Bedding

[missamanda]

Hey Everyone!
I have a baby leopard tortuous and I was just wondering what is the best thing i can use for bedding? Right now he just has paper towel in his enclosure. When I purchased him they said that the paper towel was best because he wont eat it. His house looks so lonely and sad with paper towel so I think he needs an upgrade. Do you have any suggestions what I should use?

 

[Stazz]

Most people like to use shredded aspen or they use a mix of bed a beast/play sand. Just wait and see what some other people say, I have a Greek, so it may be different, but thats what I've learnt

 

[missamanda]

Thanks! I was reading some of the other posts but they are all different tortoises so I'm not to sure what to do with my leopard.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Some tort species "need" a more moist/humid substrate to help prevent pyramiding (or at least some studies have shown this). I would look into this or hopefully someone else comes along that is more familiar with this species to advice you one way or the other. If this is true, you'd be more likely to need to use the bed a beast (coconut fiber) and play sand mix vs. the aspen. I personally like the aspen, but only for species like Hermanns, Greeks, Russians, etc that are not as prone to pyramiding. Another alternative is keeping a humid hide area that they spend time in.

I agree paper towels are not good for the long term. Any substrate you use should be digestible because most torts will at least try it once! Don't want to cause impaction. By the way, pure sand has been known to cause impaction, but the coconut fiber and play sand mix supposedly does not, and the sand is in there to help give the fibers some burrowing capabilities.

 

[Madkins007]

Most studies, backed up by the experiences of keepers (especially in Europe) is that young tortoises need at least some part of the habitat with higher humidity.

Paper towels is great for very young torts, but upgrading to a more interactive substrate is a good idea. Personally, I am not a fan of aspen or other wood shavings although many people use them. I prefer the 'soil mix' techniques.

For a young tort, I would suggest only covering about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the floor with substrate and leaving the area near the food and water 'clear'. This gives it enough to dig in, to help with the environment, and to make it look nicer but also keeps the feeding and watering areas cleaner.

For the Leopard, try a mix of well-wrung-out Bed-A-Beast and clean sand (half and half by weight). You can add in other things as long as they are not big chunks or anything- long-fibered sphagnum moss will help retain water, ground bark or wood nuggets help drainage, etc.

While many people are happy with their substrate mix, I do not think there is such a thing as the 'perfect' mix.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Tiles such as slate also work well to feed on. I have my water dish with steps right next to the slate and it stays rather neat. I couldn't do no substrate near the food & water since I have very deep substrate for the little digger (6-8 inches).