New Substrate

[Rhyno47]

So I'm upgrading Isaac's enclosure and Im tired of coconut/sand sticking to him. I want to get cypress mulch or something its equivalent. It cant stick to him and has to cold lots of moisture. I know some mulches aren't what they say they are or hold toxins. So what can I get and where can I get it at?

 

[Madkins007]

I just get bags of the plain, cheap cypress. It may contain some pine, but other than one person's experience I have not seen any evidence that the small amounts in some mixes are a problem (based on my experience and research).

You can 'top dress' your soil with the cypress as well- that gives you more 'sponge-like' soil and the top layer of cypress does not stick.

 

[Yvonne G]

I've heard that you can find cypress mulch at Lowe's. But on the West Coast, its not available to us. The only place I can find it here in the West is small bags called Forest Floor, Jungle Bed or Cypress bed at Petsmart or Pet Extreme. More expensive to buy in the small bags, but not available otherwise.

 

[purpod]

Hiya Rhyno ~

I, too, did not like how the typical beddings out there stuck to my torts when they are in their indoor enclosure, so (much to the chagrin of some) I use the tightly low pile indoor-outdoor carpet... It is good for two of three washings before it is un-usable because it gets so wrinkled in the spin cycle.. (no soap at all), and then replace it. I get it at Home Depot for a chunk that is 50" X 6' for under $5 bucks. Mind you, this is not "astro-turf" style carpeting, so there is no irritation to their underbellies. Also, it makes clean-up of the enclosure very easy...

And Yvonne is right about the difficulties of locating cypress mulch on the West Coast. If you need large amounts of such, getting it from the local pet stores can get rather costly...

Anyways, those were just my thoughts... good luck with whatever you choose!
Purpod

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Just make SURE that whatever you get doesn't camouflage his poops, in case he decides to break his own record...

 

[GBtortoises]

I like to use Miracle-Gro brand organic potting soil. I mix it with sphagnum moss, leaf litter and small amount of coconut coir.

I too have stopped using sand partially because I do not like the fact that it sticks to the tortoises eyes, mouth and everything else. I have also seen no purpose for the sand. It doesn't hold any moisture or do anything else that is good.

 

[Yvonne G]

I like to use Miracle-Gro brand organic potting soil. I mix it with sphagnum moss, leaf litter and small amount of coconut coir.

I too have stopped using sand partially because I do not like the fact that it sticks to the tortoises eyes, mouth and everything else. I have also seen no purpose for the sand. It doesn't hold any moisture or do anything else that is good.

Yeah, I never could understand why to mix the coir with sand when sand causes impaction when ingested. But I figured since it is so popular a mixture now, maybe my thinking was old school. But I still don't use or like it.

 

[Rhyno47]

It works great for me other than sticking to my tort. I just feed him on a clean surface.

 

[Meg90]

The sand is so the eco holds shape more easily. without it, it gets pretty loose.

Bake any mulch you get from hardware/outdoor shops. I didn't when I put it in my tegu enclosure, and I got substrate mites. They don't bother the reptile, but they gravitate to poop, love heat and humidity reproduce like crazy and are all around ANNOYING.

On another topic, why did you have your user name changed?

 

[ChiKat]

I currently use coir/sand but I'm not a huge fan of the sand either.
Would it be okay to leave the sand out next time (or maybe I just won't use as much sand.)
Does the coir make a decent substrate by itself?

eta: Nevermind, I just read Meg's post above. I guess I'll just add less sand at the next substrate change! I was using 50/50.

 

[Meg90]

I like coir plain, I have a section of it in the younger torts enclosures. I would try less sand like an 80/20 mix

 

[ChiKat]

Thanks Meg! I need to order some new coir bricks. I'm planning on moving Nelson into a larger enclosure in the next few weeks

 

[Meg90]

go the petmountain route! you can get like 6 bricks for 15$ or so.

 

[ChiKat]

Thank you SO MUCH! I had never heard of that website.
I love that they have stuff for all different kinds of pets. I'm ordering my dogs new toys from that website too (Carl and Mia thank you )

Should I get the Eco Earth or Bed-A-Beast?

 

[Meg90]

http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-bedding/510332/zoo-med-eco-earth-3-pack.html

That's what I use.

You're welcome.

 

[GBtortoises]

The sand does nothing really, if you're trying to hold the substrate together by mixing it with sand it has to be so wet to do so that I question if it's too wet for Mediterranean tortoises. Redfoots, Yellowfoots and other "tropicals" maybe. Sand has more drawbacks than it does advantages.

 

[Madkins007]

I like sand in my Red-foot soil mixes since the torts compact the substrate so much that without sand for drainage it turns into a mud pile.

However, I am phasing out all soil mixes in favor of cypress mulch with the next upgrade of the habitat. Long-fibered sphagnum moss for the little guys, then mulch for the rest will be my motto... for now. (Since I need 3-5 bags of it, I shan't be baking it in my oven. The bugs don't bug me much.)

As for impaction, that is more of a worry when there is a lot of sand or not much hydration, at least for some species- Red-foots in the wild pass as much as 15% of their droppings as sand. If they eat worms and such in sandy soil, they better be able to process some.

 

[ChiKat]

Would you recommend cypress mulch over coir/sand for a Russian?

 

[purpod]

Greetings All ~

I always have at least a section of my tort enclosures made of either Calci-Sand or Repti-Sand, since mine are African Leopards; and I have never had any issues of impaction with that kind of sand. I do not use regular "play sand" ~ and in neither enclosure (indoor or out) do they eat on the sand...

Just my 3 cents (One for each tort, lol)
Be Well ~ Purpod

 

[GBtortoises]

Again, sand may work great for "Tropical" species where the substrate itself contains more moisture since sand will stick to an already moist surface over one that is not. In the opposite sense an arid climate such as for Leopards and Sulcatas does not allow sand to stick to the animals unless there is a certain amount of moisture present.
Requirements for Mediterranean and Russian tortoises are in between tropical and arid. They do require a certain amount of moisture in their substrate and young tortoise often completely bury themselves in the substrate. I was until recently using sand mixed with moisture holding substrates. In those conditions the sand did absolutely nothing except stick to the tortoises shells and skin.

I would never again recommend using sand in any form for a substrate for Mediterranean or Russian tortoises which is the species that is being asked about.