Substrate

[tortguy521]

Hi Does anyone know if newspaper can be used for a pancake tortoises bedding.

thanks.

 

[GBtortoises]

Newspaper can be used for bedding for any tortoise species. If it's laid flat, with seams taped. It is slippery though so several large, flat rocks randomly placed to ensure good footing and muscle/bone strength. Never used shredded or torn up newspaper as bedding. It gives off too much dust that can be inhaled. Pancake tortoises aren't a burrowing species but they do absolutely require adequate hide boxes or shelters for security since they have the natural instinct to seek such places. I keep some of my tortoises on newspaper, some on sand/mulch mix substrates (60/40 sand/mulch for Pancakes). I have never seen a difference in any of the animals in anyway regardless of which substrate they are kept on. The only difference between the two as far as the tortoises requirements is that those kept on newspaper should be hydrated more often since they're substrate cannot hold moisture as well as the mulch/sand mix.

 

[tortoisenerd]

I disagree that flat newspaper is a good bedding for all torts. For short term hospital type settings it is ok; even paper towels might be better though. The majority of torts need some humidity as well as the capability to burrow/dig. I also disagree that adding rocks would ensure good footing. I have seen firsthand that my little tort had difficulty with walking on newspaper, and I am scared what it would do to him long-term. He was on it about a week. I think there are much better options. I like to simulate natural conditions the best I can, and newspaper definitely does not do that in my opinion.

GB-Why not use mulch for all your torts? What is your reasoning for using different substrates? Are they different species, ages, enclosure types, etc?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I have a friend who wrote a care sheet for World Chelonian Trust and she also breeds Pancakes and she recommends using newspaper, so I just emailed her and asked why...I will post her reply when I get it...

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And here it is...very quickly from her:

Newsprint with scrubbable or disposable rocks for traction is good for newly-arrived tortoises undergoing quarantine; their waste is easy to see and for fecal samples for the vet. The newsprint is disposable and the rocks offer something that will let them move quickly.

If the Pancake is free of parasites, it's good to put in a sterile soil substrate with the aforementioned rocks for contour, traction, and for wearing down beaks and nails. Waste isn't a problem, then, and it's certainly preferred substrate for every indoor habitat. No sand, no pebbles, no coir. Just good old sterile soil with no perlite, vermiculite, or fertilizers.

 

[baseballturtle48]

I had a pancake for several years and he did well on a mix of organic top soil and play sand. It was probably 60% top soil and 40% play sand. He also had an area that I built from pieces of sandstone so he could climb or squeeze into small hidey spaces like pancakes do.

 

[Luvthemtorts]

I used shredded Aspen with excellent results. Pancakes can be quite prolific in the defecation department and the aspen is very easy to spot clean. Just make sure to feed on a plate or tile to keep ingestion of substrate to a minimum.
Throughout the enclosures were pieces of flat concrete block to help wear down the nails as well as provide climbing and basking areas.
Neat little tortoises but can be a bit messy compared to other species.