Are wood chips bad for a year old Russian Tortoise

sammyisthename

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Oct 29, 2015
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I recently got a female Russian Tortoise (Sammy), and I was wondering if wood chips is good for a year old Russian tortoise.
Before i actually had sand and mulch but i found out that sand is really bad for Russian tortoises 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 i took it out and replaced it with woodchips.
 

jaizei

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What kind of wood chips? Some use cypress mulch, though I don't use it any longer. Fir bark (aka orchid bark or Repti-bark) is also popular. I prefer a soil-type medium if possible.
 

wellington

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Hello and Welcome. What kind of wood chips? I don't like wood chips, only because I tried them when my leopard was liitle and he would get poked with them once in a while. He didn't really seem bothered by it, but I was. So I switched to coconut coir and it's my fave. However, with the older Russian I received a few years later, I used coir too, then change to dirt and leaf litter, seeing they like to dig and burrow.
So, if it's a tort safe type of wood chip, then they are fine, but maybe add some chemical free dirt too.
 

Gillian M

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A very warm welcome to the forum!:tort:

Please read the "Beginners' Mistake" Thread.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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As has been mentioned cypress mulch and orchid bark are fine and many people use them.
I, too use coco coir, though.
Some types of wood chip are too dry, they don't hold moisture well and others are even harmful to the tortoise.
 

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