Substrate Cats won't pee on? sulcata

[bananaphone]

Hey everyone, so I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a substrate for a 2-3 year old sulcata that my cats wont try to dig and possibly pee in? right now hes on coconut coir but he's in his own room so the cants wont get to the substrate, they dont bother him at all but the few times ive left the door open ive caught one of them digging around the substrate. I feel horrible because he has to be on his own in his own room, but at least he has plenty of room and natural sunlight in there and the humidity is easily controlled. i want to make him a new box so he can be downstairs in the basement with me and so he can roam around more freely and i dont have to worry about him falling down any stairs, but dont want my cats peeing in it. any suggestions?

would some sort of harder substrate be fine, like tile or wood if i had a big humid hide he could get in?

thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

This is where a cover comes in handy. Even a couple strips of wood that a cat can't fit through.

 

[dmmj]

I've used various different substrates over the years cats just like to pee in it for some reason. I can't think of any sorry

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I'd prevent the cats from accessing the tort enclosure.

 

[MPRC]

I was going to suggest a frame of heavy gauge fence type wire over the top of the enclosure. We call it 'pig wire' I'm not sure if that is what it is really called.

 

[bananaphone]

would i be able to keep him/her on wood/some other hard surface for the majority of the enclosure then have a large humid hide? or would that not be enough humidity?

 

[Lyn W]

If you can post some pics of where he is living maybe someone can suggest a solution.

 

[MPRC]

I believe hard surfaces are a no-no because it can cause splayed legs.

 

[bananaphone]

If you can post some pics of where he is living maybe someone can suggest a solution.

its not about where hes at now, its about what i want to do for him in the future. hes fine now because hes in his own room but i feel bad having im isolated so im looking for options.

would some thick carpet work? also, would just a humid hide be enough humidity? not a little one, im talking like 2-3 feet wide and long. the final product will be around 3-4 feet wide and like 6 feet long, on top of that he will have the rest of my finished basement to walk around.

if not, ill just have to make a cage over it somehow that my cats wont break jumping on top of.

 

[Lyn W]

Carpet will become smelly quite quickly with tort wee and poop and possibly encourage flies. I have thick rubber flooring in my torts room which is mopable.

 

[Tom]

would i be able to keep him/her on wood/some other hard surface for the majority of the enclosure then have a large humid hide? or would that not be enough humidity?

Slick, hard surfaces are not good for them over the long term. They need dirt or something of similar consistency. Mulch, coir, etc…

You'll just have to find a way to keep the cats out of it.

 

[MPRC]

When I was a vet assistant we used a product called a 'scat mat' to keep the clinic cats out of places they shouldn't be. Maybe you could get something that puts out a mild shock to deter them. After about 2 months we unplugged them and they still worked.

 

[bananaphone]

Slick, hard surfaces are not good for them over the long term. They need dirt or something of similar consistency. Mulch, coir, etc…

You'll just have to find a way to keep the cats out of it.

even if its for just half the enclosure?

if i make just an entrance/exit to the enclosure with like a cage top or something like that, can i put the scat mat in front of the entrance? will it affect the tortoise at all? like would he be able to walk on it no problem?

 

[Tom]

even if its for just half the enclosure?

if i make just an entrance/exit to the enclosure with like a cage top or something like that, can i put the scat mat in front of the entrance? will it affect the tortoise at all? like would he be able to walk on it no problem?

The scat mat will affect the tortoise too.

I would not house a tortoise on a hard slick surface for any portion of its enclosure.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

even if its for just half the enclosure?

if i make just an entrance/exit to the enclosure with like a cage top or something like that, can i put the scat mat in front of the entrance? will it affect the tortoise at all? like would he be able to walk on it no problem?

Do not let the tortoise walk on the ScatMat at all. I have no idea how they would react to the small shocks, but it's likely somewhere between stressful and dangerous. Putting one somewhere the tortoise has access to is a bad idea.

Just built a cat proof cover to your enclosure.

 

[MPRC]

My intention was DEFINITELY not to put a scat mat in a tortoise enclosure. I figured that would be common sense. I intended that it could be used on the top of the cage to keep the cat away.

 

[cecely]

There is another cat deterrent product called ssscat that I use to keep my cats off the counters, basically a can of compressed air that sprays whenever something gets within its radar. It scares the bejeebus (bejesus? Bejeebers?) out of them.

You can put it on the floor outside the door facing inwards so you can step over it and not get sprayed.

If you go with the basement idea, I would put the scat mat or ssscat outside the basement door at the top of the steps to prevent the cats from going in, not in the enclosure.