Eklayre
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2017
- Messages
- 18
Using coconut coir as a sole substrate isn't really ideal. It can come with a lot of problems, some that can be harmful to a tortoise. When exposed to constant heat coconut coir dries out rapidly. When it gets dry it produces a fine powder of residue that will cling to anything moist including a tortoises eyes mouth and nasal passage. It turns to almost the consistency of sand when dry. It's a constant chore to keep the coir moist enough to not dry out and produced dust without making it too wet. Quite often this fine dust gets inhaled where it clings to the tortoises moist nasal passages. I've seen cases where it causes impaction in the nasal cavities to the point where a tortoise is laboring to breath. It also gets ingested with food. It only retains moisture well if it is kept very damp constantly. A better substrate choice of young tortoises is an organic soil (potting or top soil). It retains moisture very well, can easily be burrowed into, which is something that many baby and young tortoises do for security. But it is also stable enough that it provides good footing on top. If more moisture content is required with organic soil a mixture of coconut coir, sphagnum moss or ground leaf litter can be added at a ratio of about 75% soil to 25% coir, moss or leaves. I've been using organic soils, at about 2-2.5" deep in indoor hatchling and baby enclosures for several years with excellent success and no problems whatsoever.
Thank you. We are seeing that he has lots of the coir stuck to him! And yes, it's sticking to his food. I was wondering if this was dangerous, he so teeny tiny. We are spraying multiple times a day, but even wet/damp the choir is sticking to him. This was actually why the pet shop recommended hay, they said sand can cause impaction and coir is a mess and sticks to them. I really have no clue what to think at this point, so many conflicting suggestions. I do read a mix of soil and coir the most, though. I think we'll try this and see if it improves. We can get plain organic topsoil easily. He loves to burrow, so wondering if adding a Cypress mulch with larger chunks to the mix would help?
Is spaghnum moss ok to add in in various places to increase humidity? Our is hovering around 50-60 with just the course, I think it needs to be a bit higher?
I'm also getting worried about mold - I read a few threads, but I have health issues and the tank is in our room, so I need to keep it mold free (I have chronic health issues and mold spores would be very bad for both tort and me!). Having a warm, damp environment breeds mold. We saw some white mold looking something growing on the wood hide we have, and also a branch decor that he loves to sit on and hide under. Any thoughts?
Thank you so much!