Best substrate for indoor enclosure?

[Thomas Lamar]

Hello!

I adopted a 2 year old Russian tortoise from my local shelter yesterday! His care seems a bit more manageable than that of the larger African species, but I was wondering what the best substrate to use for his enclosure indoors would be? The pet store care guide recommends reptile bark, or reptile sand mixed with coconut fiber. The care sheet from the shelter (which was made up by a veterinarian) recommends aspen bedding, which his shelter enclosure was filled with. I had some reptile bark already, so he is currently using that and seems to like burrowing in it. However, the care guide says to choose substrate carefully due to risk of impaction.Thanks in advance.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Congratulations on your new shelled friend!
Orchid bark, cypress mulch and coco coir are all good substrates.
The sand is an impaction risk, so don't use that
Aspen used to be a popular choice , with sphagnum moss for moisture but is now rather out of favour as it is very dry and is therefore not good for keeping your humidity right. and torts may eat the sphagnum .
There's a lot of outdated information out there.

 

[Thomas Lamar]

Congratulations on your new shelled friend!
Orchid bark, cypress mulch and coco coir are all good substrates.
The sand is an impaction risk, so don't use that
Aspen used to be a popular choice , with sphagnum moss for moisture but is now rather out of favour as it is very dry and is therefore not good for keeping your humidity right. and torts may eat the sphagnum .
There's a lot of outdated information out there.

Is the reptile bark I am using Okay? I think it is fir bark.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Is the reptile bark I am using Okay? I think it is fir bark.

Yes, it is.
Effectively the same as orchid bark but with a pricier label.
If you buy orchid bark at a garden centre it is the same stuff but much cheaper.
(mulch cheaper ?).

 

[Thomas Lamar]

Yes, it is.
Effectively the same as orchid bark but with a pricier label.
If you buy orchid bark at a garden centre it is the same stuff but much cheaper.
(mulch cheaper ?).

Question answered. Thank you very much! I really appreciate it.

 

[Tom]

Orchid bark = fir bark = reptile bark. This is the best substrate for russians. How do they know its 2 years old?

 

[Thomas Lamar]

Orchid bark = fir bark = reptile bark. This is the best substrate for russians. How do they know its 2 years old?

I suppose they likely don't know for certain. It was based on the age the previous owner gave them at the time of surrender, based on that person getting it as a baby, I think.

 

[GBtortoises]

Cypress bark mulch is much less expensive and equally adequate as any of the pet shop products or orchid bark which tends to be a bit pricey by comparison and usually only available in smaller quantities.

But suitable substrate also depends upon the size/age of your tortoise. You say that you were told that it is two years old, how big is it measuring the straight length across the top of the carapace (SCL)?

 

[Thomas Lamar]

Cypress bark mulch is much less expensive and equally adequate as any of the pet shop products or orchid bark which tends to be a bit pricey by comparison and usually only available in smaller quantities.

But suitable substrate also depends upon the size/age of your tortoise. You say that you were told that it is two years old, how big is it measuring the straight length across the top of the carapace (SCL)?

I haven't measured it with the tape yet, but if I was to estimate, I would say about 5-6 inches.

 

[Thomas Lamar]

I haven't measured it with the tape yet, but if I was to estimate, I would say about 5-6 inches.

Measured: Carapace length is about 5.5 inches. I was right on.

 

[GBtortoises]

At 5.5 inches your Russian tortoise is definitely older than 2 years. It is near or at adult size.

 

[Thomas Lamar]

At 5.5 inches your Russian tortoise is definitely older than 2 years. It is near or at adult size.

After reading your comment last night, I got to googling the size to age ratio of Russian tortoises, and I agree with you. Seems much more likely the guy I adopted is 5 or older. Seems his tail is swept to the side as well. Another sign of maturity. Unfortunately, there doesnt seem to be any accurate way to tell how old he is that I can find. I just know he is old enough to have the morphological characteristics of a mature adult. In any event, he is a cool little guy.