Best Substrate For ASTHMA And REDFOOT TORTOISE....

[Bwaterford]

So I originally bought Reptisoil and mixed it with the coco bricks .....the kind that you moisten to expand....
My mister ended up making it really mucky so I took all of it out.
I put in Repti Bark then decided after I put it in, I grabbed the wrong bag, because I wanted to use forest floor.....So I took out all the Repti Bark put that back in bag and put down the forest floor....I feel that is not good for burrowing so I added reptibark where he sleeps and burrows and some coco which is finer mixed in, that's what I originally had but this time forest floor is on the bottom.....Anyway I'm not sure weather the mucky mix, of Reptisoil and coco, the ReptiBark, or the Forest floor set my ASTHMA off....my throat, nose and lungs are definitely bothering me......
Any thoughts which one it was? Which substrate is best for asthma? Which substrate is best for him burrowing or combos that work together ect? He's only around 4 months old and i dont want him eating it or being uncomfortable walking, burrowing ect. I just want to keep him happy and him and myself not have breathing issues in the process.
Nothing was really dusty so that wasn't it. I'm not sure if it was spores in the mucky wet or the smell of the Reptibark or Forest floor. Any thoughts , advice, information will be greatly appreciated. I'm sure there is a expert on here that can understand my dilemma...
Thank you

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi! The safest substrate options are a coco coir base, with either a layer of forest floor or orchid bark on top. You may fair better with just one of the barks.

Is your baby in a closed chamber now? Because humidifiers aren’t recommended, they can cause respiratory issues for the tortoise, plus constant wetness on top of the substrate will leave them prone to fungal infection.

Perhaps you could check out this thread I made recently? There’s some good visual inspiration at the end🙂

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head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...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

 

[Bwaterford]

Hi! The safest substrate options are a coco coir base, with either a layer of forest floor or orchid bark on top. You may fair better with just one of the barks.

Is your baby in a closed chamber now? Because humidifiers aren’t recommended, they can cause respiratory issues for the tortoise, plus constant wetness on top of the substrate will leave them prone to fungal infection.

Perhaps you could check out this thread I made recently? There’s some good visual inspiration at the end🙂

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

So what exactly is orchid bark? Could you post a Picture of the exact bag you are talking about? I will check out that post....
Thank you
Also no he's still in a open top set up, tank and stand will be here this week. I will get rid of mister in there if I can maintain humidity when he's in a close set up. It only goes off a couple seconds every hour, it's not a fine mist, it's directed to 2 corners walls so water basically stays in the corners.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

So for branded orchid bark, I believe where you are you can get zoo med repti bark or habistat orchid bark, some people say they use bulk bag from garden stores, you just need to read the fine print to make sure it’s 100% orchid fir bark, no fertilisers or anything added in.
These are some examples.


What kind of tank is it you have coming? And what size? I only ask because sometimes it’s worth going with a bigger closed chamber from the get go, instead of multiple upgrading🙂

 

[Bwaterford]

So for branded orchid bark, I believe where you are you can get zoo med repti bark or habistat orchid bark, some people say they use bulk bag from garden stores, you just need to read the fine print to make sure it’s 100% orchid fir bark, no fertilisers or anything added in.
These are some examples.
View attachment 377238
View attachment 377239
What kind of tank is it you have coming? And what size? I only ask because sometimes it’s worth going with a bigger closed chamber from the get go, instead of multiple upgrading🙂

So that Repti bark I have and put it in today.. I felt it was to big of pieces and he could not burrow in so i took it out. So then I used forest floor and put reptisoil and coco mix on top in his hide so he could burrow.
I'm not sure if the repti bark set off my asthma but I wasn't a fan of the smell....I can't breath pine either so I probably will be taking that bag back.
What size tank do you think will get me through a year. I want to keep him on my main floor where I can keep a close eye on him. Eventually , probably nest summer I have a plant room upstairs I will be making a huge habitat for him kinda like your pics you posted with the green house cover overtop. My neighbor is a contractor and will be building the habitat whatever spects I want. Trust me it will have all the bells and whistles...lol
I just need to get something bigger and closed to carry me till next year, that will work for him and me.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

