Best substrate?

Wiwiwisjebd

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2020
Messages
31
Location (City and/or State)
London
I live in the UK and have a horsfield tortoise who’s around 7 months old. I’ve had him for a few months and use top soil as his substrate. Although from further research I’ve read that it isn’t best to use this even though the previous owner said it was. What would you suggest is a better substrate to use that’s also readily available in the Uk? thanks.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I live in the UK and have a horsfield tortoise who’s around 7 months old. I’ve had him for a few months and use top soil as his substrate. Although from further research I’ve read that it isn’t best to use this even though the previous owner said it was. What would you suggest is a better substrate to use that’s also readily available in the Uk? thanks.
Coco coir. AKA, Eco-Earth, or Bed-a-Beast.

Here is all the care info, including a section on substrate:
 

Wiwiwisjebd

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2020
Messages
31
Location (City and/or State)
London
Hi @Tom i changed the substrate to coco coir, however my tortoise has been eating it, I don’t know how to stop him from eating it?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hi @Tom i changed the substrate to coco coir, however my tortoise has been eating it, I don’t know how to stop him from eating it?
Did you hand pack it down?

What do you normally feed your tortoise?

How often do you add calcium to the diet?
 

Yossarian

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Messages
813
Location (City and/or State)
Wales
Hi @Tom i changed the substrate to coco coir, however my tortoise has been eating it, I don’t know how to stop him from eating it?


Is the tort eating a lot of it? or is it just sniffing and tasting?
 

Wiwiwisjebd

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2020
Messages
31
Location (City and/or State)
London
Did you hand pack it down?

What do you normally feed your tortoise?

How often do you add calcium to the diet?

I hand packed it down but not entirely flat so there was some texture to it still, I usually feed him weeds and plants such as dandelion and plantain but more so stuff from salad packets like radicchio, lambs lettuce, red leaf lettuce. It’s hard to give him a variety during the winter months. When I give him weeds I have to mix it with other salad leaves otherwise he’ll refuse to eat.

I sprinkle some calcium dust onto his food around twice a week.
 

Wiwiwisjebd

Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2020
Messages
31
Location (City and/or State)
London
Is the tort eating a lot of it? or is it just sniffing and tasting?

He initially sniffed it and then he had a few bites, I tried to stop him by moving him onto his feeding slate and offering him food instead. He did this around 4 times and then he just went to sleep. I’m thinking it’s because the new substrate only went in today but still need to figure out how to make him stop eating it.
 

Yossarian

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Messages
813
Location (City and/or State)
Wales
He initially sniffed it and then he had a few bites, I tried to stop him by moving him onto his feeding slate and offering him food instead. He did this around 4 times and then he just went to sleep. I’m thinking it’s because the new substrate only went in today but still need to figure out how to make him stop eating it.

Sounds like its just something new, its pretty normal for them to go around sniffing new substrate and even taking the odd bite of something. Its how they interact with the environment. It shouldnt be tucking into the coco, but the odd sampling bite here or there wont harm. Just be sure its sufficiently moist and packed down, at first it can be a little fluffy if your dont.

Your diet sounds ok, nothing wrong with store bought as long as its the right stuff. Steer more to ward lambs lettuce, kale, watercress, rocket, and less towards real lettuce and the like and you will be ok.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I hand packed it down but not entirely flat so there was some texture to it still, I usually feed him weeds and plants such as dandelion and plantain but more so stuff from salad packets like radicchio, lambs lettuce, red leaf lettuce. It’s hard to give him a variety during the winter months. When I give him weeds I have to mix it with other salad leaves otherwise he’ll refuse to eat.

I sprinkle some calcium dust onto his food around twice a week.
All of that sounds good. Sometimes they sample new stuff.

When I hatch babies, I start them for 10-12 days in brooder boxes, and everything in there is food for them. I line the bottom with grape leaves, mulberry leaves or broadleaf plantain weeds, and also feed the a bunch of other stuff too. All of them try to bite the substrate the first day when I move them into an enclosure. What I do to limit the nibbling is to carpet the substrate with all sorts of edible leaves for at least 2 or 3 days. Everywhere they go there is good edible stuff to eat instead of substrate.
 
Top