Substrate

LeighElizabeth

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Hi.

Im looking for advice for the best substrate. I have scanned this forum but it has left me unsure so thought id make my own post.

I have a Horsefield tortoise and have had him for 6 years, so he is probably around 7 or 8 years old.

For the majority of his time in my care I have used plain top soil as a substrate. This seems to be fine however I find it dries out pretty quickly and he never seems to want to bury in it.

I bought some blocks of coco coir and was going to buy Orchard Bark to put on top (read this somewhere on the forum) but at the same time a tortoise would not be living on this in real life.

I also always read conflicting advice online- one minute Im reading they need a humid environment and others say he needs a dry one as humidity causes shell rot. So I feel like im stuck between a rock and a hard place with what I should be doing.

I normally use top soil and mist it every morning with a spray bottle but it just dries out so quickly.

What is the best substrate for him??

Thanks for your time x

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Blackdog1714

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The coco coir with orchid bark on top is great ($$$). Plain dirt ($ to 0 if you get out of your yard )is fine too just watch the top soil in bags it contains sand. humidity helps but for babies it’s absolutely necessary. Misting everyday is fine and soaks never hurt! Good luck
 

Tom

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Soil is not good because you can't know what composted yard waste it is made of. Could be something toxic.

Coco coir is too messy for larger Russians, but good for babies.

Fir bark, aka orchid bark is the best compromise of all things. It holds and dispenses moisture nicely without being too wet. Russian are not prone to shell rot anyway.

All tortoises benefit from humidity. Even the true desert species. Our indoor enclosures can be unnaturally dry. In the wild, even during dry times, tortoises seek out little micro-climates with elevated humidity. Dryness isn't good for them. I like somewhere around 50-60% humidity for a Russian tortoise. Spraying the surface won't do much. You have to dump water into the substrate to keep it damp enough.

I see no point in mixing substrates. You can do it if you want, but its not necessary.
 

RosemaryDW

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Tom has more experience than I but I don’t agree with him about humidity.

Russian tortoises come from, and are built for, a climate that is always extremely dry; some live in areas with reasonable access to water, most don’t. The substrate is rocky or rough dirt. Clean dirt is an excellent substrate; many avoid it because it’s messy or hard to find but it’s probably as close to the real thing as you’ll get. Does your tortoise have a hide he uses on a regular basis? If so, he may not feel compelled to dig. He absolutely could dig in that if he wanted to, look at those toenails! Bottom line: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

As far as humidity, he’s a grown Russian and doesn’t need much humidity—again it is really dry where they are from. He’s not going to get shell rot; Russians aren’t prone to it. I soak my outdoor Russian rarely and it’s mostly to check her over and weigh her after. If your tortoise is getting fresh food and peeing on a regular basis, with regular urates, he’s fine. If your house is bone dry year round then you can pay more attention to soaking. If you have high heat on during the winter and keep your air conditioning to freezing in the summer, for example.

Very handsome tortoise, by the way.

Sorry we don’t all agree; I know you were looking for solid direction! :eek:
 

Blackdog1714

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Tom is dead on. For the top soil I meant it should only be from your yard because you have no idea what else the put in! Good luck Torting
 

chuck21570

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Hi Rosemary, thanks for the heads up, I apologize if I broke forum decorum! :) other than this and the Jeep Wrangler forum, I have no social media presence, so not real sure of the etiquette. I have no problem with them moving it.

And thank you for your response. That makes sense. I guess I am just in a conundrum right now, as I have to keep the substrate wet / damp throughout, so I have to move it around, but I also appear to have a scared little baby Russian on my hands who doesn’t seem to want to come out from underground, and I fear if I start rustling his world around, he will never come out. And since I don’t know where he is, I could end up rustling him around when trying to move the earth on top of him.
 

Blackdog1714

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Don’t fear dig the rascal out and put him in front of some hibiscus or zinnia blooms. That always seems to change my grumpy Russian’s attitude
 

LeighElizabeth

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Thank you very much, I think I just worry and overthink everything too much as I want to make sure I provide the best care for him and because everyone has different opinions on things I worry Im not providing the right care and start to stress out. Ive used top soil for the majority of his life but I will totally take your comment on board in regards that it should only be clean soil - although the bag says pesticide free you just never know what else is in there. Yes he does have a hide which he goes into every night to sleep so yeah maybe that is why he doesnt dig haha. Your comments made me feel better! Thank you for replying [emoji4] x
Tom has more experience than I but I don’t agree with him about humidity.

Russian tortoises come from, and are built for, a climate that is always extremely dry; some live in areas with reasonable access to water, most don’t. The substrate is rocky or rough dirt. Clean dirt is an excellent substrate; many avoid it because it’s messy or hard to find but it’s probably as close to the real thing as you’ll get. Does your tortoise have a hide he uses on a regular basis? If so, he may not feel compelled to dig. He absolutely could dig in that if he wanted to, look at those toenails! Bottom line: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

As far as humidity, he’s a grown Russian and doesn’t need much humidity—again it is really dry where they are from. He’s not going to get shell rot; Russians aren’t prone to it. I soak my outdoor Russian rarely and it’s mostly to check her over and weigh her after. If your tortoise is getting fresh food and peeing on a regular basis, with regular urates, he’s fine. If your house is bone dry year round then you can pay more attention to soaking. If you have high heat on during the winter and keep your air conditioning to freezing in the summer, for example.

Very handsome tortoise, by the way.

Sorry we don’t all agree; I know you were looking for solid direction! :eek:
 
Last edited:

LeighElizabeth

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Thank you for your reply Tom! That is very helpful knowledge and I shall take it on board. I shall give the Orchid bark a go like you recommend! Its good to know that Russians dont usually get shell rot- I must have misread something in the past for that to stick in my head. Thank you for your advice! [emoji4] x
Soil is not good because you can't know what composted yard waste it is made of. Could be something toxic.

Coco coir is too messy for larger Russians, but good for babies.

Fir bark, aka orchid bark is the best compromise of all things. It holds and dispenses moisture nicely without being too wet. Russian are not prone to shell rot anyway.

All tortoises benefit from humidity. Even the true desert species. Our indoor enclosures can be unnaturally dry. In the wild, even during dry times, tortoises seek out little micro-climates with elevated humidity. Dryness isn't good for them. I like somewhere around 50-60% humidity for a Russian tortoise. Spraying the surface won't do much. You have to dump water into the substrate to keep it damp enough.

I see no point in mixing substrates. You can do it if you want, but its not necessary.
 

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