So that Repti bark I have and put it in today.. I felt it was to big of pieces and he could not burrow in so i took it out. So then I used forest floor and put reptisoil and coco mix on top in his hide so he could burrow.
I'm not sure if the repti bark set off my asthma but I wasn't a fan of the smell....I can't breath pine either so I probably will be taking that bag back.
What size tank do you think will get me through a year. I want to keep him on my main floor where I can keep a close eye on him. Eventually , probably nest summer I have a plant room upstairs I will be making a huge habitat for him kinda like your pics you posted with the green house cover overtop. My neighbor is a contractor and will be building the habitat whatever spects I want. Trust me it will have all the bells and whistles...lol
I just need to get something bigger and closed to carry me till next year, that will work for him and me.

Fair enough if you aren’t a fan of the repti bark smell, I get what you mean. I think the coir and forest floor will be your only options in that case, hopefully as long as the coir is nice and packed down, it won’t continue to irritate your asthma😣🤞but yeah I wouldn’t use reptisoil.
Sounds like a nice plan🥰I think a 4x2 would last you a good year🙂

 

[mojo_1]

So that Repti bark I have and put it in today.. I felt it was to big of pieces and he could not burrow in so i took it out. So then I used forest floor and put reptisoil and coco mix on top in his hide so he could burrow.
I'm not sure if the repti bark set off my asthma but I wasn't a fan of the smell....I can't breath pine either so I probably will be taking that bag back.
What size tank do you think will get me through a year. I want to keep him on my main floor where I can keep a close eye on him. Eventually , probably nest summer I have a plant room upstairs I will be making a huge habitat for him kinda like your pics you posted with the green house cover overtop. My neighbor is a contractor and will be building the habitat whatever spects I want. Trust me it will have all the bells and whistles...lol
I just need to get something bigger and closed to carry me till next year, that will work for him and me.

Reptibark is the best bet for the tortoise. They can burrow in it. Also it's not pine bark it's fir tree bark. Pine is bad for tortoises. As for size of enclosure, a closed chamber 4'x2'x2' should get you by for a year just fine.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Reptibark is the best bet for the tortoise. They can burrow in it. Also it's not pine bark it's fir tree bark. Pine is bad for tortoises. As for size of enclosure, a closed chamber 4'x2'x2' should get you by for a year just fine.

I like it personally too and it’s holds the humidity really well🙂

 

[Bwaterford]

I believe the tank is 48 × 24 × 24 so that should be ok I figured then his habitat that wr make will be very big almost half the size of the room. Were also building one outside for the summer months but it will only be for him to roam safely with supervision... I know pine you can't use for a tortoise, I said pine bothers my asthma so it might be the repti bark which is fir that might have bothered me today. I will probably stick with the forest floor with the ground coconut on top, it doesn't bother my asthma. I just know he likes to burrow and I want him happy.
Thanks for the reply....
Can I ask where your from? State wise?

 

[mojo_1]

I believe the tank is 48 × 24 × 24 so that should be ok I figured then his habitat that wr make will be very big almost half the size of the room. Were also building one outside for the summer months but it will only be for him to roam safely with supervision... I know pine you can't use for a tortoise, I said pine bothers my asthma so it might be the repti bark which is fir that might have bothered me today. I will probably stick with the forest floor with the ground coconut on top, it doesn't bother my asthma. I just know he likes to burrow and I want him happy.
Thanks for the reply....
Can I ask where your from? State wise?

Same as you just farther south. About an hr from Pittsburgh PA

 

[Bwaterford]

Ok I just wondered what weather, climate you had to deal with. Ohio weather is always a roller coaster.
My son is in Florida on vacation now and I'm baby sitting his baby succata and he was commenting today how much both our tortoises would love the climate there.

 

[mojo_1]

Ok I just wondered what weather, climate you had to deal with. Ohio weather is always a roller coaster.
My son is in Florida on vacation now and I'm baby sitting his baby succata and he was commenting today how much both our tortoises would love the climate there.

