Some indoor enclosure thoughts?

[Vincenza]

I just got an adult Russian tortoise a few days ago and I'm thinking of making some upgrades to his enclosure, but I have a couple questions to see if my ideas will work. Right now I have a 50/50 mix of play sand and coconut coir, which came highly recommended on many websites, but after lurking on the forum for a bit, I've learned that sand is not the way to go. So at the very least, I'm thinking of switching to 100% coco coir. I really don't have a lot of other stuff in the enclosure right now, so I want to add stuff for my tortoise to do. When I replace the substrate, I'm thinking of making one end deeper than the other to give him the opportunity to climb around and maybe help keep one end of the enclosure cooler by making it shallower. Does anyone think this makes sense? I really like the idea of giving him somewhere to climb so any other thoughts on this front would be appreciated! I'd also like to add some plants, and this may be a silly question, but can I plant stuff in coco coir? Or do I need to put them in separate little pots? I know I'm asking about a lot of stuff, but I'd really like to hear any ideas!

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Making it shallower won't make it cooler.

Not everyone hates sand in the mix, but 50% is way too much. I like soil in the mix. Some people do like all coir.

Coir is good for seed germination but not for growing plants. The tortoise will burrow & bulldoze & knock the plants over, so pots are a good idea.

 

[Tom]

I prefer orchid bark for adult russians. Coir can be too messy, and I would not use any sand at all.

Climbing and elevation changes are good for them. I like to have hills in my outdoor enclosures.

 

[Vincenza]

Yeah, I wasn't sure if the elevation would make one end shadier or not, and affect the temp that way.

I've never heard of using orchid bark. Do you mix it with anything else?

 

[Jodie]

No need to mix it. Putting plants in the enclosure helps with humidity. You could build mounds to put plants in. Makes nice sight barriers too. Also gives them something to do in knocking them over unfortunately, so be sure to use organic potting soil.

 

[Vincenza]

I'm fine with ditching the sand, the impaction risk was enough for me, but I like the idea of just having one thing for substrate, much simpler y'know? I've been googling orchid bark and I'm a bit confused as to what it's actually made of. Is there a specific brand you'd recommend? It seems to me like they're all different types of woods and sizes of chips, and I'm not sure what's ideal here. What types of plants would you recommend?

 

[Yvonne G]

Orchids are very sensitive, so if you buy actual ORCHID BARK you know you're getting a pure product. But all it is is very clean fir bark. You can usually find it at plant nurseries

 

[Vladsfriend]

I've been using coco coir for my adult Russian for the past 2 years. What advantages does orchid bark have? Is substrate retention of humidity only an issue with younger tortoises?

 

[Vincenza]

There really aren't a lot of plant nurseries near me. I'll check where I can, but if they don't have it, any idea where I could possibly get it online? Also, any thoughts on cypress mulch?