MyLuckyGirl
New Member
Good Afternoon Forum: We are from North Eastern Pennsylvania. Lucky is my 18 yr-old yellow footed tortoise. Vet visually sexed "her" & said she was a female, so I roll with that. I've had her since she was a hatchling. The Summers here are very short & Winters very long. She only gets to play in her outdoor pen but for a few weeks out of the year. She is predominantly in her indoor terrarium that measures 7' x 4' (28 sq feet). Due to lighting & humidity issues over the years, she has pyramiding. We're ready to upgrade her terrarium and are open for any recommendations on a suitable substrate materials that is non-toxic and will not cause compaction if ingested. I've struggled with this for years because she loves to eat "everything," so her ground cover has always been commercial grade carpeting which gives her the traction she needs to lift herself and walk around without sliding. When out during the summer, she always manages to injest small rocks that she then poops out "MONTHS" later in the wintertime when I give her twice a week bath (that's the only place she poops - in a bath of warm water, which is great for keeping the terrarium clean). Also, what plants can I put in the enclosure that she will not eat or would be toxic to her? I plan to install a mister once I've encased her terrarium to raise the humidity level and hopefully slow down or stop the "pyramiding."