Best substrate/where to buy in UK which isn't a petstore

Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
45
Location (City and/or State)
Midlands, UK
Hi! Please can you tell me what's the best substrate for my baby horsefield tort, hes 2.5 inches long. Currently using sand/soil which I want to get away from, damn you pet shop advice! I've been recommended coco coir or orchid bark. Which is better? And where is the best place to buy in UK? I live in the midlands

Thanks!

Charlotte
 

lornaB

New Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
EXETER
Hi Charlotte, I'm looking for either of these in bulk too - did you find any?
 
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
45
Location (City and/or State)
Midlands, UK

Yossarian

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Messages
813
Location (City and/or State)
Wales
I started with a mixture of soil and coco, have shifted to a mixture of coco and bark, which holds moisture so much better and is not as dirty, pardon the pun. Amazon is the cheapest I have found for Coco but im checking out the website now so if thats cheaper go with it, the stuff seems to have gotten expensive lately, the compact bricks in the link above are the way to go, you just need a big bucket or similar to re-hydrate them, and its a bit messy.
 
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
45
Location (City and/or State)
Midlands, UK
I started with a mixture of soil and coco, have shifted to a mixture of coco and bark, which holds moisture so much better and is not as dirty, pardon the pun. Amazon is the cheapest I have found for Coco, the compact bricks in the link above are the way to go, you just need a big bucket or similar to re-hydrate them, and its a bit messy.
Totally agree on the messiness, but my tort Lionel has great fun burrowing in it. I may move onto orchid bark when hes 1 year+. It's so easy to use, I add 2 litres of luke warm water per brick and get my hands in there to speed up the process, also super satisfying to watch it break up :) Then I pour a bit of water in there and mix up every day or two while hes having his morning bath
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,270
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
It will be less messy if you start with t thick layer and hand pack it down repeatedly. It settles in after a couple of weeks and is quite nice. It must be kept damp, but not sopping wet.

I use coco coir for babies and fine grade orchid bark for larger ones.
 
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
45
Location (City and/or State)
Midlands, UK
It will be less messy if you start with t thick layer and hand pack it down repeatedly. It settles in after a couple of weeks and is quite nice. It must be kept damp, but not sopping wet.

I use coco coir for babies and fine grade orchid bark for larger ones.
I will try this when I kit out my new table, thanks Tom :)
 

lornaB

New Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
EXETER
Thanks for the heads up on the coco coir. My enclosure is about 3ft by 5ft so i'm going to need a lot of it i think, I will try amazon but i am (generally) trying to avoid them as much as possible. My trip to B&Q yesterday wasn't great as they only had the kind of bark which you put on flowerbeds which nobody has mentioned so i guess isn't suitable?
 
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
45
Location (City and/or State)
Midlands, UK
Thanks for the heads up on the coco coir. My enclosure is about 3ft by 5ft so i'm going to need a lot of it i think, I will try amazon but i am (generally) trying to avoid them as much as possible. My trip to B&Q yesterday wasn't great as they only had the kind of bark which you put on flowerbeds which nobody has mentioned so i guess isn't suitable?
The only bark I would recommend is orchid bark, and only the fine version ?
 

Zoeclare

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2020
Messages
700
Location (City and/or State)
Uk
I am in the UK as well! In the US it seems bulk bags of garden bark actually say on them what bark it is made from, I can't find ANY in the UK so far that say what the bark is, big brands or own brand. I looked for ages when I upgraded my enclosure to 7ft by 3ft for a cheaper option than the reptibark (pet shop brand) I even emailed a well known company to ask and just got a generic email back about sustainable sources. It's not the companies fault I guess as they don't intend the product to be used as substrate but I didn't risk it in the end and went reptibark! ? It was expensive though!
 

Blackdog1714

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2018
Messages
4,666
Location (City and/or State)
Richmond, VA
Fine Fir Bark is marketed as Reptibark for the animal trade. Use the coco coir first then sprinkle the reptibark on top. It is way neater/cleaner and works the same to hold mositure. THat way is also cheaper since in the US $16 for a 24 quart Reptibark is a sale price and regualr is around $18. That would be way expensive to fill with all reptibark
 

Zoeclare

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2020
Messages
700
Location (City and/or State)
Uk
Fine Fir Bark is marketed as Reptibark for the animal trade. Use the coco coir first then sprinkle the reptibark on top. It is way neater/cleaner and works the same to hold mositure. THat way is also cheaper since in the US $16 for a 24 quart Reptibark is a sale price and regualr is around $18. That would be way expensive to fill with all reptibark
Tell me about it! I'll do that next substrate change lol! I had him on coco coir and then switched for his big boy enclosure ?. Even actual orchid potting bark here only comes in tiny overpriced bags! I'm so jealous of those big home depot bags of fir bark I see posted!
 

Blackdog1714

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2018
Messages
4,666
Location (City and/or State)
Richmond, VA
Tell me about it! I'll do that next substrate change lol! I had him on coco coir and then switched for his big boy enclosure ?. Even actual orchid potting bark here only comes in tiny overpriced bags! I'm so jealous of those big home depot bags of fir bark I see posted!
Heck listening to Tom talk about getting Fine Fir Bark bags at the local garden centers for like $20. Makes we wanna think about driving cross country
 

lornaB

New Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
EXETER
That is SO cheap - thanks for the tip-off I am going to order 6 bricks now :) The closest I found at B&Q was Verve Bark Mulch which includes Coir but also has composted bark and green compost so i'm not sure what involves, but anyway, I will get the bricks... if anyone ever finds orchid bark on the cheap do let me know :)
 
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
45
Location (City and/or State)
Midlands, UK
That is SO cheap - thanks for the tip-off I am going to order 6 bricks now :) The closest I found at B&Q was Verve Bark Mulch which includes Coir but also has composted bark and green compost so i'm not sure what involves, but anyway, I will get the bricks... if anyone ever finds orchid bark on the cheap do let me know :)

Here you go ☺️
 

New Posts

Top