# What's A Good Substrate To Use Inside A Humid Hide?



## Vegas_Leopard (Mar 12, 2009)

Hey Tortoise Forum, what's good?

I haven't posted anything in a couple months, but it's good to see that everyone & there tortoises are doing great. Anyways, I have a dilemma having to find out & choose the best substrate to use inside a humid hide. I'm currently using 50:50 sand & Bed-A-Beast, I like what its done for my Sulcata, but if theirs anything else that I can use beside that & sphagnum peat moss, sphagnum moss Id like to know what it is. I have way to much air flow going through its enclosure to keep the outer substrate moist, it's the same as what I use inside the humid hide. I'm going to change it back to timothy hay & that's why I want to know if I can use a different substrate inside the humid hide. I don't want it to mold. Here's a picture of what I'm dealing with. 





Thanks in advance,
-SulcataDud3


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## JustAnja (Mar 12, 2009)

I like using Long Strand Sphagnum Moss. I use the Mosser Lee brand which can be found at most Home Depot and Lowe's garden centers. Just mist it with water every few days as it dries out. They seem to love burrowing in it too!


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## Maggie Cummings (Mar 12, 2009)

SulcataDud3 said:


> Hey Tortoise Forum, what's good?
> 
> I haven't posted anything in a couple months, but it's good to see that everyone & there tortoises are doing great. Anyways, I have a dilemma having to find out & choose the best substrate to use inside a humid hide. I'm currently using 50:50 sand & Bed-A-Beast, I like what its done for my Sulcata, but if theirs anything else that I can use beside that & sphagnum peat moss, sphagnum moss Id like to know what it is. I have way to much air flow going through its enclosure to keep the outer substrate moist, it's the same as what I use inside the humid hide. I'm going to change it back to timothy hay & that's why I want to know if I can use a different substrate inside the humid hide. I don't want it to mold. Here's a picture of what I'm dealing with.
> 
> ...


For starters it looks like you have a tortoise in a hamster cage. I would find a better container for him and cut the eco earth to more earth and less sand. I personally use fine grade orchid bark and only have to moisten it a couple of times a week. I'm not big on the humid hide way of keeping Sulcata, I just keep the substrate moist and let it go at that. It's so much easier then trying to make humidity in a hide...
I raised my babies in a tort table or large aquarium. I know everybody says not to use aquariums, but they worked fine for me. I have a couple of young tortoises in a vivarium and I just simply love it. It's perfectly square and the sides are 8" tall. The temperature is easy to maintain and it just takes 2 lights.



SulcataDud3 said:


> Hey Tortoise Forum, what's good?
> 
> I haven't posted anything in a couple months, but it's good to see that everyone & there tortoises are doing great. Anyways, I have a dilemma having to find out & choose the best substrate to use inside a humid hide. I'm currently using 50:50 sand & Bed-A-Beast, I like what its done for my Sulcata, but if theirs anything else that I can use beside that & sphagnum peat moss, sphagnum moss Id like to know what it is. I have way to much air flow going through its enclosure to keep the outer substrate moist, it's the same as what I use inside the humid hide. I'm going to change it back to timothy hay & that's why I want to know if I can use a different substrate inside the humid hide. I don't want it to mold. Here's a picture of what I'm dealing with.
> 
> ...


For starters it looks like you have a tortoise in a hamster cage. I would find a better container for him and cut the eco earth to more earth and less sand. I personally use fine grade orchid bark and only have to moisten it a couple of times a week. I'm not big on the humid hide way of keeping Sulcata, I just keep the substrate moist and let it go at that. It's so much easier then trying to make humidity in a hide...
I raised my babies in a tort table or large aquarium. I know everybody says not to use aquariums, but they worked fine for me. I have a couple of young tortoises in a vivarium and I just simply love it. It's perfectly square and the sides are 8" tall. The temperature is easy to maintain and it just takes 2 lights. I think that trying to use hay as a substrate is a mistake. They need more humidity then just in a small container. They need humidity all over in the habitat. I would get rid of the hamster cage, add more eco earth as the substrate and keep the whole thing moist...


