a bit confused and frustrated with substrate!

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blueturtle

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Hi everyone!

I'm new here and new to torts. My fiance surprised me with a lovely golden greek on mother's day. As a side note, it wasn't a total impulse buy as i had always talked about how I wanted to one day own a tort and about all the research i've done on them and turtles.

Well now, years later, i can't remember everything and I'm running into issues. I've built a tort table which i have sitting on my living room floor. I live in Twentynine Palms, CA, USA and I really want to put the enclosure outside but i'm scared of the vicious fire ants we have everywhere outside. I'm not too concerned with the feral cats or the coyotes because I can easily build a top to the table for safety from those but i dont know how to protect against those ants. Until now, i'm resorting to doing the indoor thing until we move in a couple of months.

The problem i'm having now is substrate. i've done the topsoil/playsand mix. The only topsoil i found at home depot was by Ecoearth and i'm finding out that it has a strong manure smell to it. It also came with ants, which are now walking around my carpet! :(

Does topsoil need to be used or can i also use organic gardening soil? is there a difference? For those that keep your tort inside, how do you deal with the ants in the soil?

Thanks in advance!!
Here's a quick snapshot of the set up. I hadn't attached the UV lamp yet in the shot.
248067_10151686956051015_880458231_n.jpg
 

mctlong

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Hey Blueturtle, Welcome to the forum!!! :)

I know exactly which brand you're talking about. I bought Ecoearth once at Home Depot not realizing that it contains bat guano. It made my whole house smell like farts.

What you want to look for is a soil that does not contain pesticides, does not have those little white balls (I forget the name, but torts will try to eat them) or plant food, and doesn't contain animal feces (such as bat guano, which you've learned, stinks). If the organic gardening soil you're looking at fits this criteria, then it'll work in your home.

Another option is to replace the soil with coco-coir. It has the same consistency as topsoil which makes it great for burrowing, but it doesn't have that earthy smell. Coco-coir bricks are sold in the gardening section of hardware stores (such as Home Depot or Osh) and in petstores (in the reptile section).

As far as your ant problem -
I've found that mixing a couple tablespoons of orange oil into the substate repels ants. Oil doesn't mix well, so the easiest way to mix it into the substrate (in my experience) is to add 2 tablespoons of orange oil to half a gallon of water and mix the water mixture into the substrate.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Your new little tort is adorable. :)
 

SpdTrtl

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Hello and welcome. Another poster once recommended to use Quaker Old Fashioned oats around the enclosure. I started using this method and it works great for me. I'm in Texas with no shortage of fire ants so I do understand the concern.
:) good luck!

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blueturtle

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Thanks for the welcome!

I noticed you're in socal too. what are a couple brands of soil that you've used successfully? That way i can keep my eyes open and on the look out for them. Not sure if you're familiar with the 29 palm area(Marine base) but there's literally only Stater Bros. as our main store in town. The nearest all-in-one store would be walmart about 30mins away. I'd love to be able to find the correct stuff this weekend when I head down to the IE to visit my mother. A lot more store choices there!

Where can I get the orange oil at?
 

Rogue

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Welcome! We need more pics of your tortoise!

I also second coco-coir. It looks like soil, does not mold, smells good, and retains essential moisture for burrowing. You can buy 11-lb blocks of it from garden centers and nurseries for around $12. Each block should expand with water into roughly 50 to 60 liters. If you have any hydroponics stores nearby, they may be another source (though more expensive).
 

blueturtle

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would i still be able to plant seeds in it?

my goal is to grow various edibles so that she'll be able to graze at her leisure with little to no supplement from me.

I'll take some pictures soon as she wakes up! lol
 

wellington

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Seeds will grow fairly well in coconut coir. If I'm not mistaken though, plain black dirt would be better for a Greek and of course seeds would grow even better.
 
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