungle in there at the moment. I wouldn't leave it like that long term as they don't have much space to roam, but it's only for a short time until I finish their extension, then they will have loads of space. Currently they have a temporary open top area we put them in for a wander in the evening, I'd never put them on the floor so I just screwed panels round the top edges, lined it with pond liner and filled with topsoil, coco soil and forest floor. My daughter likes to line them up so they can have a race, they don't seem impressed! It's a nice way to interact with them and it's safe for them there, I don't like my daughter to open the vivarium as she may burn herself on the CHE's as well as mess the place up looking for hiding tortoises!

I'll pop some pictures on later :)
 

NDevon

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So here is there temporary home. Thought you might like a look @Pearly @Anyfoot

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1459884159.225343.jpg

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ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1459884212.838255.jpg

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And this is a open top 'tortoise table' I built in about half hour on top of the enclosure. They can't get to this one themselves we have to put them up there. I hated not having more space in the vivarium even though they are only hatchlings, hence their new enclosure is about 5 times the size plus it will have an open top roof area like this with a greenhouse, they will be able to access the greenhouse but need us to let them wander the open air area so we can ensure they are warm enough and not upto mischief. I also have plans for a stream up there but don't tell my wife, she already thinks I'm mad for building a pool/pond and waterfall in the new enclosure.

ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1459884517.474631.jpg

The funny island in the middle is just to go round the heater element which sticks out the top of the enclosure, they won't happen on the new one.

I know it's too small and very full in there, it's temporary.

I'm happy to say that since I made these changes - blocked all the air vents, cleaned out substrate, raked soil, lots of coco soil added and tons of sphagnum moss - they are all much more active and eating more. The humidity holds steady at 88% all I do is the lightest spray of the moss each evening and clean out and refill their water.

I'm sure I'm not doing things to everyone's liking but they seem to be thriving, growing slow and steady and feeding and pooping well :)

I'm thinking about a small cheap outdoor enclosure now but not sure how practical that is in the UK with our temperatures. I don't want to hear it (apart from solar heating but hard to control) it's just for a few hours on a nice day so they can roam and explore and get some sun in safety. Any thoughts?
 

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