Tortoise substrate

[HtVic]

Hi

thank you to those of you who had help me on choosing enclosure, temp,light,etc......
I just ordered the enclosure,UV light fixture and light which is 10.0 Fluorescent strip, and heat...so on

now its down to one thing, which is substrate, the guys at pet store recommended me to use carpet for bedding, there are several advantage of using those,
1, to prevent your tortoise would eats some of the substrate you used, eg.cypress much,coir, orchid bark..whatever that is.....also, some of feces might adhibit to its body, so when you let your tortoise roaming around your house, its gonna get very dirty.

2,very easy to clean. you can clean it whenever you want. you don't have to worry about fleas that hidden either one ur tortoise or substrate.

3.last longer, (I didn't ask the price, but it shouldn't be expensive)

so, what do you guys think? or any sugguestion?

 

[ascott]

In my personal opinion I would not use reptile carpet.....remember after all that we are talking about a tortoise---a dirt digging, lounging, mucking about creature that well, lives on and in dirt

I would suggest a mixture of good ole clean yard dirt/organic soil/coco coir....this is just my preference for the two indoor enclosures that I have....

There will be others here that will be able to offer you their likes as well....

 

[HtVic]

In my personal opinion I would not use reptile carpet.....remember after all that we are talking about a tortoise---a dirt digging, lounging, mucking about creature that well, lives on and in dirt

I would suggest a mixture of good ole clean yard dirt/organic soil/coco coir....this is just my preference for the two indoor enclosures that I have....

There will be others here that will be able to offer you their likes as well....

thanks for replying, I will keep this in mind,
by the way, i am having a 48''*24''*18 enclosure, and I am going to use 10.0 uvb, is that enough, and what's wattage of light and che should I use?

 

[wellington]

I may have missed a previous post, but what kind of tort do you have or are getting? I tried the carpet in the beginning. Would not do it again, my little guy tried eating it. I use coconut coir, keeps humidity levels well, does not mold, and no bugs. As far as light, CHE, etc. we could help better knowing the kind of tort.

 

[HtVic]

its greek or hermann

 

[iluvtorts]

I USE A MIX OF COCONUT COIR AND CYPRESS MULCH. IT HOLDS THE MOISTURE WELL . IT ALSO DOESNT MOLD.

 

[HtVic]

Can I just use one type of substrate? when do people mixed them?

 

[Madkins007]

Carpet- tried it, hated it. Claws snagged, threads started to show through that make me concerned he would eat them, but mostly it got FILTHY almost immediately after any pooping. At least with substrates, the poop can be pressed down a little.

With my Red-footeds, I just use cypress mulch.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

We use cypress mulch!

 

[lynnedit]

Cypress mulch is hard to get in the Western US, or at least more expensive as you don't find it in bulk in Home Depot, etc. I am so jealous when I visit relatives in PA and they just throw it around their garden beds!
I still use some around the feeding station, etc., because it tends to be cleaner.
You can use organic topsoil (I found mine at Home Depot) or coir. I believe people mix them because it just has a nice consistency, holds moisture, etc.
Some use Coir only and are very satisfied and feel it does not attract the house plant gnats that some of the other substrate does.
Basically, think about your tort pooping and peeing all over carpet. It would not be pretty.
With soil/coir/cypress mulch you can spot clean and mix it up, and you are fine for the season.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Cypress mulch is nice, but my favorite is 100% coco coir, which is all I use now.

 

[Tom]

Orchid bark is nice too.

 

[lynnedit]

True. There is a landscape store near me that sells large bags of fine Orchid bark. Nice stuff.

 

[Heliopteryx]

Dirt (not so much coconut coir) may get infestations of tiny bugs. It probably won't hurt the tortoise at all, but it could get annoying to have tiny bugs flying/crawling around everywhere. I've heard that you can bake the dirt in the oven for around 200-300 degrees for 15-20 minutes to get rid of this problem, or add pillbugs to eat the insect larvae.

 

[HtVic]

what about those reptile sand with calcium?

 

[Arizona Sulcata]

Agreed carpet kinda stinks... But other than that you're not really going to go wrong so just go with whatever is most practical for you.

 

[lynnedit]

Many are concerned that they tend to ingest that and there have been issues with impaction.

 

[tortuga_please]

Carpet - get gross quickly, claws snag, and depending on the tort, they might try to eat it (obviously bad)
Sand - almost always bad except for desert species, make sure you feed them in area without sand. Impaction is an issue; enough sand can cause more serious internal problems too

 

[lauren43201]

I just had the longest debate with myself about which substate to use. I finally came down to the decision to use the coconut fiber/coco coir.(whatever you like to call it for numerous reasons.
1. Keeps the humidity in my enclosure
2. Easy to Clean and Cheap to buy
3. Has no unwanted bugs or mold.
Another great thing is my tortoise loves to burrow in it. So far i haven't had any downfalls with it, so i really recommend it!

 

[lisa127]

I agree with everyone else, something they can burrow into and is more natural is best. At least in parts of the enclosure. If, and this is a big if, I wanted something that was not a loose particulate substrate for safety reasons I would use plain old newspaper before I would ever use carpet. It's cleaner, cheaper, quicker and easier to replace.

I like new zealand sphagnum moss.