Best indoor substrate for red foot tortoises

[ND135]

What do you think about it?

I like it and I think he does too. I still put some Eco Earth coconut fiber substrate over it and spray gently with a misting water bottle, because he loves to burrow, but it really does help with holding humidity and when he burrows it gives his nails something to grip and scratch against. It helps with protecting the tarp that I have lining my indoor enclosure (another tip from you by the way - to protect the tarp).

Thank you!!!!

 

[Drk]

I am in Connecticut as well. I learned to stock up on a few bags of cypress mulch in the spring before they're gone. You won't find appropriate mulch in larger quantities at a local garden/ hardware supplier this time of year.

I’m also in CT and just about ready to bring my two (large) adult red foot torties in for the winter.

I’m in the process of converting an old dining table into a tortie table. Hope to have it ready in another week or so.

Came here to research best indoor substrate. Are we still liking orchid bark or has something better come aling since this post?

Thanks!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Are we still liking orchid bark or has something better come aling since this post?

Orchid bark, Coco coir and in some cases cypress mulch is recommended.

Some mix these, with coir on the bottom and a layer of bark on the top. Some see this as pointless.

There is debate on which one to use for hatchlings.

In the end there is personal preference too.

 

[Drk]

Orchid bark, Coco coir and in some cases cypress mulch is recommended.

Some mix these, with coir on the bottom and a layer of bark on the top. Some see this as pointless.

There is debate on which one to use for hatchlings.

In the end there is personal preference too.

Thanks! I really appreciate the info. They’ll be coming back inside for the winter soon so I’m prepping

My two torties are adult red foots so while i don’t have hatchling concerns (yet) there seems to be nothing that my male won’t taste, lol. He samples everything so I do worry about what he can chow down on.

Last winter we had two new kittens who were using the tortie enclosure as a litter box… so we went to newspaper which was far from ideal. I hope to not have that problem this year now that the kittens have grown up.

I appreciate the input.

 

[ND135]

I’m also in CT and just about ready to bring my two (large) adult red foot torties in for the winter.

I’m in the process of converting an old dining table into a tortie table. Hope to have it ready in another week or so.

Came here to research best indoor substrate. Are we still liking orchid bark or has something better come aling since this post?

Thanks!

I do a mix. I learned here to use all natural organic orchid bark (planting media) and my preference is to mix coconut fiber substrate with a little Reptisoil.

Mine is in a greenhouse cover, so that has helped hold in humidity nicely, but keeping the substrate humid is always a challenge, so I do have a sprayer system that gently mists the enclosure a few seconds every hour. Not enough to puddle, but just enough to make him happy. I adjust the number of seconds depending on the time of year. I'm in Maryland, so we are now losing humidity and moving into cooler dryer air.

Its a constant balance and check in...

Oh - and those pics are ADORABLE what a beautiful tort!!

 

[MrTis#1]

I buy it in bulk at local nurseries. Its also called fir bark.

I you can't find it, you can get it from Chewy or Petco online. Its called Repti-Bark.

It’s less expensive through Amazon so buy it there.

 

[Drk]

I do a mix. I learned here to use all natural organic orchid bark (planting media) and my preference is to mix coconut fiber substrate with a little Reptisoil.

Mine is in a greenhouse cover, so that has helped hold in humidity nicely, but keeping the substrate humid is always a challenge, so I do have a sprayer system that gently mists the enclosure a few seconds every hour. Not enough to puddle, but just enough to make him happy. I adjust the number of seconds depending on the time of year. I'm in Maryland, so we are now losing humidity and moving into cooler dryer air.

Its a constant balance and check in...

Oh - and those pics are ADORABLE what a beautiful tort!!

Here in CT it’s been staying really warm. There’s been one cold night that we brought them in but that’s been it so far.

Looks like by next week they will be in at night. I try to stretch their outdoor season as long as possible. Our winters are long and these two are big torties! Getting them enough exercise and stimulation in the house for 4 or 5 months is a trick but we muddle through.

I think they are cute too but I’m biased, lol.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

My two torties are adult red foots so while i don’t have hatchling concerns (yet)

Do you keep your tortoises together?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I’m also in CT and just about ready to bring my two (large) adult red foot torties in for the winter.

I’m in the process of converting an old dining table into a tortie table. Hope to have it ready in another week or so.

Came here to research best indoor substrate. Are we still liking orchid bark or has something better come aling since this post?

Thanks!

