Hypoallergenic Substrates

[TortsForTot]

Hello, I am new to this forum and to the tortoise community in general. Long story short my toddler son is a huge animal fan and wants a pet in the worst way. After a lot of research we finally decided on a Russian Tortoise. We have not purchased one yet, but have been reading about substrates and i've seen a lot of mixed answers. My son and I both have Alergies and respiratory concerns. I feel my throat getting scratchy just walking into a pet store. I'm looking to find a substrate that is going to be good for the tort but also not cause health issues for my family. We live in the USA, in New England, and will keep the tort inside. Is there a hypoallergenic substrate that anyone would recommend? If so do I need to mix it with anything? Mist it? Etc. Any advice/tips would be appreciated.

 

[KevinGG]

Welcome. Fine grade orchid bark seems to work well and might be the least dusty since it is a mulch. You'll want to mix it with water so that the bottom half stays damp while the top layer is dry. You can just mix all of it with water. The top layer will dry in a day or two. Make sure you use "fine grade". Not the large pieces.

Read this: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

I'd recommend getting the substrate and setting it up in a large bowl and keeping it moist to test your allergies before committing to more. Orchid bark (fir bark), cypress mulch, and cococoir are popular - good for the tortoise - substrates. There are no definitively hypoallergenic substrates. They all produce some degree of dust, but that is minimized by keeping them properly hydrated (which is good for the tortoise too). You do this by pouring water periodically into the enclosure like watering plants - misting is generally not enough. The cococoir is the dustiest.

All substrates can house mold too. This is minimized by keeping the enclosure healthy overall - don't leave food out for more than a day, change water daily, etc. I have found using bioactive substrate (my enclosure has a self sustaining population of invertebrates for soil maintenance) keeps mold to a minimum (I have mold allergies and they are not bothered by the tortoise enclosure).

 

[TortsForTot]

Thank you both very much! Much appreciated. When I poor the water in, it's likely going to be good and wet...is it OK for the tort to be in his enclosure while everything is wet or do I need to wait for the top to start to dry? How often do you remove all the substrate and start fresh? What is safe to use when cleaning the enclosure? Thanks in advance!

 

[KevinGG]

Thank you both very much! Much appreciated. When I poor the water in, it's likely going to be good and wet...is it OK for the tort to be in his enclosure while everything is wet or do I need to wait for the top to start to dry? How often do you remove all the substrate and start fresh? What is safe to use when cleaning the enclosure? Thanks in advance!

It'll be fine while it dries. The only concern is consistently wet conditions without reprieve. Remember DAMP is the key word here. Not wet. You just want the bottom layer to be moist, not soggy or have standing water.

Certain people change substrate every 3 weeks, others every 3 months, and others every 3 years. Really depends on your upkeep of the enclosure. Remove poop and old food daily. I choose to just play it by sight. At a certain point the bark will start to decompose into soil, or will smell because your upkeep has been lousy, or something else. Really up to you.

When I do clean the entire enclosures, most of the time i just use hot water and a sponge. If i feel the need or am putting a new species in an old enclosure, I'll use chlorhexadine. I think most people use bleach.