Coconut coir carpet

[turbobooster14]

Hi, I have been researching new substrates for my Russian tortoise since he doesn’t seem happy any more and I’m trying to change up my husbandry. I found a veterinarian who had husbandry sheets and for Russian tortoises they recommended a coconut coir carpet covering the entire enclosure and obviously having 2 hides as well as a burrowing hide. What are y’alls thoughts on this “carpet” and how should I go about making a burrowing hide?

 

[TechnoCheese]

Carpet as in a solid sheet of coconut liner? Definitely not. These are burrowing tortoises that should have a nice, thick layer of substrate to bury themselves in, in addition to being able to exercise their legs. Fine grade orchid bark and cypress mulch work great, and if those can’t be found, coconut coir can potentially work if patted down and compressed. It can be pretty messy.

Can we see a picture of your enclosure? We can help you out if there’s anything that needs to be changed

 

[turbobooster14]

This is his current indoor and outdoor set up. Outdoor is for about 1-2 hours a few times a week with supervision because he likes to escape! I know his indoor habitat is lacking and I’m not sure if Timothy hay is an appropriate substrate but he loves burrowing in it much more than mulch or loose coconut coir, he also loves to eat it. I also don’t have a hide in his indoor enclosure because he never used it. He would prefer to burrow in the hay. I have one ceramic heat emitter. One UVB light bulb and one light/heat emitting bulb that went out today.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Alright, here are the things I see-

-hay definitely shouldn’t be used for bedding. It’s too dry and molds with humidity, it can be dusty, and can easily cause respiratory issues.

-I would definitely add more clutter to the enclosure. Right now it’s open, and there’s nothing to do. Hides, sight barriers, plants, etc. are all things you can add to provide more cover and reason to be active.

-how big are your enclosures? The recommended minimum is 8x4 feet.

-are you using a compact UVB in the indoor enclosure? If so, remove it. They are known to cause eye burns and other issues, and aren’t effective at producing UVB. Tube fluorescents are the way to go, but since yours gets outside frequently, you don’t need one.

-what are your temperatures usually at? Basking, cool side, warm side, night.

Be sure to give these a read-
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

 

[Walnut's_pet]

I realize this is an old thread. However, I just wanted to comment that after experimenting with a lot of different substrate materials for an indoor enclosure, I too found the coconut coir mats ideal, for several reasons; 1) Ease of cleaning. Most messes just wipe right up. Excess food or debris around the basking/feeding spot can be vacuumed out. And they are easily washable with a hose and dried in the sun. I replace them about every 3-6 months, as needed. 2) creates no dust. Previous mediums covered Everything inside the enclosure (tortoise included) and outside of it in fine layer of dust and would irritate Walnut's eyes and breathing. 3) traction for my RT. Other materials I tried (mulch, soil, sand, chips, combinations of these) never provided a strong enough foothold and her feet would often slip out from under her (the floor is wood w/ vinyl tile). I ended up with the following for her indoor enclosure; (enclosure is made of two ZooMed tortoise house enclosures linked together, which is still small at only 6'x2' - I'm working on this)... Coco mats on the open portion (ensure they are not rubber backed or otherwise treated with chemicals). You can order sizes that fit these enclosures almost perfectly. I like them a little long so it create a small hill/mound that she can easily climb over and hang out on under a UVB. If needed, these mats can be trimmed with heavy scissors or a utility knife. In the enclosed part (roughly 1' x 2') a thick (4-6 inch) layer of a combination of timothy hay (which she really likes to cover herself with) on one side and cypress mulch (ZooMed's Forest Floor) on the other side which provides her the opportunity to dig and it helps retain some moisture for humidity. As noted above, the hay can become moldy over time so you need to check it (as I suspect we would do for any substrate). This is what has worked best for Walnut and I. May be different for others. Hope it provides food for thought, anyway. My next challenge is a suitable permanent outdoor enclosure.