Hello there! Just to check, these guys aren’t housed as a pair are they? tortoise of any species should NEVER be housed in pairs under any circumstances, they’re incredibly territorial, behaviours that look cute to us really aren’t, following one another and sleeping huddled up is all bullying the the tortoise world, you’ll eventually see more extreme signs of aggression. Anyone who tells you pairs are fine, have no idea what they’re talking about.

Small groups are ok when there’s lots of land and the correct male to female ratio.

Whilst red foots are technically a species more tolerant of company, this still has to be in groups, pair dynamics don’t work for tortoises.

I do a mix. I learned here to use all natural organic orchid bark (planting media) and my preference is to mix coconut fiber substrate with a little Reptisoil.

Mine is in a greenhouse cover, so that has helped hold in humidity nicely, but keeping the substrate humid is always a challenge, so I do have a sprayer system that gently mists the enclosure a few seconds every hour. Not enough to puddle, but just enough to make him happy. I adjust the number of seconds depending on the time of year. I'm in Maryland, so we are now losing humidity and moving into cooler dryer air.

Its a constant balance and check in...

Oh - and those pics are ADORABLE what a beautiful tort!!

Just a heads up, I wouldn’t use reptisoil, it’s often got sand mixed in which isn’t good for them.
I wouldn’t personally recommend a sprayer system because it tends to focus on getting your top layer damp constantly, red foots can be particularly prone to fungal infections, so this isn’t ideal. We’ve personally found lukewarm water pours into the substrate, that focuses on keeping the under layer damp, helps maintain humidity for so much longer, we only have to pour every few weeks and our humidity stays over 80 the whole time, it’s great!
Hopefully you might find this thread I made useful, I go over all this and there’s lots of other helpful info in there that might come in handy

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

And for any other members coming across this thread, here’s the adult one I made

Housing older red foot/cherryhead

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to go over an example of an appropriate indoor red foot/cherryhead enclosure. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure(especially the size these guys get!) I understand being from the uk myself, that some climate’s make it...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Drk]

Do you keep your tortoises together?

Yes. They are a pair and they live together all the time. They interact constantly and usually wander around their outdoor enclosure together.

In the winter, they have a much smaller indoor space and spend a lot of time side by side on their heat mat.

They actually are quite attached to one another. So much so that I feel like they are truly enjoying one another’s company.

Perhaps I am anthropomorphizing but I really don’t think so.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yes. They are a pair and they live together all the time. They interact constantly and usually wander around their outdoor enclosure together.

In the winter, they have a much smaller indoor space and spend a lot of time side by side on their heat mat.

They actually are quite attached to one another. So much so that I feel like they are truly enjoying one another’s company.

Perhaps I am anthropomorphizing but I really don’t think so.

Those are all classic tortoise bullying behaviours you’re describing unfortunately, it’s so much harder to spot signs of stress in tortoises but I promise hosing in pairs like this will cause them stress, the following and huddling up is bullying, seems odd I know, but it’s a dominance thing

Also I wouldn’t let them lie on a heat mat, tortoises receive their heat from above and burrow down into their substrate to thermoregulate, there’s been many instances of tortoises overheating on mats and cooking themselvesthey’re attracted to the warmth of the mat, but it’s needs to be coming from above

 

[Drk]

Yes. They are a pair and they live together all the time. They interact constantly and usually wander around their outdoor enclosure together.

In the winter, they have a much smaller indoor space and spend a lot of time side by side on their heat mat.

They actually are quite attached to one another. So much so that I feel like they are truly enjoying one another’s company.

Perhaps I am anthropomorphizing but I really don’t think so.

I should say that I do respect other people’s experience, good and bad, with keeping a pair of tortoises.

It’s been pointed out to me that the pairing behavior that I observe is in fact aggression and bullying behavior.

I would accept this except for a couple of things I have observed.

First, they actively seek each other out. The seeking and following behaviors go both ways; neither animal is dominating the other. Second, they always share food. There is no aggressive/dominant/bullying behavior over food or water resources.

Their outdoor enclosure is approximately 20 x 30 feet and is planted with an assortment of grasses, cover plants and shrubs. Its also divided visually into 2 sections, connected by a small tunnel so, either animal could easily escape unwanted attention by the other and they simply choose to spend much of their time together.

Their indoor space is MUCH smaller since I don’t have a whole room to devote to them. I have noted that when I remove one to soak, they BOTH become somewhat agitated but settle again when they are together.