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## Vegas_Leopard (Mar 12, 2009)

I'm not changing anything, but the substrate that's inside the humid hide & what's on the outside. The enclosure itself is fine. I made two threads based on it's enclosures & I've moved it into a 2'x2'x8" glass terrarium & into a MacCourt Super Tub. I found that the enclosure that I'm keeping it will work best until it out grows the enclosure. I only use two lights during the day & the ceramic heat emitter during cooler nights. I've always been using timothy for all of the Sulcata's & Leopards that I've had. I've gone through hundreds of types of substrate & that's what worked best for me, but I hadn't really used a humid hide until late last year. That's when things started changing. I researched how to make one, gone through a few substrates & am still trying to make the best combo that would go with timothy hay or anything alike it. I have thought about using aspen, but I don't know much about it. I used to use it years back, but I forgot most of my information about it. I think I stopped using it because it was unhealthy, I don't know really though. My main goal is to watch my Sulcata grow with a very limited amount of pyramiding & so far it's been that way. There's none at all. Compared to my past Sulcata's theirs a major difference because of the humid hide. Here's a link to my older thread on my enclosure.

http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5703.html


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## nrfitchett4 (Mar 12, 2009)

for the humid hides for my baby corns, I just use moss and it stays moist for days. 
For my sulcata, I use potting soil as the substrate, moistened with warm water and have grass growing in it. The hides have grass growing in them, so she can pretty much hide out in there.


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## Vegas_Leopard (Mar 12, 2009)

nrfitchett4 said:


> for the humid hides for my baby corns, I just use moss and it stays moist for days.
> For my sulcata, I use potting soil as the substrate, moistened with warm water and have grass growing in it. The hides have grass growing in them, so she can pretty much hide out in there.


That's neat how the hides have grass growing in them. What kind of potting soil do you use? Because I've read a lot of negatives about potting soil because of the pesticides & fertilizer that it has. You wouldn't happen to have a picture of the hide?

Here are a couple of pictures of my Sulcata that were taken yesterday for an example of how much a humid hide works.


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## Maggie Cummings (Mar 12, 2009)

SulcataDud3 said:


> I'm not changing anything, but the substrate that's inside the humid hide & what's on the outside. The enclosure itself is fine. I made two threads based on it's enclosures & I've moved it into a 2'x2'x8" glass terrarium & into a MacCourt Super Tub. I found that the enclosure that I'm keeping it will work best until it out grows the enclosure. I only use two lights during the day & the ceramic heat emitter during cooler nights. I've always been using timothy for all of the Sulcata's & Leopards that I've had. I've gone through hundreds of types of substrate & that's what worked best for me, but I hadn't really used a humid hide until late last year. That's when things started changing. I researched how to make one, gone through a few substrates & am still trying to make the best combo that would go with timothy hay or anything alike it. I have thought about using aspen, but I don't know much about it. I used to use it years back, but I forgot most of my information about it. I think I stopped using it because it was unhealthy, I don't know really though. My main goal is to watch my Sulcata grow with a very limited amount of pyramiding & so far it's been that way. There's none at all. Compared to my past Sulcata's theirs a major difference because of the humid hide. Here's a link to my older thread on my enclosure.
> 
> http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5703.html



Well, I guess I'm just not understanding what you mean. I'm looking at a picture of a hatchling in a hamster cage that you say that's what you're dealing with. Then you say it's not in the hamster cage that is the picture but it's now in a super tub. You say you want humidity but you're going to use hay, which is not a natural substrate or food for Sulcata...So I will apologize for trying to help as I simply don't understand, and I hope someone else understands and can help you...


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## nrfitchett4 (Mar 12, 2009)

I'll take some new pics, it is about time anyways. I just used the organic potting soil from walmart. Not sure if there are any bad things in it, but hopefully not. The hide is just a log hide, that tapers to the ground in the back. she will dig down into it. For some reason the grass grows faster in the shade than in the uv light.

It's cool also because I am starting to see bite marks on the blades of grass. hopefully she'll get most of her food that way soon.

grass hay is not a natural substrate or food for a sulcata??? now I'm the confused one.


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## JustAnja (Mar 12, 2009)

Maggie those large rabbit cages are quite common for keeping small tortoises, more-so in the UK I think. I wintered most of my Russians and Hermanns in those cages (3-4 footers) and provided humid areas for them to use. I also used cypress mulch for my substrate. 

Here is one I did with different areas of substrates....


