Hermann tortoise bedding?

[Caityp]

Hi,

I have recently inherited two Hermann Tortoises Ed & Sid. They are lovely, however as they are living in a tortoise table which has no lid, every time they walk their sand/soil terrain is going all over my house.
I want to keep the tortoises but I am fed up of cleaning all the dust. Can anyone please suggest an alternative bedding that is safe for them?

Taa, Cait

 

[smarch]

I own a Russian, so care is similar, so i'll put in my imput since no one else is responding.

Sand in substrate generally isn't recommended due to impaction, where sand gets accidentally ingested and stuck in their stomachs leading to costly surgery. And as someone who used to keep mine on sand it does create horrible dust and covers the torts to bring everywhere.
I use repti-bark which you can find cheaper at home depot or lowes as "cypress mulch" make sure it doesn't have sharp points. the mulch ends up making some dust but not like sand mixes can.

Also how high are your tortoise table walls? Ever consider adding another board higher to contain more dust? I'm currently in a tank so I can't speak for tables too great. Hope I help some for you and your tortoises sake!

 

[Caityp]

Thanks that's great! I'm going to try to get some reptile bark on the weekend, I can't deal with the mess!
The table is 8inches high. So I'm going to see if I can make the walls higher
Thanks for your help

 

[StarSapphire22]

Thanks that's great! I'm going to try to get some reptile bark on the weekend, I can't deal with the mess!
The table is 8inches high. So I'm going to see if I can make the walls higher
Thanks for your help

I would add another foot in height at least. Hermann's are diggers and should have at least 6" of substrate to burrow in, and then enough height for them to stand on their hind legs straight up and still not reach the top edge of the enclosure. 18-24 inches is a good height.

Coco coir, plain top soil (no fertilizers, pebbles, manure, etc.), cypress mulch, reptibark/fine grade orchid bark, are all suitable substrates. Sand is not ok, for reasons previously mentioned.

You should consider separating the pair. Testudo species especially tend not to do well in pairs and there is often bullying involved, and is sometimes hard to spot.