I am retired and I have a lot of time to observe the various behaviors of my companion animals. My experience may be unusual and contrary to the experience of others but, both torties truly are thriving and content with this arrangement.

Having offered all this, I will remain vigilant for any signs of decline or stress in either tortoise and will make any changes that may become necessary in the future.

 

[Drk]

Those are all classic tortoise bullying behaviours you’re describing unfortunately, it’s so much harder to spot signs of stress in tortoises but I promise hosing in pairs like this will cause them stress, the following and huddling up is bullying, seems odd I know, but it’s a dominance thing

Also I wouldn’t let them lie on a heat mat, tortoises receive their heat from above and burrow down into their substrate to thermoregulate, there’s been many instances of tortoises overheating on mats and cooking themselvesthey’re attracted to the warmth of the mat, but it’s needs to be coming from above

Thanks for the insight. I really do appreciate it.

Good to know that I can eliminate the heat mat in favor of an over head heat source.

Since I’m in the process of putting together a new indoor habitat for wintering over, I will separate them and see how that goes.

Thanks again for taking the time to explain proper husbandry. Much appreciated.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I should say that I do respect other people’s experience, good and bad, with keeping a pair of tortoises.

It’s been pointed out to me that the pairing behavior that I observe is in fact aggression and bullying behavior.

I would accept this except for a couple of things I have observed.

First, they actively seek each other out. The seeking and following behaviors go both ways; neither animal is dominating the other. Second, they always share food. There is no aggressive/dominant/bullying behavior over food or water resources.

Their outdoor enclosure is approximately 20 x 30 feet and is planted with an assortment of grasses, cover plants and shrubs. Its also divided visually into 2 sections, connected by a small tunnel so, either animal could easily escape unwanted attention by the other and they simply choose to spend much of their time together.

Their indoor space is MUCH smaller since I don’t have a whole room to devote to them. I have noted that when I remove one to soak, they BOTH become somewhat agitated but settle again when they are together.

I am retired and I have a lot of time to observe the various behaviors of my companion animals. My experience may be unusual and contrary to the experience of others but, both torties truly are thriving and content with this arrangement.

Having offered all this, I will remain vigilant for any signs of decline or stress in either tortoise and will make any changes that may become necessary in the future.

The actively seeking each other out is again dominant bullying behaviour I’m afraid, you might not see one dominating the other because they’re both in constant battle to do so, the agitation when separated is down to the fact tortoises don’t like any kind of change, even the positive ones, your tortoise is anticipating the presence of the other one because that’s the dynamic they’ve gotten used to, having another tortoise to follow and compete with, when you remove one, the other is unsettled by that change in dynamic because they don’t like changes, but it doesn’t mean being housed as a pair is something they’re wanting. They don’t have the reasoning skills to understand they aren’t competing for the resources either, when you see them chowing down by one another, they will still perceive it as competition for who can munch down the most food the quickest.

Your outdoor space sounds brilliant! I’d definitely recommend reinforcing it being separate so neither can have direct contact with each other, it should be a visual barrier too.

Thanks for the insight. I really do appreciate it.

Good to know that I can eliminate the heat mat in favor of an over head heat source.

Since I’m in the process of putting together a new indoor habitat for wintering over, I will separate them and see how that goes.

Thanks again for taking the time to explain proper husbandry. Much appreciated.

No problem at all! Happy to help in any way possible!
Be prepared that they will indeed both appear agitated, they could go on for a few weeks as it will take them time to settle, this is the only way of life they’ve known so far, so their instincts is going to be seeking the other out, they may even go off their food, but I wouldn’t let that discourage you, as long as they’re both being housed properly, they will settle.

Perhaps this will be a good read for the indoor winter set up side of things, I know I say in there that you ideally want a room space for each, whilst that is true, if they have access to a larger outdoor space during your summer months, you can get away with smaller indoors(not too small though)which I understand you’ll have to do as you have two anyway, hopefully it helps! I cover correct kind of equipment(you may be able to use the heat mat for overhead, just do temp checks) levels, appropriately maintaining humidity, lots of visual examples for everything and a really good diet list to check out

Housing older red foot/cherryhead

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to go over an example of an appropriate indoor red foot/cherryhead enclosure. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure(especially the size these guys get!) I understand being from the uk myself, that some climate’s make it...

tortoiseforum.org

Hopefully it’ll help inspire some ideas for you! Wishing you all the best