Yes the weather here is not really Redfoot friendly. Your Redfoot won't be able to get outside for long stretches till it's an adult. Florida would be perfect for them with the addition of a night box for them. It gets chilly at night.

 

[Tom]

So I originally bought Reptisoil and mixed it with the coco bricks .....the kind that you moisten to expand....
My mister ended up making it really mucky so I took all of it out.
I put in Repti Bark then decided after I put it in, I grabbed the wrong bag, because I wanted to use forest floor.....So I took out all the Repti Bark put that back in bag and put down the forest floor....I feel that is not good for burrowing so I added reptibark where he sleeps and burrows and some coco which is finer mixed in, that's what I originally had but this time forest floor is on the bottom.....Anyway I'm not sure weather the mucky mix, of Reptisoil and coco, the ReptiBark, or the Forest floor set my ASTHMA off....my throat, nose and lungs are definitely bothering me......
Any thoughts which one it was? Which substrate is best for asthma? Which substrate is best for him burrowing or combos that work together ect? He's only around 4 months old and i dont want him eating it or being uncomfortable walking, burrowing ect. I just want to keep him happy and him and myself not have breathing issues in the process.
Nothing was really dusty so that wasn't it. I'm not sure if it was spores in the mucky wet or the smell of the Reptibark or Forest floor. Any thoughts , advice, information will be greatly appreciated. I'm sure there is a expert on here that can understand my dilemma...
Thank you

RFs are prone to shell rot. Orchid bark allows you to keep the lower layers damp while the upper layers remain mostly dry. Your tortoise doesn't need to burrow, but it can in the orchid bark if it wants to. Orchid bark is the best substrate for most tortoises in most situations, but its definitely the best for a RF.

 

[Bwaterford]

Yes the weather here is not really Redfoot friendly. Your Redfoot won't be able to get outside for long stretches till it's an adult. Florida would be perfect for them with the addition of a night box for them. It gets chilly at night.

Yes I know all about Florida weather I use to live there when I was younger. I recently got asthma a few years ago, actually I probably had it my whole life but I just became reactive a few years ago. I'm not sure I could handle the Florida humidity now, because summer here in Ohio any temperature over 85 or high humidity I have to stay in doors in A/C..... Once I get my tank set up this week I will post some pictures.
Thanks again

 

[Bwaterford]

RFs are prone to shell rot. Orchid bark allows you to keep the lower layers damp while the upper layers remain mostly dry. Your tortoise doesn't need to burrow, but it can in the orchid bark if it wants to. Orchid bark is the best substrate for most tortoises in most situations, but its definitely the best for a RF.

So Orchid bark is Fir bark correct....I have some and I tried to use it today, it seemed like to big of pieces and my asthma wasn't a fan of the smell so I definitely won't be using it.
Maybe forest floor with the ground coconut on top, unless I can figure out a better option.

 

[Tom]

So Orchid bark is Fir bark correct....I have some and I tried to use it today, it seemed like to big of pieces and my asthma wasn't a fan of the smell so I definitely won't be using it.
Maybe forest floor with the ground coconut on top, unless I can figure out a better option.

You said your asthma acted up when you had a mixture of stuff.

Forest floor is cypress mulch. That comes from swamps and often has a swampy smell to it. That is most likely what bothered your trachea.

Coco coir is too messy, and if you keep it wet enough to prevent dust, you will likely get to experience the fun of shell rot and shell rot treatment.

I'm offering this info because you asked. I hope it helps you decide which way to go and what to watch out for.

 

[Bwaterford]

You said your asthma acted up when you had a mixture of stuff.

Forest floor is cypress mulch. That comes from swamps and often has a swampy smell to it. That is most likely what bothered your trachea.

Coco coir is too messy, and if you keep it wet enough to prevent dust, you will likely get to experience the fun of shell rot and shell rot treatment.

I'm offering this info because you asked. I hope it helps you decide which way to go and what to watch out for.

For the last 3 weeks I have used reptisoil and coco and it hasn't bothered me, so far. I don't know how the forest floor is going to work on the bottom and a little repti soil and coco on top where he sleeps. Hopefully it works out, or back to the drawing board.