Orchid bark

[Suzy07]

I’m looking at putting a section of orchid bark in my 8 month old Herman’s enclosure is this a good idea and if so any suggestion as to what one and where to buy , I live in the uk

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

What substrate are you using elsewhere in the enclosure? Orchird bark is a good substrate, but currently hard to source in the UK. Maybe @Littleredfootbigredheart has some tips?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello! Orchid bark is currently difficult to source in bulk here, but you should have no trouble finding listings that contain enough to fill an enclosure for a baby.

There’s swell reptile, internet reptile and I believe pets at home do it too

Don’t suppose you have a photo of your set up? Always nice to see

 

[Sarah2020]

Hi, I use orchid bark as the entire substrate . I buy from swell reptile, there are two type course and fine.

Fine for young tortoise and course for older torts this is the one I used and have found it fantastic. 20 litre is what I buy.

Swell Premium Pine Bark

Pine bark is a woody substrate that is perfect for any rainforest setups Retains moisture and can be used to raise humidity Great for forest dwelling species

www.reptiles.swelluk.com

 

[Suzy07]

What substrate are you using elsewhere in the enclosure? Orchird bark is a good substrate, but currently hard to source in the UK. Maybe @Littleredfootbigredheart has some tips?

Hello! Orchid bark is currently difficult to source in bulk here, but you should have no trouble finding listings that contain enough to fill an enclosure for a baby.

There’s swell reptile, internet reptile and I believe pets at home do it too

Don’t suppose you have a photo of your set up? Always nice to see

 

[Suzy07]

Hi , thank you for your reply & advice , always appreciate any help , I’m using tortoise soil at the moment & want to gradually change to orchid bark as I’ve heard this is a better option .

 

[Suzy07]

Hello! Orchid bark is currently difficult to source in bulk here, but you should have no trouble finding listings that contain enough to fill an enclosure for a baby.

There’s swell reptile, internet reptile and I believe pets at home do it too

Don’t suppose you have a photo of your set up? Always nice to see

 

[Suzy07]

Hello! Orchid bark is currently difficult to source in bulk here, but you should have no trouble finding listings that contain enough to fill an enclosure for a baby.

There’s swell reptile, internet reptile and I believe pets at home do it too

Don’t suppose you have a photo of your set up? Always nice to see

Hi, I use orchid bark as the entire substrate . I buy from swell reptile, there are two type course and fine.

Fine for young tortoise and course for older torts this is the one I used and have found it fantastic. 20 litre is what I buy.

Swell Premium Pine Bark

Pine bark is a woody substrate that is perfect for any rainforest setups Retains moisture and can be used to raise humidity Great for forest dwelling species

www.reptiles.swelluk.com

 

[Suzy07]

Thank you so much , that’s really helpful & good to get a recommendation, I will order some & try it out .

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you for the photos! It’s a really inventive idea to use a cage like this!

Yeah you’re definitely doing right by changing to orchid bark, the problem with reptisoil is it’s often mixed with sand, which can pose an impaction risk over time, that and you want you substrate damp, this stuff goes kind of muddy when trying to do that

You have the right lighting which is always wonderful to see!one suggestion here, because babies need much higher humidity than adults, it’s recommended to have them in closed chamber set ups, it’s impossible to maintain it where needed 24/7 in the open, so I’d get yourself some pvc material you can cover the cage with, baby does have some pyramiding, higher humidity will stop this getting worse

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 going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers, I think a bunch of the cover options will work for the set up you have

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 includes different closed chamber options, some do work better than others, feel free to get creative though! Like I say some pvc material over yours should do wonders! Make sure it’s wrapped around tightly, you don’t want gaps

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

Lastly, this one here is probably most important 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

Hope you like them and they come in handy!

 

[Suzy07]

Thank you for the photos! It’s a really inventive idea to use a cage like this!

Yeah you’re definitely doing right by changing to orchid bark, the problem with reptisoil is it’s often mixed with sand, which can pose an impaction risk over time, that and you want you substrate damp, this stuff goes kind of muddy when trying to do that

You have the right lighting which is always wonderful to see!one suggestion here, because babies need much higher humidity than adults, it’s recommended to have them in closed chamber set ups, it’s impossible to maintain it where needed 24/7 in the open, so I’d get yourself some pvc material you can cover the cage with, baby does have some pyramiding, higher humidity will stop this getting worse

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 going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers, I think a bunch of the cover options will work for the set up you have

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 includes different closed chamber options, some do work better than others, feel free to get creative though! Like I say some pvc material over yours should do wonders! Make sure it’s wrapped around tightly, you don’t want gaps

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

Lastly, this one here is probably most important 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

Hope you like them and they come in handy!

Thank you so much for the advice, want to keep my baby healthy, will replace the substrate with orchid bark & get some greenhouse type covering to go over the cage , will also invest in a humidity monitor. Will send you a photo once completed .

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you so much for the advice, want to keep my baby healthy, will replace the substrate with orchid bark & get some greenhouse type covering to go over the cage , will also invest in a humidity monitor. Will send you a photo once completed .

Sounds like a plan!Look forward to the results