Thoughts on Bioactive substrate systems.
From recent threads on this subject it seems to be quite “simple†to get your torts going on a bio substrate. That and how well it seems to work are why I want to use if for my little redfoots.
To make a long story short I live in Seattle now. On Tuesday I’ll be flying back to California for a few weeks to take care of some last minute “things†before I move to Seattle for good. I’m leaving my redfoots at my moms where they will live in the brand spanking new enclosure I made for them. They will also inherit my three leos out door pen. I want to set my boys up with a Bioactive system so that poor mom doesn’t have to be spot cleaning all the time and so they can enjoy a more natural enclosure. Since I’m only in town for a few weeks I want to make sure I do this right so there are no problems when I leave. I have a few specific questions, and I hope some of you more experienced keepers can help.
The enclosure is about 2 by 4 foot. My torts are both between 60 and 70 grams. Does this have any effect on how many bugs and worms I should add? Is it possible that my turtles are not creating enough waste to sustain the worms or bugs. I know they also eat plant matter but I don’t want to see the bugs die out or take over the enclosure.
I’m still considering using heat cables but since I live in California and heat is not that big of an issue here its really not likely I will use them. However, I have seen a bioactive system that uses a screen on top of a base layer of gravel. The substrate then sits on top of the screen and water actually accumulates along the base layer of gravel. Has anyone here used this style of substrate with their torts? I saw it on a snake forum and it seemed pretty cool. The guys plants were actually able to grow roots down passed the screen and into the gravel. He also had a built in tube that he would poor water into that would go directly down to the base layer without getting the substrate wet.
Can anyone out there offer insight into the advantages of using this type of system? Does having a base layer of gravel and water help the enclosure stay moist longer or is it just stagnant water?
What are the best plants to use when your torts are still small? Are bigger plants the way to go because they suck up more water and perhaps result in higher humidity levels in the enclosure?. Should I use lots of plants or just a few bigger plants and then spread some seeds for grazing? I don’t want to royally screw this up and then have to start over because I made a foolish mistake or miscalculated something.
Thanks
From recent threads on this subject it seems to be quite “simple†to get your torts going on a bio substrate. That and how well it seems to work are why I want to use if for my little redfoots.
To make a long story short I live in Seattle now. On Tuesday I’ll be flying back to California for a few weeks to take care of some last minute “things†before I move to Seattle for good. I’m leaving my redfoots at my moms where they will live in the brand spanking new enclosure I made for them. They will also inherit my three leos out door pen. I want to set my boys up with a Bioactive system so that poor mom doesn’t have to be spot cleaning all the time and so they can enjoy a more natural enclosure. Since I’m only in town for a few weeks I want to make sure I do this right so there are no problems when I leave. I have a few specific questions, and I hope some of you more experienced keepers can help.
The enclosure is about 2 by 4 foot. My torts are both between 60 and 70 grams. Does this have any effect on how many bugs and worms I should add? Is it possible that my turtles are not creating enough waste to sustain the worms or bugs. I know they also eat plant matter but I don’t want to see the bugs die out or take over the enclosure.
I’m still considering using heat cables but since I live in California and heat is not that big of an issue here its really not likely I will use them. However, I have seen a bioactive system that uses a screen on top of a base layer of gravel. The substrate then sits on top of the screen and water actually accumulates along the base layer of gravel. Has anyone here used this style of substrate with their torts? I saw it on a snake forum and it seemed pretty cool. The guys plants were actually able to grow roots down passed the screen and into the gravel. He also had a built in tube that he would poor water into that would go directly down to the base layer without getting the substrate wet.
Can anyone out there offer insight into the advantages of using this type of system? Does having a base layer of gravel and water help the enclosure stay moist longer or is it just stagnant water?
What are the best plants to use when your torts are still small? Are bigger plants the way to go because they suck up more water and perhaps result in higher humidity levels in the enclosure?. Should I use lots of plants or just a few bigger plants and then spread some seeds for grazing? I don’t want to royally screw this up and then have to start over because I made a foolish mistake or miscalculated something.
Thanks
