Help with leopard baby's substrate

[Tysleopardglenn]

So I'm having a issue with my tortoises substrate. I'm using Eco earth with flukers sphagnum moss in one corner and I his humid hide. My issue is he is dragging the Eco earth all over the place in his water all over his food because I'm keeping the humidity up around 70-80 percent it sticks to everything! I see a ton of people that use like the repti bark mulch type of bedding and their enclosure looks so clean. I'm changing his water a thousand times a day and his food gets covered in it so quick I feel like he is just eating it. I'm thinking of switching to the mulch tomorrow but would love some feedback! Thanks guys! another pic of his enclosure

 

[wellington]

I only use coconut coir, ecoearth. If you keep the top layer damp and pat it down, you should have as much of a problem. I never have any problems with it. The repti bark can mold coir won't and holds humidity the best. That's just my opinion.

 

[Tysleopardglenn]

I can't keep it damp though I try to but he still draggs it everywhere and I can't keep it packed enough around his water dish and he has a hard time getting in and out and I'm worried he might flip over.... You can see my light is in the corner to create a micro climate over the moss for humidity i just want to a) make it easy for him to get in his water and B) make it less messy.... What do I do!!!

 

[volcom6981]

I love Cypress Mulch, you can buy it at lowes or Home Depot, or even at your pet store. For me cypress mulch is great not as much of a mess, plus it holds humidity great!

 

[wellington]

I haven't used it, but lots say cypress mulch doesn't mold. You might try that. The other thing you can do, which I have always done, I put flat rocks around the water bowl so he has to walk on those before he gets into his dish. Helps to get any coir that might be on his feet off before entering the water dish. Also, I never had a really deep substrate where the food and water were. They aren't really burrowing torts anyway, so I only have a deeper substrate where the hide and plants are. That might help.

 

[Tysleopardglenn]

Ok I may try the mulch... I'm using a terra cotta dish for water like a lot of people suggested and it works really good but it he tracks the Eco earth everywhere! He is in an out of he water all the time so I have to keep pulling the dish out and cleaning it and putting it back in and burying it again in the Eco earth it's driving me crazy!! If he can be on mulch with no problem I feel it would be much easier plus I have no problem pulling it all out every month or so and replacing it... I have seen lots of pictures of them on mulch but I wanted to get some opinions first

 

[Minority1]

It's not the substrate that's the problem. Moist coco coir sticks as well. You should follow Wellington's advice and either put a tile or flat walking surface under the feeding and water dish. It'll lower your chances of them tracking substrate on their food and having water splashed about and spilling on the substrate as well.

Simple link explaining several ideas on feeding/water dish options:
http://startortoises.net/bowls-dishes.html

I use a sheet of flooring under my feeding dish. My tortoise usually does his business on it while eating so cleaning is fairly easy.

 

[Tysleopardglenn]

I guess I'm just annoyed with the Eco earth... It's messy as all get out... I see tons of people using lots of sphagnum moss as substrate as well as cypress mulch and it seems so much cleaner... I agree with the idea of putting a flat tile down and I'm getting one tomorrow but this is a three week old leopard I need something super low cut to allow him easy acess to and I'm having a hard time finding something. I just feel like the cypress would be so much cleaner and easier to manage if its not going to harm him I think I would rather use that

 

[Godcomplex]

I use coco coir, and its messy. Gets into the eyes so often , im planning to use dirt. Or at least mix it with dirt .

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

I love Cypress Mulch, you can buy it at lowes or Home Depot, or even at your pet store. For me cypress mulch is great not as much of a mess, plus it holds humidity great!

I agree with this 100%, but buy it in large bags on Amazon.

 

[Tysleopardglenn]

I think I'm sold on the micro climate theory... Having a humid spot that's really wet for humidity and a dry spot on the other side as well as a humid hide... Seem the most natural for them... I'm going to pick up some cypress mulch today and probably leave a little of the Eco earth for moisture mixed in with it but most will change to the cypress

 

[volcom6981]

I have one of my tortoises, on organic soil mixed with cypress mulch, so it's really up to you what you want to do. All my hachlings have humid hides, and I usually make sure they are in it over night. I keep the hide in the 80s, and very wet.

 

[Tysleopardglenn]

Mine will only sleep in one corner of his tank and won't use his humid hide so far but he is in and out of his water bowl a lot and I keep it very humid so I think we are doing ok so far... I'm just not liking the Eco earth that much it was great for my snakes but for tortoises that walk through it all the time it is kid of annoying

 

[volcom6981]

At night just put him in the humid hide, that's what I do to try and train they to go in at night

 

[Tysleopardglenn]

Ok sounds good I will try that!! What do you feed uours

 

[volcom6981]

I feed a variety of dark greens, spring mix is good for hachlings. I like dandilion, collards, red leaf, green leaf, romain, grass, mazziuri. I always make sure there is food there for him to eat if he's hungry. I also throw in some shredded carrots once a week.

 

[Tysleopardglenn]

I am doing escarole turnip greens mustard greens endive collards and dandelion all in rotation and each time I chop up Timothy hay in with it cut really fine to get him extra fiber.! How does that sound??

 

[volcom6981]

Sounds good to me those are great foods to feed. Main thing just him warm, make sure you have a good UVB, and don't forget to supplement calcium and vitamins. Sounds like your doing a good job.

 

[Tysleopardglenn]

I have a 125 watt Exo terra solar glow MVB during the day and a 150 watt infrared spot bulb at night. The cool side stays around 83 with a basking zone around 110.. At night same thing high humidity never dropping below 83. Switched to a cypress mulch bedding and I love it! He gets around better gets into his water dish easier and his food stays cleaner! All in all i think it's going well he is getting very active

 

[Mich]

I love Cypress Mulch, you can buy it at lowes or Home Depot, or even at your pet store. For me cypress mulch is great not as much of a mess, plus it holds humidity great!

I agree with this 100%, but buy it in large bags on Amazon.

I too use cypress mulch in 3/4 of my enclosure and now have soil at one far end in the other 1/4. $5 for a huge bag at Home Depot. I also added live plants to keep my humidity up. I tried eco earth and coco-choir mixed with soil and play sand but it was always so dry and "dusty" even with daily misting. The cypress is dry too but at least it isn't dusty and getting into her eyes, I can easily spray it down and it has never molded on me. If she tramples a bit in her water dish its easy enough to scoop out (unless of course there is a lot or she soiled it then I change it but I only have to do that once a day). I do like sphagnum moss and use it for other reptiles but my tort just dragged it around too .. I also used a variety of dried grasses in her warm/dry hide (timothy, orchid) but again it ended up everywhere and tramped throughout the rest of the substrates lol Such slobs!!