Linford
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2014
- Messages
- 11
What is the best substrate for my Russians??? I keep finding too many different answers.
Thank you!!I believe the general consensus here on the forum is that coco coir/fiber is one of the best substrates to go with.
It is easy to come by and digestible. Sand for instance can cause impaction in the stomach an other problems.
I use a mix of fine coco coir with a bit of rougher coco fiber as a top layer and it works fine for me.
I added a photo so you can see what it looks like.
I believe Ikea or a Home Depot sell compressed coco fiber blocks (that's the stuff) they are fairly inexpensive and expand to about 5 liters of fiber.
Give a nice thick layer so your Russians can dig and bury themselves. They love that.
Mine makes a sort of crater and buries down to the more moist part.
One of the features of the substrate is that it retains moisture very good.
Ideal for young tortoises that require more humid conditions as a counter measure for pyramiding.
For adults I would recommend a humid hide, and keep the rest of the coir dry.
That way your tortoise can choose where it wants to be, (micro climates).
In the arid conditions Russians live in, in Nature, they sometimes bury themselves and burrow down when they need a more humid environement. This way, you can mimic that in a captive environment.
Joey
Not sure about navigating this forum but hopefully someone will read this and tell me if I am doing it right. My Hermann tortoise is 16 mths old. I am about to clean her table and change the substrate. It has the top soil and sand mix on it at the moment and I was going to change it for the same mix. Some people say that the cypress mulch is better. Can I use the top soil sand mix on the bottom and the cypress mulch on top? What is the best depth for the substrate? Thanks
Ok, I have just bought a 2tkg bag of the topsoil and mix but I think it needs to join the dirt in my front garden cznt risk the health of my tortoise. I will order a bag of cypress mulch. The ks for your input.