Soil question

[Yvonne G]

Well yeah the Zoomed wouldn't be good for 2 but it is mudular. Also, what makes you think glass tanks are good?

Hi Carson:

Glass tanks have their use. I use them for babies. It's much easier to keep up the humidity in a glass tank. I've used them for years and have never had a problem with tortoises being stressed by not understanding a see through wall. The bad thing about them is they're so darned expensive. But they are ok to use in certain applications.

Also, diet doesn't cause pyramiding. I never buy organic anything. I've been feeding turtles and tortoises for many, many years, and I feed stuff pulled up out of the yard, stuff bought at the store (brought home and washed) and even the occasional manufactured diet stuff.

Far as substrate goes, when I keep a tortoise indoors, my main go to substrate is orchid bark. I buy it at Orchard's (since you mentioned "Orchard's") It looks like this (note the "small" on the package):

 

[Yvonne G]

The updated Hermann tortoise care sheet on TF gave a lot of myths and I just don't understand. Please tell me what I can do because it makes me feel bad that I just filled my brain with lots of incorrect knowledge

Hi Carson:

This is Tanya's thread about desert tortoises, so let's not get side-tracked talking about Hermanns tortoises. Suffice it to say that Chris (HermanniChris) is an excellent tortoise-keeper and really knows his stuff. If you have a hermanni you can't go wrong taking his advice and following his care sheet. We all have different ways of taking care of our tortoises,as there is no one-size-fits-all type of care for them. What works for me might not work for you. Different locations, different weather, etc. You take all the info you read, study it, try it and what works to give you the best for your tortoise is the best way for YOU to do it.

 

[Yvonne G]

Wow.. I didn't know that! I thought they were snuggling. I'm heart broken. The way my mom raised them was a few to tank. She still has one adult offspring and the parents in her back yard. So I need to get another bookcase. I'll read your reply in the other forum. I wasn't sure if I posted correctly because I didn't take the time to read guidelines, got kids here running around all day and an u finished tortoise bookcase. I have blocks of the coconut coir I could use for now. I talked to someone who said not to use it because it causes respiratory problems. Here we go again. And the tank can cook them. And that the glass should be covered because of a lack of depth perception. They just circle the tank. So I put up desert scenes. Again, I grew up with tortoises and still am unsure of the right way to raise them happily. Sigh. I won't ask what brand of soil to get because u probably answered it already. My neck hurts. Tortoise aggression?? Are you positive. If I had time I'd loook for the "morning snuggling" photos. When I introduced the second one after it was born, the first one did seem unhappy and I was scared it was trying to bite the other. They calmed down after a day. Thank you for your help!

Hi Tanya:

I keep groups of babies in the same habitat. When you have a group the dynamic is much different, and it helps for them to have competition for the food. But when you just have two, it changes the whole outlook. Two means there will be a top dog and an underdog. And the underdog usually doesn't fare very well.

 

[Carson]

Hi Carson:

This is Tanya's thread about desert tortoises, so let's not get side-tracked talking about Hermanns tortoises. Suffice it to say that Chris (HermanniChris) is an excellent tortoise-keeper and really knows his stuff. If you have a hermanni you can't go wrong taking his advice and following his care sheet. We all have different ways of taking care of our tortoises,as there is no one-size-fits-all type of care for them. What works for me might not work for you. Different locations, different weather, etc. You take all the info you read, study it, try it and what works to give you the best for your tortoise is the best way for YOU to do it.

Thank you

 

[Carson]

Hi Carson:

Glass tanks have their use. I use them for babies. It's much easier to keep up the humidity in a glass tank. I've used them for years and have never had a problem with tortoises being stressed by not understanding a see through wall. The bad thing about them is they're so darned expensive. But they are ok to use in certain applications.

Also, diet doesn't cause pyramiding. I never buy organic anything. I've been feeding turtles and tortoises for many, many years, and I feed stuff pulled up out of the yard, stuff bought at the store (brought home and washed) and even the occasional manufactured diet stuff.

Far as substrate goes, when I keep a tortoise indoors, my main go to substrate is orchid bark. I buy it at Orchard's (since you mentioned "Orchard's") It looks like this (note the "small" on the package):

View attachment 199689

Thank you

 

[Tanyabobanya]

Ahhh! Sorry I didn't see these until now. So I need to separate them. What if I put a hut box on either end? That means I have to get another bookshelf...
Soil/ substrate help please-
I'm at an organic gardening place now. All the top soil has some sort of sticks, rocks other organic material. Is this ok? Will they stop eating it? What soil is everyone getting that doesn't have bat poop, fertilizer, rocks or sticks in it? Here they suggest I go to a dirt lot and just dig. It's dirt. Or buy $10 little bags of "pond soil" which at this point I may do because I don't have a shovel or a bucket. Can I put just coconut husk shredded stuff I have in blocks? Is peat moss for all tortoises? The person who suggested orchid bark, is that ok for desert tortoises? This would be a very entertaining reality tv show. Buying dirt. Ok thank you all!
Tanya

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

You can use just coco coir.
Orchid bark is also a good choice.

 

[Yvonne G]

I thought I had recommended orchid bark to you. . . maybe I'm thinking of someone else. I use small grade orchid bark on all my indoor habitats.