Redfoot substrate

[jlittlefield]

I use good ole cheap Cypress mulch. Tried mosser Lee spagnum, and while it smelled nice, it was expensive and got wet way too easily. I can pick up 2 cu ft of cypress at my home depot for 3.15, which covers my entire 3x5 cage.

Nice idea!

 

[Alan RF]

Some things to think about with humidity.

One trick when using cypress or similar mulches is to use a THICK layer of it (4" minimum after the tortoises tramp it down), and keep the bottom inch or so very wet. The chunky mulches will not wick this up, so you get a dry top layer, but the water is turning to vapor and rising up to become humidity. Adding some sort of waterproof heater to the bottom speeds the process up.

Also- the more covered your habitat is, and the larger the volume of air trapped, the better- anything under about 75% covers really is not helping. It keeps the warm, humid air in place, and the large space helps keep the air fresher. Ideally your lights and heaters are INSIDE the enclosed space.

Humidifiers are great, but must be scaled to the size of the space. Too much cool mist will chill the habitat and may contribute to respiratory issues.

The 4ft x 2ft x 2ft area I have is a viv and only 2 of the 4 vents are open. I've placed his water/bathing dish near the heat lamp.
I decided from the advice about wetting the area I've been pouring some water over an area around the heat lamp. Humidity has risen to 62% but I've ordered a load of orchid bark now and some sphagnum moss so I'm hoping this will increase humidity to 70%+ !! If not I'll have to invest in the heat ropes!!

 

[cristal redfoot]

Hey guys I know this took a while but I think im going to try coco coir mixed with soil and if I dont lik it I could always change it.

 

[Madkins007]

I found a couple articles I think I am going to look into on this general subject-

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/soilmixforterraria.htm and
http://www.amphibiancare.com/frogs/articles/tropicalterrarium.html

I am intrigued by the idea of basically combining the bioactive substrate with the ease of cypress, and end up with a soil mix I can grow plants in.

 

[cristal redfoot]

That is very interesting. I will certainly use this info and keep it mind

 

[Alan RF]

I ended up using the orchid bark and some sphagnum moss and the humidity has been between 70-80%!!! Hope you've decided on a substrate now? I just thought I'd let you know how great the humidity has been since replacing it

 

[shelloise]

I had been trying out different types of substrates and was having trouble with humidity constantly. I had tried bark, mulch, coir, and ended up using a mix of coir and playsand and sphagnum on top i a fairly thick layer. The humidity is great now

Hey guys I was thinking about updating my baby RF enclosure. He is 3 inches and is being kept in a 3 by 2 part of a bookcase that is 3 by 6 entirely. anyways what substrates or mixes do you keep your babies in. at the moment I have him on cypress mulch but I want something to hold more moisture for him.

 

[cristal redfoot]

I ended up using the orchid bark and some sphagnum moss and the humidity has been between 70-80%!!! Hope you've decided on a substrate now? I just thought I'd let you know how great the humidity has been since replacing it

Thank you very much for your input and you too shelloise.

 

[bobsindenver]

I've been using coconut too. It does stick to everything.

My babies track it into their water dish and then drink. Can that hurt them?

 

[Madkins007]

CAN that hurt them? Yes, it could- cause impactions, etc. WILL it hurt them? Probably not as long as they don't get a ton. In the wild, they drink from muddy pools, etc. and have managed to survive some 9 million years.

 

[RosieRedfoot]

I'm using peat moss right now but will be adding cypress to up humidity and lessen tracking of the dusty moss everywhere. I need to get it more humid but am waiting to really wet it until I get my ceramic heat emitter. Also been slowly upping her humidity to acclimate her. Finally got the lid on so that will help up the humidity! My plants are in pots but one plant is directly in the soil. Oddly enough she seems to prefer the fake vines to the live plants.

 

[jerbs]

One of my problems with soil is that oftentimes there are bugs in it. Some people don't mind this, others do, just fyi!

Let us know what you end up deciding!

Put substrate in the freezer for 24 hours before laying it in enclosure to kill anything that may be in there.

 

[InvertaHerp]

I am redoing an enclosure as well. I was going to use a mix of ABG mix, sphagnum, and cypress mulch. Sound good? Here is abg recipe: 1 part milled peat (sometimes more)

1 part milled sphagnum moss

1 part fine charcoal (sometimes more)

2 parts fine tree fern fiber

2 parts fine orchid bark



variable.

 

[Redstrike]

I am redoing an enclosure as well. I was going to use a mix of ABG mix, sphagnum, and cypress mulch. Sound good? Here is abg recipe: 1 part milled peat (sometimes more)

1 part milled sphagnum moss

1 part fine charcoal (sometimes more)

2 parts fine tree fern fiber

2 parts fine orchid bark



variable.

I don't like milled mosses, they are dusty! I know nothing about tree fern fiber, but orchid bark is a large aggregate and charcoal is pretty small. I guess when I try to visualize this mixture, I see lots of big bits in a massive dust pile of milled mosses. Maybe I'm seeing this completely wrong?