Eco straw as a Russians substrate?

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

I changed My russian Sheldon to eco earth and sand and he stopped eating so i went to the local pet shop and the owner (with 30 years of tortoise experience) said the sand could cause impactian and to change immediately he recommended eco straw is this a good substrate im a new owner thanks for your help

 

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

Please help

I recently switched my russian to eco earth and play sand he hasn't eaten for a week so i went to the local pet shop and asked the owner l(30 years of experience) he said it can cause impactian so he recommended eco straw what do y'all use thanks im new to tortoise care

 

[Mrturtle527]

Please help

I use coco coir and haven't had any issues.


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[pfara]

RE: Please help

Ditch the sand. There are a few reasons that might cause your guy not to eat. He might not be impacted. Give him daily soaks if you're worried and see if he can poop. Usually sudden environmental changes (ie. you just changed his substrate) causes a tort to go off his food/routine. Also, if the temps and lighting aren't right, they probably won't eat either. Double check your husbandry and if all is well, just give your guy time to adjust (minus the sand).

 

[WillTort2]

What was your substrate before you changed it to eco earth and sand?

I agree the sand can cause impaction. I do like the coco coir substrate but I mix it with top soil. The straw may not do well with moist conditions. It could mold causing problems.

One mistake that I've seen when mixing sand with coco coir is using too much sand. The advice I've seen advises half coco coir and half sand by weight. If you use the weight ratio you will end up with much less sand than coco coir by volume because the sand is much more dense when both are dry.

Good luck.

 

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

Please help

Thanks he has been pooping and i soak him daily so hopefully he will eat

 

[NickWag]

Please help

Hey, neighbor! I have a hatchling Sulcata, and I got a bunch of organic top soil and cypress mulch from Home Depot on 190.

 

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

Before it was reptibark thanks for the advice

 

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

Please help

Thanks friend i need the help im a new owner

 

[NickWag]

Please help

Me too! Got mine for Fathers Day. I've learned a lot from this forum.

 

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

Please help

I got mine for my birthday im worried though so i made an account it helps so much

 

[NickWag]

Please help

Cool! I just sent you a PM.

 

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

Please help

Ever go to adventure pets

 

[NickWag]

Please help

Yep. I went there when I was looking for my tort. They didn't have any, so I ended up getting him from Delta in Slidell.

 

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

Please help

Oh never
Been to delta is it a good store

 

[NickWag]

Please help

Good for water turtles and snakes. Torts, not so much. My little guy was pyramiding, kept on terrible substrate and fed poorly.

 

[mike taylor]

Use the eco earth with cypress mulch . Put the earth in and pat it down then add the mulch . I would not use sand or potting soil .

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[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

Thanks

 

[CourtneyG]

Please make sure to post in the right section, you have this thread in adoptions and I do not think you are offering your tort for adoption.