Advice on tortoise bedding please

[Kirstie]

Hi all,
Just wondering if I can please have some advice on suitable bedding for Hermanns.
I have 2 Hermanns, 1 of them is 2 & the other is 3 years old. I usually use the Pro Rep Tortoise Lite substrate stuff however they keep eating it - despite there always being food for them!
I know this substrate stuff isn't exactly harmful however I obviously don't want them to be eating it.
I was thinking about getting some wood chip but have read that it's not great for them as can irritate their skin.
Any advice on this please or suggestions on other types of bedding?
Other than eating their bedding they are absolutely fine, very heathy, well fed, hydrated & well looked after.
Thank you very much.
Kirstie.

 

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

I used to have these problems the substrate that works best for me is mostly tops soil and some cypress mulch mixed in

 

[Justin C.]

So far I have had not problems with play sand and coco coir. Play sand at the bottom and a good 3+" of coco coir on the top.
I found that my Russian has a spot he like to dig and there I have the deepest coco coir there.
1 bag of washed play sand at walmart $2.98
3 pack of coco coir bricks at Petsmart $7.99

 

[Kirstie]

Thank you for your replies & suggestions.
I really like that I have been given shops & prices - I'm in the UK (Oxfordshire) so may be cheaper to order online than fly to America!
I have used soil & sand before, they used to get so dirty! This was a couple of years a go when my youngest tortoise was just a baby & I used to feel sorry for him when he would get it in his eyes & look a bit sad but he might be able to deal with it better now.
I have just been doing some more research & read they like straw / hay, have any of you used these before?
Thank you all - really appreciate your advice.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I would get the coir that comes in a compressed brick, mix a little play sand with it and keep it moist. I personally use fine grade orchid bark, but I don't know if you can get that in the UK. gardening supplies or the big box hardware stores like Home Depot or Lowe's...if you even have them there...Sorry I'm not more help...
you can't keep the substarte moist if you use hay. That's good to eat, but too dry to keep them on...

 

[Kirstie]

Thank you very much

 

[KirstieD]

You can now get a coco brick from pets at home. I was using a tortoise substrate and it's so dry! Herbie hates it so swapping to the coco bricks later today. If you buy anything from pets at home, sign up for their VIP card, they donate to animal charities you choose online instead of giving you points.

 

[KirstieD]

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/coco-coir-fibre-brick-650g
Although I'm lucky enough to have an awesome reptile shop called Petzotix near me who stock it too.

 

[Yvonne G]

My substrate of choice is the fine grade orchid bark. I use it for all my torts that don't live outside.

 

[Courtney Cavender]

I use a mixture of top soil and shredded coconut fibers. Also don't use sand!! I did have some sand in my enclosure but I found my Hermann eating it! After researching it I found that it ruins it's guts so I took it out immediately!
Hope this helped
-Courtney Cavender

 

[Tom]

I'm not familiar with the brand of substrate you mentioned. What is it composed of?

I think your first priority needs to be to figure out why your tortoise is eating any substrate in the first place. A few questions to help figure it out:
Are you using any colored bulbs for heating?
Are you using a coil type UV bulb?
Any UV bulb?
Do you turn the lights off at night?
What do you feed your tortoise?
Does your tortoise have an outside enclosure for grazing and sunshine?

Lets start with those and then go from there. I suspect if we don't solve the problem first, your tortoise might just try to also eat any other substrate you put in there. I would not use any sand at all with any substrate, but ESPECIALLY not if you are already having a problem with the tortoise eating its substrate.