Substrate options

[Peter Flynn]

Hi everyone
I have coco coir for our indoor table. I was thinking about adding some decorative plants ie. spider plant, do you think I should mix in sterilised top soil with the coco coir? Will this aid the plants / tortoise in any way at all or will the plants be ok in their pots?
Also do you leave food out available at all times, or set meal times each day. Thanks Peter

 

[Reptilelove]

Im going to buy coco coir as iv heard alot of good things about it, dont mix sterilised soil on top! If your going to mix in soil use unfertelised as is better for the tort to not have any fertilser, i tend to keep my food out all way however its gone after not long!

 

[tortdad]

That's a big negative! If you use soil it needs to be plain soil with no additives or fertilizers

Fertilizer + tort = bad news.

 

[tortdad]

You can leave the plants in the pot they came in, just rinse them well before they go in the table and wash them with a mild soap to get any bad stuff off of them before the tort eats them. I feed mine in the am and sometimes offer an evening snack. Use a plate or rock as a feeding dish. This allows them to get there nails/beak trimmed and keeps them from accidentally eating the sub straight. I feed them enough that there is a little left over and leave it there for a few hours in case they're still hungry. Anything left by mid morning I take out. It's fine to offer them more food if they have plenty of room to stomp around and get plenty of sun light or UVB light.

 

[Peter Flynn]

Thanks for your responses. I'm going to clean the plant then put the the pot straight into the coco coir and not bother with any other soils. I've got slate to put the food on. Thanks again

 

[christinaland128]

A good plant list is http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plant_database_14.asp

 

[smarch]

You got the substrate stuff worked out but I can still add imput on feeling. I feed franklin every morning when I wake him up. I leave the food in but its usually all gone by the time I come home from work (if not the left overs come out the next morning when I put new stuff in) he WILL graze on plants so technically food will always be available.

 

[Peter Flynn]

How often would you remove and replace the coco coir for hygiene ?

 

[Reptilelove]

Iv heard many people dont properally clean it out for a year but when they do, they either reuse the coir after baking or boiling it or buy new stuff

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

I've got to go with the pots I tried plating plants straight into his coir, but he killed them. Crushed them to death So I am having much better luck with had to reach pots!