Top soil clumping

[Chipmunk]

Hi,
My tortoise’s top soil is clumping. I wasn’t sure if this is normal or if it is because of the water we are spraying? Do we need to declump it or is it ok?

 

[method89]

Pictures would help

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings....”topsoil” is such a generic term, but more importantly top soil is usually not recommended as a good substrate. Orchid Bark, cypress mulch, & coco coir are better & hold moisture well, provide a good footing, not eaten & enables easy localized “spot“ cleaning.

Ps- what kind of tortoise do you have. ? Welcome to the forum.

 

[Tom]

Hi,
My tortoise’s top soil is clumping. I wasn’t sure if this is normal or if it is because of the water we are spraying? Do we need to declump it or is it ok?

You need to replace it with a suitable substrate. Soil should never be used as a tortoise substrate. It is made from composted yard waste and could be toxic plants or yard clippings with toxic chemicals applied to them.

What species are you housing? Looks like a Testudo in your avatar. Here is the care info, including substrate info, for them:

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

 

[Leahkube]

Greetings....”topsoil” is such a generic term, but more importantly top soil is usually not recommended as a good substrate. Orchid Bark, cypress mulch, & coco coir are better & hold moisture well, provide a good footing, not eaten & enables easy localized “spot“ cleaning.

Ps- what kind of tortoise do you have. ? Welcome to the forum.

Sorry just come across this thread. What is coco coir Iv Googled it and it’s comes in a block? Is that right? First time tortoise owner here still learning.