ideal

[Rosiee]

I have asked this before but what is the ideal Herman tortoise floor substraint? i have a wood chip but am unhappy with it because it doesnt look much fun i'd rather a soil-ly like sustance...

 

[stells]

Topsoil/playsand mixed 80/20

 

[Rosiee]

could i just use top soil?

 

[stells]

yep you can

 

[Crazy1]

Rosiee, you can use plain old dirt from your yard as long as it has not chemicals or pestisides. Or you can mix it with sand, or coco fiber or even wood shavings like aspen. I have use them all. All have there good points and some drawbacks. I chose aspen shavings (like for snakes), I don't like the chips it seems it is harder for them to manover on. It is easy for my Greek hatchlings to burrow in and easy for them to walk on the shaved aspen. Dirt did not show messes as easily and is much heavier. the weight was my biggest problem with the dirt, dirt/sand, and dirt/coco fiber mixtures. I also tried hay and terrarium carpet. Terrarium carpet gives them traction if they flip they can get traction to turn themselves on but I didn't like the look and it didn't really give them any changes in surface or anything they could burrow into. Hay on the carpet worked well but it was a pain to try and clean.
Hope this helps some.

 

[Rosiee]

I am very chuffed i have mixed her life up now and done a mix up of 3/4 of her cage floor is top soil and 1/4 of smaller wood chip, and Little foot seemed to really enjoy her new land, she was doing what i hoped she would which was diggin and climbing more.