Need some advice on substrate

[Oogway123?]

Hiya, I have recently been given a herman tortoise and need some advice. I want to offer it the best care possible. Currently its being kept in a tortoise table and on the habistat tortise bedding, a mix if soil, sand and grit. My concern is the humidity as it seems to have some pyramyding and I have heard low humidity is a factor. This bedding dries quite quick and seems dusty. I regularly soak it every few days and have added moss into its hideout. So what can be done to prevent further pyramyding and whats the best bedding? Thanks

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome from a fellow uk member! Always great to see folks this side of the pond joining the forum, you’ve found the best place with all the up to date information!

You’re absolutely right to be asking the questions you are, I definitely don’t recommend those soil mixes, sand can pose its own risks in captivity from impaction, to eye and respiratory irritation, plus it creates a horrible consistency when trying to add the moisture needed. Remove the moss too as that can also block them up if eaten.

Unfortunately there’s no way to maintain the higher humidity babies need with an open top table, however you can buy/make some sort of covering to combat this.

Higher humidity and the correct lighting will be key in preventing the pyramiding from progressing.

This thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If ever going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better, but I’ll include some more ideas below for closed chambers, vivs are technically the best choice

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This covers a bunch of other closed chamber options, some do work better than others, hopefully you’ll find a cover that works for you, but like I say vivs are a top notch choice, theres actually a company in the uk called Southdown aquatics that make custom sizes

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

This one is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

I hope these help! Please do ask any further questions, and let me know if you ever need any uk links to products

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Oogway123?]

Hello and welcome from a fellow uk member! Always great to see folks this side of the pond joining the forum, you’ve found the best place with all the up to date information!

You’re absolutely right to be asking the questions you are, I definitely don’t recommend those soil mixes, sand can pose its own risks in captivity from impaction, to eye and respiratory irritation, plus it creates a horrible consistency when trying to add the moisture needed. Remove the moss too as that can also block them up if eaten.

Unfortunately there’s no way to maintain the higher humidity babies need with an open top table, however you can buy/make some sort of covering to combat this.

Higher humidity and the correct lighting will be key in preventing the pyramiding from progressing.

This thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If ever going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better, but I’ll include some more ideas below for closed chambers, vivs are technically the best choice

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This covers a bunch of other closed chamber options, some do work better than others, hopefully you’ll find a cover that works for you, but like I say vivs are a top notch choice, theres actually a company in the uk called Southdown aquatics that make custom sizes

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

This one is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

I hope these help! Please do ask any further questions, and let me know if you ever need any uk links to products

Thanks so much for all the info. In terms of supplmenting he/she has a cuttlebone and I use the arcadia earth pro A which I dust on the food. Is that good, or am I overdoing it. What is best?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thanks so much for all the info. In terms of supplmenting he/she has a cuttlebone and I use the arcadia earth pro A which I dust on the food. Is that good, or am I overdoing it. What is best?

No problem at all! Honestly if you provide a super varied, balanced diet you can sometimes forego supplements if you give constant access to cuttlefish. But if you’re going to add a pinch of the Arcadia powder, only do it 2-3 times a week, and you should barely be able to see it on the food, it should virtually disappear, half the size of your small finger nail