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## Vegas_Leopard (Mar 13, 2009)

maggie3fan said:


> SulcataDud3 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not changing anything, but the substrate that's inside the humid hide & what's on the outside. The enclosure itself is fine. I made two threads based on it's enclosures & I've moved it into a 2'x2'x8" glass terrarium & into a MacCourt Super Tub. I found that the enclosure that I'm keeping it will work best until it out grows the enclosure. I only use two lights during the day & the ceramic heat emitter during cooler nights. I've always been using timothy for all of the Sulcata's & Leopards that I've had. I've gone through hundreds of types of substrate & that's what worked best for me, but I hadn't really used a humid hide until late last year. That's when things started changing. I researched how to make one, gone through a few substrates & am still trying to make the best combo that would go with timothy hay or anything alike it. I have thought about using aspen, but I don't know much about it. I used to use it years back, but I forgot most of my information about it. I think I stopped using it because it was unhealthy, I don't know really though. My main goal is to watch my Sulcata grow with a very limited amount of pyramiding & so far it's been that way. There's none at all. Compared to my past Sulcata's theirs a major difference because of the humid hide. Here's a link to my older thread on my enclosure.
> ...


It's what I had it in a MacCourt SuperTub before I relocated it into a "hamster cage" there used quite often, by lots of tortoise owners. I want to use hay or something similar for the surrounding other then the humid hide. The humid hide is seperate & that's what I'm looking to replace the substrate inside of the humid hide. Even if it's not a natural substrate it's been used for decades, by many of the most successful breeders & owners. It's also a good food source because of the high fiber even if it's not from the origin of it's being. And once again many care-takers feed it. I don't encourage my tortoise to eat it. If it want's to then that's fine with me because it's not harmful.

*1.) What would be a good substrate to place inside a humid hide that can hold & conduct humid other then 50:50 sand/Bed-A-Beast? (I also have a sponge attached to the top of the container to conduct humidity as well.)*

*2.) I plan on using timothy hay as the surrounding substrate of the enclosure, (not inside the humid hide) I know that if wet it can cause molding. Is there a way I can avoid this? (If the Sulcata were to walk out & drag the moistened substrate from the humid hide on to the hay?)*

*3.) To the care-takers that have used aspen shavings, what are the pros & cons of this substrate? Can it be used as a substrate to hold humidity?*

Thanks in advance,
-SulcataDud3



JustAnja said:


> Maggie those large rabbit cages are quite common for keeping small tortoises, more-so in the UK I think. I wintered most of my Russians and Hermanns in those cages (3-4 footers) and provided humid areas for them to use. I also used cypress mulch for my substrate.
> 
> Here is one I did with different areas of substrates....


Happy Birthday!


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## nrfitchett4 (Mar 13, 2009)

cool, your baby will eat the mazuri. so far mine won't touch it.


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## Vegas_Leopard (Mar 13, 2009)

nrfitchett4 said:


> cool, your baby will eat the mazuri. so far mine won't touch it.


Try just putting Mazuri on the plate & when it's hungry it could possibly go for it. Back to the topic anyone?


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## Yvonne G (Mar 13, 2009)

For a little Sulcata I would put (now this is ME speaking, for what I would do for MY little sulcata) orchid bark or cypress mulch inside the hide. They like to dig when they're in the "burrow" so something that allows them to dig into it would be appreciated by them. You know me from reading my past posts...I LOVE ORCHID BARK and CYPRESS MULCH!!

Yvonne

If it were a rain forest-type tortoise like a Redfoot or a Manouria, I would put spagnum moss inside the hide.


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## tortoisenerd (Mar 13, 2009)

I have an answer to #3. Aspen shavings cannot be used as a humid substrate. They are recommended for tortoise species which have lower humidity requirements, which do not include Sulcatas. Some have gotten around this by using a humid hide. For my russian, I love them. 

-they are dry so it's easier to keep his enclosure warm enough (I live in a cold and damp climate)
-he can burrow easily in them (especially finer-grade shavings like the snake stuff, not the hamster stuff)
-they are very cheap as I get them in a 45 lb bag for $20
-there aren't stringy things to get hung up around his neck like coconut fiber
-he doesn't seem interested in eating it unless there is food stuck to it
-easy to partially change out
-low maintenance

The only thing I don't like is that it's a little dusty when pouring it (I make sure the tort is not around and it'll make me cough). I haven't had a problem with humidity yet but am keeping a very close eye on his shell growth, and russians don't seem to be prone to pyramiding from lack of humidity. I tried having a humid hide but he doesn't use hides. He prefers to hide under a pile of hay (I have some on top of the aspen), burrow, or hide behind something. He won't go into a hide strangely enough. The coconut fiber and sand substrate was not a good choice for us.

I think the orchid bark or cypress mulch are great suggestions to use as substrate for the entire enclosure, although I have personally not used them.


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