Worried about substrate on food

[Yvonneryder]

Hi I just wanted to pick your brains if I can please. My tortoise is eating well etc but I worry about her. I use 50/50 mix of sterilised soil and play sand as her substrate and I feed her on a slate slab as was advised. I also don’t chop her food for her as I read it’s good to make her work a little for her food. The problem is she usually drags her food off of the slate and I can see there’s lots of sand getting on it. So far she can poop just fine but surely she must eat sand and I worry she’ll become impacted. Any advice on what’s the best way to deal with this please?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings. First off, I would advise to move away from using sand/topsoil as substrates and move to orcid bark, coco coir &/or cypress mulch. I see you are in England, so the cypress I think is a bit hard to easily find.

Second, get urself a nice large terracotta plant saucer, bury it level into the substrate, and place the food in there. The saucer provides similar hard surface as the slate, but also helps contain tge food from easily being pulled onto the substrate.

Good luck, but definitely move to a better substrate than you are currently using.

ps - what kind of tortoise, how large of an enclosure?

 

[Sarah2020]

Sand and soil not recommended for the reason of your concerns. Look to change substrate to mix of orchid bark and coir and also keep damp with water spray. They will be still drag food off and climb all over it but you will reduce the intake risks. Also depends on species and to he living environment

 

[Sarah2020]

If your in UK check out swell reptile on line for equipment and substrate.

 

[Tom]

Hi I just wanted to pick your brains if I can please. My tortoise is eating well etc but I worry about her. I use 50/50 mix of sterilised soil and play sand as her substrate and I feed her on a slate slab as was advised. I also don’t chop her food for her as I read it’s good to make her work a little for her food. The problem is she usually drags her food off of the slate and I can see there’s lots of sand getting on it. So far she can poop just fine but surely she must eat sand and I worry she’ll become impacted. Any advice on what’s the best way to deal with this please?

Hi!

As has been mentioned, soil and sand should never be used as a tortoise substrate. Neither sand, nor soil. This is old out-dated info. Soil is made from composted yard waste and there is no way to know what its made of. Sand is a huge impaction risk and also a potential skin and eye irritant. We know better now, but much of the tortoise world hasn't kept up. Fine grade orchid bark is the best substrate for most situations. You might find it marketed by ZooMed as "Repti-Bark" in your country.

If you tell us what species you've got, we can link a care sheet for you.

 

[Yvonneryder]

Hi everyone and thanks very much for your replies. I’m disappointed I’m using the wrong substrate as I read such a lot on what to use before I got her. Anyway I can get the repti bark with no problem from Amazon so I’ve just ordered some. She’s a Herman’s tortoise and spent most of the summer (daytime) living out in the garden and I just bring her in on an evening. This will change soon no doubt due to the weather change. She has a vivexotic tortoise table and I intend to buy an extension for it in the next few weeks as I doubt it’s big enough for her to be in 24/7. Would you advise I don’t chop her food. I already have terracotta saucers in my greenhouse so I can sort that bit in seconds. Again thanks for your help I really appreciate it.