Buying a tortoise

[_The_Beast_]

Whichever one you get, please keep us updated with pictures and news 😊 it's really wonderful to see them grow and thrive when they're given a great environment and caring home. It's fantastic that you're here engaging in conversation and asking for advice.

 

[talal]

Btw i am just now getting the enclosure ready (i had to postpone my schedule due to some event now ill be getting the tortoise on Monday) i am confused shou i use cocopeat or coco chunks for substrate keep in mind we barely have any reptile products in pak so my options are only hay straw cocopeat coco chunks
Sand soil so what should i do

 

[talal]

Btw i am just now getting the enclosure ready (i had to postpone my schedule due to some event now ill be getting the tortoise on Monday) i am confused shou i use cocopeat or coco chunks for substrate keep in mind we barely have any reptile products in pak so my options are only hay straw cocopeat coco chunks
Sand soil so what should i do

I can get reptileproducts frm china but that wud take atleast a month

 

[wellington]

Btw i am just now getting the enclosure ready (i had to postpone my schedule due to some event now ill be getting the tortoise on Monday) i am confused shou i use cocopeat or coco chunks for substrate keep in mind we barely have any reptile products in pak so my options are only hay straw cocopeat coco chunks
Sand soil so what should i do

No peat, hay or sand. Not sure what the Coco chunks are. Is it coconut coir chunks or coco like chocolate?
If it's coconut coir than yes, coco like shell from coco beans no.
Any kind of bark available? Orchid bark, fir bark?
Do you have grass in your yard that has not been treated? If you can't find any safe Bark or coconut coir, then I would cut out a patch of your yard

 

[talal]

No peat, hay or sand. Not sure what the Coco chunks are. Is it coconut coir chunks or coco like chocolate?
If it's coconut coir than yes, coco like shell from coco beans no.
Any kind of bark available? Orchid bark, fir bark?
Do you have grass in your yard that has not been treated? If you can't find any safe Bark or coconut coir, then I would cut out a patch of your yard

Its coconut coir chunks

 

[talal]

Are you sure coco peat is no good? I heard alot of good about it on utube

 

[wellington]

Are you sure coco peat is no good? I heard alot of good about it on utube

Usually no peat. But I'm not familiar with coco peat. Is it just ground up coconut coir?

 

[talal]

Usually no peat. But I'm not familiar with coco peat. Is it just ground up coconut coir?

Yes

 

[wellington]

Okay, I looked it up. I have bought the bricks a lot. Never bought any that I remember saying coco peat.
Yes, that should be fine, the Coco peat.

 

[talal]

I was thinking about mixing coco peat with the chunks to have a substrate which abosbs moisture

 

[talal]

And can i put in some live plants

 

[Ink]

And can i put in some live plants

I put live safe to tortoises and pesticide free in a mound of it. It seems to be working

 

[talal]

I put live safe to tortoises and pesticide free in a mound of it. It seems to be working

Are aloe vera and spider plants safe?

 

[wellington]

Are aloe vera and spider plants safe?

Yes those plants are safe and yes you can mix the two but not needed. Although, if you put the cocopeat on the bottom, pack it down and the chunks on top it would help keep the peat out of the water dish. You can also grow from seeds in the Coco peat. I did years ago. It grew enough my leopard could graze on it but it doesn't stay alive too long.

 

[_The_Beast_]

I use coco coir (which is sounds like is similar to the coco peat you're using) and have both spider plant and aloe growing. I have them in small terra cotta pots partially buried in the substrate, with the rim a little above the substrate so they can be chomped on but are harder for my hatchling to trample. You can also plant directly in the substrate, just be prepared for the plants to get stomped and be ready to replace them as needed. That said, I have a russian, so I can keep plants safe-ish for a while since russian's stay small. Your tort will eventually get big enough that my little pots wouldn't stand a chance! Edible plants great for adding shade, enrichment, and variety. You can use this forum and The Tortoise Table plant database to help identify safe plants.

 

[talal]

How often should i spray my tortoise enclosure.i spray my Russian's enclosure like 3-4 times a day he's an adult male should i do the same for the sulcata(the enclosure for the sulcata is plastic storage box 2 feet length 12 inch wide amd has a lid.

 

[MenagerieGrl]

How often should i spray my tortoise enclosure.i spray my Russian's enclosure like 3-4 times a day he's an adult male should i do the same for the sulcata(the enclosure for the sulcata is plastic storage box 2 feet length 12 inch wide amd has a lid.

Hard to say how much, you should have a humidistat in the tub, and keep the Humidity up 80+% all the time. It's most important for babies! As they get older, it is harder to keep large enclosures humid, as they will get so large that they need a yard for these bulldozers to roam

 

[_The_Beast_]

How often should i spray my tortoise enclosure.i spray my Russian's enclosure like 3-4 times a day he's an adult male should i do the same for the sulcata(the enclosure for the sulcata is plastic storage box 2 feet length 12 inch wide amd has a lid.

Rather than relying on spraying, you can use deeper substrate and pour water into the corners to help get the humidity up, turning the substrate over to bring the wetter substrate at the bottom up to the top and the dry substrate down to the bottom as needed. Coco coir (coco peat) does a great job of holding moisture and won't mold, so get it good and wet and hand pack it down. In a closed chamber, this should be enough to keep the humidity high, which is a must for hatchlings. For measuring humidity, you need a digital hygrometer at tort level to get an accurate reading. Once they're adults, they don't need the humidity to be as high.

 

[talal]

Rather than relying on spraying, you can use deeper substrate and pour water into the corners to help get the humidity up, turning the substrate over to bring the wetter substrate at the bottom up to the top and the dry substrate down to the bottom as needed. Coco coir (coco peat) does a great job of holding moisture and won't mold, so get it good and wet and hand pack it down. In a closed chamber, this should be enough to keep the humidity high, which is a must for hatchlings. For measuring humidity, you need a digital hygrometer at tort level to get an accurate reading. Once they're adults, they don't need the humidity to be as high.

Which one should i get the wired one or the wireless one

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Both can work and, as far as I know, accuracy and reliability are near the same. Wired allow precise probe placement (e.g. in the humid hide, hang from above in the middle and such), but wires get in the way sometimes.