I was looking at several enclosures in that section and noticed a fair range of substrates. Other than soil, what do you guys prefer and why? What works best for a RF? Thanks.
Substrate Choice, What Do You Prefer?
- Thread starter shelloise
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well i don't know any specific substrate for RF but i personally use farm soil and sand mixture.
It tends to hold the moisture a bit longer and also my torts feel easy to dig it.Also, it's easy to grow the plants in there with a soil as substrate.
But other than soil i have seen people use coco coir,cypress mulch,rice husk or different husks mixed with other substrates as combination.
It tends to hold the moisture a bit longer and also my torts feel easy to dig it.Also, it's easy to grow the plants in there with a soil as substrate.
But other than soil i have seen people use coco coir,cypress mulch,rice husk or different husks mixed with other substrates as combination.
Personally rf would probably do best with soil. If you want an alternative to soil, coconut coir. Coir holds humidity the best of any, won't mold and won't cause impaction.
I use soil, then a layer of leaflitter then a layer of woodland moss.
I use coco coir on my sully and russian, as far as sand I have read more bad then good. Causes impaction in torts.
Really depends on age. My adults live on grass and cypress mulch...The hatchlings are on complete spaghum moss for the first 6 months. Spaghum is the absolute best for hatchlings, and they love to burrow in it. Over 6 months to juveniles, I just use cypress mulch....Soil and others work fine to, but its just what I prefer, because its easy to get and hold humidity better then anything I've tried.
And I HATE coco coir...Gets stuck to EVERYTHING when its wet, they track it in the water bowls....Yuck.
And I HATE coco coir...Gets stuck to EVERYTHING when its wet, they track it in the water bowls....Yuck.
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RedfootsRule said:
Do you put the Spaghum moss all over in their home. I have a tortious box my son got me from petsmart. I have coco coir in there and the moss in one corner and their hide on the other corner. I also have some silk plants in there to.
I put spaghum moss about 1/2 inch thick over the entire enclosure, patted down really hard so the floor is pretty easy for them to walk on. Usually, for my hatchlings, since I almost always have at least 10-12, the back 1/4th of the cage is a 5-inch high pile of loosened spaghum moss. As hatchlings, they are like moles. They disappear in big piles of spaghum. Past 6 months or so, they seem to just prefer to sit on top of it, but it depends on the hatchling also.
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RedfootsRule said:
Thanks this is all new to me. I have only had the 2 for about a month and they seem to sleep alot. And they don't eat very much is this normal?
Trying this shortly, I'm tired of mulches and plastron rot.
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/soilmixforterraria.htm
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/soilmixforterraria.htm
None of you guys use untreated bark?
shelloise said:
I think bark and mulch are pretty synonymous unless someone can speak for their differences? I've used 4 inches of cypress and recently have been using hemlock mulch in my enclosures. Neither have additives. I place heat ropes beneath and keep the top dry while the bottom is wet (I add water). The heat ropes warm the wet mulch below, boosting humidity in my enclosures (tops enclosed fully via plexiglass).
Using both of these mulches has repeatedly led to plastron rot for me, though others seem to have great success with it. I don't count it as a hygiene issue as my tortoises usually have BM's during soaks and I remove feces from the substrate daily, but they repeatedly develop minor cases of rot. I've also had this occur with moist/wet sphagnum in their hides.
I'm switching over to the link I posted previously and I'll be adding some earthworms and isopods as additional clean up crews (beyond myself).
I use cypress mulch for my Redfoot. Cocoir is way too messy. ...
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RedfootsRule said:
Is Canadian spaghum moss the same thing? I have both the Canadian spaghum moss here & the stringy New Zealand Sphagnum moss. They are very different in color & texture. All the different types of moss are confusing to me. Is spaghum & sphagnum totally different? I would like to try the spaghum moss you are referring to as I am not a fan of the coco coir so far. Does this type of moss mold easy?
I decided against coir for my redfoot but my russian has it because he loves digging.
The difference with mulch and bark is that the bark is way bigger than the mulch,
The bark I have is untreated and not dyed, big enough that she is not going to try to eat or swallow it. It doesn't hold humidity as multch which is why i am going to mix it . I have to use a fair amount because there is going to be plastic under and I don't want her walking on it.
Is it just
Multch that can cause plastron rot? How/why does it do that?
The difference with mulch and bark is that the bark is way bigger than the mulch,
The bark I have is untreated and not dyed, big enough that she is not going to try to eat or swallow it. It doesn't hold humidity as multch which is why i am going to mix it . I have to use a fair amount because there is going to be plastic under and I don't want her walking on it.
Redstrike said:
Is it just
Multch that can cause plastron rot? How/why does it do that?
shelloise said:
There are a number of factors involved in plastron rot, so it's unfair to simply blame the substrate as I've done previously.
Bark/mulch is great for culturing fungi. Fungi are amongst the few groups that can digest cellulose and lignin, which comprise the cell walls of most plants and defend them from invaders/pathogens. I think this also contributes to my issues with fungal plastron rot, even when I keep the surface relatively dry I still am harboring some fungi that like my torts plastrons too.
I consider my husbandry to be pretty good, but the mulch just isn't working for me or my torts. Try the bark you have and if it works (I'm sure it will) great! If not, try something else. What works for some does not work for others, it's one of the most axiomatic truths on the forum.
MasterOogway said:
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure "sphagnum" is a mis-spell of spaghum. I've used New Zealand a few times, its a little bit different then some, but it still works just fine. The Canadian moss might work, might not, I don't know what it looks like.
I use the brand "MosserLee" spaghum moss. It natural CAN'T grow mold, or fungus. Also, "BetterGro orchid moss" is sold at Lowes and Home depot, it is also mold/fungus free.
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