Is bermuda too pokey a substrate?

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Jon B

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I'll be getting a Russian tortoise soon and I needed some opinions on substrate.

He'll have an approx. 9' x 6' yard and about a 12' x 6' house for nighttime.
The indoor area has a wooden floor, so I was thinking of using bermuda because it won't rot the wood; also a soil/coir mix in the walled-off corner for bedding, placed on top of hay and some newspaper to prevent floor damage. I don't want three layers like that over the whole thing though because it would be a mess :p

I'm a little concerned about the bermuda. I've heard it can poke their eyes and needs to stay dryer than torts would like.

Does anyone have experience using bermuda as a substrate who can tell me horror stories or give it the a-ok? Or can anyone recommend another substrate good for large areas that won't damage the floor?

~ Thanks :)
 

tinkerbell1189

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I lined the bottom of my wooden enclosure with plastic to stop it rotting, although it is plywood so shouldn't rot. Russians love to dig so mine has half his enclosure topsoil to dig in an he burrows himself in to sleep, and the other half is cypress mulch.
 

NudistApple

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It isn't really recommended to use any dried grasses, hays, or pellets as substrate because they are dehydrating (mostly this is the pellets) and they mold very quickly (all of them).

Good options for you would be organic topsoil, yard dirt (if you don't spray pesticides or use fertilizers), coco coir/tropical soil, cypress mulch, or orchard bark. Or a combination of any of them! They all have pros and cons associated with them.

Just use some sort of a liner in the bottom of your enclosure!
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Jon:

I missed this thread back in June when you joined the forum. I just wanted to say, Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

Dried bermuda hay is pretty soft. I don't think you have to worry about it poking the eyes. But you can use something else on the floor besides hay. I prefer orchid bark or cypress mulch. In some of my sheds I don't even use a substrate on the floor. I have those thick rubber stall mats the feed store sells for horse stalls.
 
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