Evil substrate

T33's Torts

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I use the coir easily. No problems, ever... Just REALLY pack it down. :p
 

Barista5261

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Yep. Best substrate I have tried yet that keeps my closed chambers nice and humid for my sullies [THUMBS UP SIGN][TURTLE][TURTLE]

I am easily amused, so I love rehydrating bricks of it and watching it triple its size in like 20 seconds [GRINNING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]
 

lisa127

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I hate it too. But not for being messy. Messy is part of the life of a turtle/tortoise! I hate working with it, rehydrating it, etc. You have to add stuff to it to give it some substance though, otherwise it is too soft and fluffy for walking and digging.
 

Elohi

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Mix it with ground peat. Wet it. Pack it down. It isn't messy at all when it's packed.


I love the smell of the coconut coir/peat mixture. So earthy. I'm weird. I know lololol.
 

Tom

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lisa127 said:
I hate it too. But not for being messy. Messy is part of the life of a turtle/tortoise! I hate working with it, rehydrating it, etc. You have to add stuff to it to give it some substance though, otherwise it is too soft and fluffy for walking and digging.

You must have something different than what I have. It is not not too soft for walking. They walk on it all day long with no trouble at all. And its not soft or fluffy either. My 20 Russians dig into it all day long everyday. It holds its shape for their little burrows and while it might balance on top of them when they. Climb out of their burrow, it doesn't stick to them.

Is sounds to me like what you are describing is freshly hydrated, unpacked, loose coco fiber. If you put in about 6" of the loose stuff and then pack it down with your hand, it does not display the properties you describe.
 

bouaboua

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You cannot use the coco coil when it is too wet or too dry. It will take little time (less then a week) to figure our the right balance of the moisture in it.

Like everyone suggested. Pack it down. I placed some tiles on it for couple days to weight it down before I put them back and it work like a charm.
 

gtc

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I love coco coir. Its amazing stuff. Holds moisture, doesn't mold, plants grow in it, smells good, great for burrowing...the list goes on.
 

kezilulu

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I'm about to attempt Coco Coir for the 2nd time tomorrow. I agree with it being horrendously messy and getting everywhere as that's what happened to me last time but I've used less water, I'm leaving it overnight to dry out a little and then tomorrow I'm going to pack it down to within an inch of it's life and pray that the mess is less! lol
Wish me luck!
xXx
 

Tom

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It takes time for it to settle in. Give it a week or two to dry out a bit and pack down. After that it works great and you'll forget about the initial mess.
 

Lillysmytort

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Omg!!! I love this forum!!

I will do some renovating tonight when she is in her spa treatment!

I'll let you know how it goes!
 

Dizisdalife

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I never had a problem with coir. Packed down good and was done. About every 6 months I took it all out and baked it in the oven (wife was away) to kill any unwanteds then put it all back.
 

Levi the Leopard

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Dizisdalife said:
I took it all out and baked it in the oven (wife was away) to kill any unwanteds then put it all back.

hahaha, when I bake mine in the oven the husband looks at me and shakes his head! :p :rolleyes:
 

bouaboua

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Team Gomberg said:
Dizisdalife said:
I took it all out and baked it in the oven (wife was away) to kill any unwanteds then put it all back.

hahaha, when I bake mine in the oven the husband looks at me and shakes his head! :p :rolleyes:

Why shake his head? because not coming to the dinner table afterward?

May I ask at what temperatures you bake them? and for how long? Thanks.
 

Barista5261

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Can't you also bake dirt taken from outside (after all pebbles and whatnots are removed) to kill any nasties?
 

lisa127

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I'm wondering why everyone uses coco coir as opposed to peat moss. What is the advantage of the coco over the peat?
 

Elohi

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lisa127 said:
I'm wondering why everyone uses coco coir as opposed to peat moss. What is the advantage of the coco over the peat?

I use a mix of peat and coir. It has a fantastic texture and packability. It holds moisture like a boss. It is "spongy" when packed down. Excellent combination.
 

lisa127

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I'm asking because I am still trying to find what I like best. I have two juvenile box turtles. One is small at about 3.5 inches and one is a monster at about 5.75 inches SCL. The larger one has always been on a substrate of coco coir with long fibred new Zealand sphagnum moss mixed in. The smaller one has a substrate of peat moss with some finely shredded bark mixed in. I am actually liking that mix at the moment. Someday I'll decide what works best...lol.
 

Dizisdalife

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bouaboua said:
Team Gomberg said:
Dizisdalife said:
I took it all out and baked it in the oven (wife was away) to kill any unwanteds then put it all back.

hahaha, when I bake mine in the oven the husband looks at me and shakes his head! :p :rolleyes:

Why shake his head? because not coming to the dinner table afterward?

May I ask at what temperatures you bake them? and for how long? Thanks.

First I sifted through the substrate for any hidden objects. Then I piled the coir into a couple of 9x12 baking pans and set the oven at 450F. Thirty minutes at that temp should be enough, but I would let it go until I saw the little oven window start to steam up. This was moist substrate after all. Then I would dump it on an table (outdoors) to let it cool down some before placing it back into the tortoise's enclosure. Usually I would get this done while my sulcata was in his outdoor pen.
 

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