Substrate Issues

[KoopaNGoomba]

Hey everyone,

So I've been using a mix of sand and peat moss for my two Sully's, but the peat moss is WAY too dusty. I spray it down daily and it's fine in the little guys tank since it's so humid, but even after being sprayed in the big guys cage, it is too dusty. After a day or two every surface in the room outside of the enclosure has a layer of dust on it from the tortoise pen!

I have been searching for months for Cypress Mulch and have given up for now. No store in Edmonton has it, I have called landscaping places, Rona, Canadian Tire, garden stores, etc. It is apparently hard to find in Canada... I have seen it mentioned as difficult by other Canadians online as well.

The cages are big, so I'd prefer not to buy from the petstore.

I went to Canadian Tire today and they had bricks of Coconut Coir that expand to 2 cubic feet. Is Coir less dusty? If not, do you have any other suggestions?

 

[tortoisecrush]

I had major issues with choosing the right substrate also. I mixed coconut bark and coconut fiber and it has been perfect!! As far as I know the bricks of coconut coir is the same thing as a bag of coconut fiber so I would try that!

Good luck to you

 

[DanaLachney]

I use Tropical soil mixed with topsoil for my redfoot I also have some spaghnum moss scattered across the top as well. Tropical soil is similar in texture and consistency to coco coir (which I have in my hermit crabs enclosure) spaghnum moss holds moisture really well and after it's wet it swells so it's actually more in the bag than it looks like. The bag I got was $15 and I only used a small portion for the humid hide and spread across the top like I said

 

[KoopaNGoomba]

I have a feeling that they would eat the moss, they eat anything that looks greenish/plant like/possibly delicious... had to pull my friends green skirt out of Koopa's mouth the other day!

So, when it's dry, Coconut fiber isn't super dusty? We don't keep the big guys enclosure very moist, just spray it down once a day.

 

[DanaLachney]

I have a feeling that they would eat the moss, they eat anything that looks greenish/plant like/possibly delicious... had to pull my friends green skirt out of Koopa's mouth the other day!

So, when it's dry, Coconut fiber isn't super dusty? We don't keep the big guys enclosure very moist, just spray it down once a day.

Spaghnum moss isn't green it's tan

 

[KoopaNGoomba]

I still think they'd eat it, but it's worth a try! It smells good.

Maybe I'm not giving them enough credit.

 

[SulcataSquirt]

Have you thought of mixing the peat moss with some regular ol topsoil? that will help retain alot of moisture and keep the dust down, you could also mix in a few bags of the cypress from Petsmart or petco along with the top soil, although it is a little pricy.

 

[KoopaNGoomba]

We ended up getting the Coco Coir from Canadian Tire and mixing it with sterilized play sand. We'll see how that does, but it seems a lot less dusty already and it's holding moisture really well!

 

[wildak]

I have yet to find the perfect indoor dirt mixture. I have a cement mixer and measure different amount of materials and can't seem to fine tune it to my liking.
Have used in combinations:
-peat moss (dusty)
-mason sand or play sand (drys out easy, dusty and irritates sensitve areas. ie. sucks)
-dark topsoil ( Muddy if not mixed down )
-garden sand (more coarse, holds moisture longer, less dust and works well in a mix) *****
- blue clay (small amount in mix as not to turn everyone to Smurf blue but hold water well and does'nt get as dusty) ****
-Local forest moss on top like sod ( looks nice, holds moisture but can't figure out how to kill all the bugs and eggs from wild forest moss since they don't seem to have preditor bugs they multiply like crazy )
-cypress mulch on top (expensive and causes respiratory issues with some I've noticed )
- exo-terra forest moss works the best for a top covering for the ones that don't eat it. No bugs, nice color and moss is acidic and keep some bacteria and mold from growing. it comes in bricks that expand quite a bit but I still need them to sell a bigger block or bale.
---I have'nt tried the coco fiber yet.
- foggers and misters on timers work well for the right species.

Bryan

 

[Madkins007]

What do your local landscapers use around plants to protect them? Whatever they use as a mulch may work for you as well. Besides cypress, other hardwood chunks. shreddings, etc. seem to work nicely.

Orchid bark is one good example- it is actually finely chopped Douglas fir bark. Less chopped fir bark works as well.

Just try to avoid dyes and colorants, rubber shreds, and anything that smells strongly of pine or cedar.


Another option that worked for me in a larger indoor pen is a Bioactive Substrate System (BSS). The BSS is basically a small-scale compost pile that grows healthy bacteria and other micro-organisms, fights pests, is less sticky and muddy than most soil mixes, and does not smell. You can learn more about the BSS here: https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/the-work-shop/substrates-1