Substrates HELP

[vigreen]

Hello, as most know ive got 2 hermanns tortoises.
Our petstore had told me theyre getting aspen and hemcore in, turns out theyre not any more.

At the moment im stuck with yuckie woodchips, and i dont want to use them! as when they dig, it appears the be digging into their scales and causing scratches here and there.
Nothing majorly bad thank god!

But i was wondering, apart form hemcore, aspen and soil (or bed-a-beast), what cna be used thats safe?

I cannot find hemcore, aspen or similar substrates locally because noowhere sells it only woodchips or playsand.
My parents dont like soil in animal cages and i if i put it in they would go mad at me and force me to take it out.
So that means no hemcore, aspen, soil, bed-a-beast or similar substrates.

What esle can be used?

 

[Avuwyy]

Aspen shouldn’t be used for tortoises, as humidity will cause mould, and can cause respiratory issues for tortoises, and I’d think hemcore is the same… (Never heard of it before, but it doesn’t look like a product that is great for tortoises…)

Coco coir and cypress mulch are good options, as is top soil (Make sure there are no pesticides or fertilisers used in the top soil and it is just the soil. Also make sure to sift through the soil before putting it in the enclosure and remove any small stones or whatever else is in the product). Do not use sand for tortoises, it has a possibility of being ingested and cause an impaction. The risk should never be taken considering there are alternatives.

So yeah, coco coir, cypress mulch, and top soil are the three substrates I can recommend.

Also, just an observation. But this exact post has been made before. Word for word by another person…

 

[Lyn W]

Any of the substrates recommended in the caresheet will be good in their enclosures.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

If you choose orchid bark try to get the fine grade as its easier for the torts to walk over.
Some people use the coco coir firmed down as a base with a layer of the orchid bark on top.

Soils are not usually recommended because of not knowing if any plants that are toxic to torts have been used in the making of it.