potting soil

[tortguy521]

Is potting soil a good substrate for redfoots??

 

[cdmay]

Yes and no. It depends on the composition of the soil itself. Often there is cow manure or other fertilizers in potting soil mixes.
If you do use potting soil cover it with a layer of mulch.

 

[Candy]

Carl I used soil (although it was not potting soil) for Dale and I mixed in the mulch, should I not have done this? Why do you use the mulch only on the top?

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

Could someone post a link or picture of manure, fertilizers free organic soil?

 

[terryo]

Instead of organic potting soil, you could try using plain sterilized potting soil. I don't think that has any manure, or fertilizers in it, but read the bag to make sure. I usually mix that with Forest Floor, by Zoo Med. I throw in some peat moss to loosen it up a bit.

 

[webskipper]

I remember somewhere that you can bake some of the soil to sterilize it and kill and eggs which will just hatch bugs and maybe some arachnids. Slow roast at 350F on a cookie pan/sheet for 5 minutes, stir and cool for 5 more.

 

[Neohippy]

I use various types of potting soil for both youngin's and the adults. I mix any and all organic soils and composts based on the plants nutritional needs. Now though, thanks to a nice living soil of crawlies and wormies, and tortoise poop... Lots of it... I have a balanced system that no longer needs soil added or removed for nutritional value.
I've recently mixed my soil with an orchid mix to promote worm breeding and also help with drainage.

If you use potting soil, straight up, a top layer of... well, mulch, moss, anything really, is highly recommended. Soil packs down after a while and becomes a dense damp cold brick. Shell rot galore there. The easily drained top layer ensures there is a nice oxygen rich humid layer between the tort and the possibly cold and damp soil.

It's like, if you don't have socks, you'd rather walk on an area rug, rather than the cold basement floor.

 

[cdmay]

Carl I used soil (although it was not potting soil) for Dale and I mixed in the mulch, should I not have done this? Why do you use the mulch only on the top?

Candy, I would use a top dressing of mulch just to keep from having to replace the potting soil---umm, as it get soiled. It is easier to just replace some mulch I think than to dig out a bunch of soil. Also, a top dressing of mulch will also keep your tortoise cleaner than if it is always rooting around in dirt.
Most potting soils that have added fertilizers will say so on the bag. Jungle Growth does I know. Same probably goes for cow manure.
As for sterilizing the potting soil that is probably not at all necessary. I mean, what harmful bugs are going to be in it anyway? If you want to kill anything that is in the soil just leave the plastic bag it comes in out in the hot sun for a few hours. Most plastic bags will heat up enough on a hot driveway to kill pretty much everything inside it. But then, I guess the keepers up north have to wait till spring for that trick. But I can tell you that it works and saves you the hassle of cooking dirt in your oven.

 

[Candy]

Thanks Carl looks like a will be adding more mulch to Dale's enclosure. [/b]

 

[Madkins007]

Top dressing works great, Candy! That is how my current set-up is.

When you use bagged soils, make sure they have no or very little odor, and that there are no white pellets in it (I forget what they are called but many tortoises love to eat them).

For what it is worth, I'm phasing out soils because they are so muddy, hard to keep warm, and compact so much and heading to chopped/shredded wood mulches, mosses, etc.

 

[Candy]

I'm thinking of doing that too Madkins, but my reasoning is the bugs that grow in the soil. I didn't have that in Dale's old enclosure when I used the soil with the chicken manure in it. It's very confusing.

 

[Madkins007]

Great minds, Candy... great minds.