Substrate and humidity

[adri]

Hi new member here and also novice tortoise owner.
I bought my tortoise last year and have been experimenting with different kinds of substrates. I've been reading many people here like to use top soil and coco coir?

Is there a difference between coco coir and coco fiber?

I've tried using coco fiber and had it pretty damp but then i started seeing A TON of tiny white mites/fleas that were everywhere and would jump around. I don't really know where they came from but it was disgusting.

Since then I dont really know what to use and how to prevent mold and bateria from growing with humidity.

I've been temporarily using rabbit pellets as substrate until I find a solution and give my tortoise weekly soaks.

If anyone can give advice that would be great

 

[mattyd]

Hi
I'm no expert but I have been using a mix of building sand and top soil, Iv not had any problems with this method and my tort seems to prefer this over anything else Iv tried. I originally used a 60:40 mix 60% being top soil and 40% being the sand. Other keepers may use other mixes or something similar but I found 60:40 was maybe a little too much of a sandy mix....as after my tort has a drink or a soak in his enclosure bath himself he was sometimes getting sand in his eye....it well distresses a tort getting sand in his eye from how I found my tort react....just something you might want to bear in mind....other people may not have had this problem.
Hope this helps and others will have their own opinion but Iv found mix of around 70% soil and 30% sand best for my tort

 

[Tom]

I would not use sand in any quantity. Here is a care sheet and there is a paragraph on substrate:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-80698.html

 

[WillTort2]

To prevent mites some of the keepers have tried freezing the coir and then baking it to kill any eggs for the mites. Do a search on the forum for details.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I like just coco coir. You can let it dry out some. I like to let mine dry on the top but stay moist underneath.

 

[tortoisetime565]

I use coco coir and repti bark mix. I buy the pet-smart brand of repti bark cause it's cheaper and has bigger chunks. I also use sphagnum moss inside their hides.

 

[mattyd]

Cheers Tom. Care sheets really good advice.
Think I might give some coco coir a try hearing a lot about it.