Outdoor Enclosure Soil

[Nevermore18]

Hello Everyone,

Summer has come to Chicago area where we live and my wife and I would like to give our baby Vincent an outdoor living experience. Vincent is about 2.5 years old right now and we are re-purposing a raised garden bed for his enclosure. Currently our plan is to take him out for the day and bring him indoors for the night (our backyard is frequently visited by raccoons and other critters of the night).
My main worry is about which soil to use. My initial plan was to fill the garden bed mostly with an organic top soil (I bought a dump truck of it last year for gardening and whatever I didn't use, I had resting in a pile) and ZooMed Reptisoil for the top.
Is there a better alternative? Please let me know.

Thank you

 

[Tom]

Soil is made from composted yard waste. They also add in all sorts of other weird stuff to get the correct consistency for growing plants. It is not intended to have animals living on or in it.

I would use the native dirt from the yard.

I would also remove the substrate in your picture as it is lettered with hay or straw. The sort of material should not be used as it will mold in substrate that is kept suitably damp.

More info here:

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[Nevermore18]

Soil is made from composted yard waste. They also add in all sorts of other weird stuff to get the correct consistency for growing plants. It is not intended to have animals living on or in it.

I would use the native dirt from the yard.

I would also remove the substrate in your picture as it is lettered with hay or straw. The sort of material should not be used as it will mold in substrate that is kept suitably damp.

More info here:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you Tom.
Do you think it would be beneficial to add a layer of Reptisoil on top of the dirt?
I read that regular backyard dirt when it turns into mud could be dangerous.

 

[Tom]

Thank you Tom.
Do you think it would be beneficial to add a layer of Reptisoil on top of the dirt?
I read that regular backyard dirt when it turns into mud could be dangerous.

What is Reptisoil made of?

 

[Nevermore18]

Mainly humus, peat moss, sand and coconut carbon. Here is an example

 

[Tom]

Mainly humus, peat moss, sand and coconut carbon. Here is an example

None of that should be in a tortoise enclosure.

In the past, I've tried to add in various store bought soils, topsoil, soil amendment, organic potting soil, etc... There is no way to know what is in it and what it's made up of. The makers are not trying to make safe and suitable small animal bedding. They are trying to make something suitable for plants to grow in. Composted toxic plants, small rocks, bits of glass, screws, rusty nails, plastic, sand, and the assortment of weird stuff they add in will not harm the plants that their soil is intended for. In some cases, those things CAN harm a tortoise.

Unless you make your own soil with known safe ingredients, the best choice is the native dirt. You can add in things like cypress mulch or orchid bark to improve the drainage and consistency if you like, but I haven't found that to be necessary ever.

 

[Nevermore18]

Thank you for your help