substrate

[rocky1998]

Hi, im new to this forum, ive got 2 russian tortoise me and my brother have 1 each, rocky (mine) sandy (his) , they are both 1 and a half years old, and are 3.5 inch approx. I have had 4 years of experiene so i know a couple of things...

i use a mix of topsoil and playsand 50/50, i do not want to use anything else such as pellets, hemp bedding, hay , shredded paper etc, the tortoise trust, one of the main companies in the UK also use this substrate and do not have a problem with it, i have just noticed since ive had these torts for a day or two, that the sand gets stuck in there eyes, do i lower the content of playsand and just put more top soil in? Or do i use just all top soil (which i really dont want to do)....

 

[jaizei]

You can lower the percentage of sand, replace the sand with something else (compost, peat, coir), or go with just top soil. If you go with option 1, lowering the amount of sand, I would go with 20% or less. There is no right answer, it's just what you prefer. I like using a mix rather than just topsoil (or any one substrate) by itself.

 

[Jenley]

You can lower the percentage of sand, replace the sand with something else (compost, peat, coir), or go with just top soil. If you go with option 1, lowering the amount of sand, I would go with 20% or less. There is no right answer, it's just what you prefer. I like using a mix rather than just topsoil (or any one substrate) by itself.

I hear about a lot of people mixing sand in with their top soil or other kinds of substrate..What does that do to it? Just curious..

 

[Timjb97]

I would use a 60:40 ratio in favour of soil.