Trying to decide what type of substrate would be bests for my new redfoots tortoise table for the winter.. I would like to plant some live plants.. So i was thinking some tpe of soil.. But do not want the whole table full of soil because i dont want it getting too heavy.. Any other suggestions? Thanks
Substrate question
- Thread starter jareeed2
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Cypress mulch is cheap and pretty standard in a lot of enclosures. Mosser Lee's long fibered spagnum moss is nice too... and it smells nice! I've also heard good things about coconut coir, but I've never used it.
I would suggest you use cypress mulch with maybe a thin layer of coconut fiber underneath it because it hold humidity well. When you put plants in there your redfoots are going to try to take a nibble at them. You could put the plants in pots and sink the pots into the cypress. That way you will have about 4 or 5 inches of the pot out of the substrate to keep the torts from eating the plants.
I didnt want to fl the whole thing with soil because i was thinkin when it gets wet it will get really heavey.. I was gonna put a large amount of soil in the "hide" half of enclusure so i can create a natural borrow hide instead of just a box hide
Go with the cypress, and leave the plants in pots- just heap the cypress around them. You can also plant in a deep tray or pan of real soil and just rake the cypress over the top.
While live plants and young torts are a great combination, remember that even at about 12-18 months, they become small, hungry bulldozers and tend to wreck havoc on plants. You may come to appreciate the 'pot in cypress' option as it allows you to rotate plants in to benefit from the warm humidity and to offer the torts the shade and munchies- then rotate it out to heal from tort-inflicted damage.
While live plants and young torts are a great combination, remember that even at about 12-18 months, they become small, hungry bulldozers and tend to wreck havoc on plants. You may come to appreciate the 'pot in cypress' option as it allows you to rotate plants in to benefit from the warm humidity and to offer the torts the shade and munchies- then rotate it out to heal from tort-inflicted damage.
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