Hello everyone! My tortoise (tortellini, age 6-9 months (my guess!), weight 79g, scl 7cm) is living in a vivarium at the moment. I thought this was best because he's really young and I got him when he was a hatchling 4 months ago - it's super dry where I am in the winter and I can't dedicate an entire humid room for him yet, so this is my solution.
I have been using a mix of coco husk and bark chips for his substrate for about a month now. I also tried organic peat moss and sand for two days but got paranoid that it would go into his eye because he loves to climb things and he falls over on his face sometimes. I tried coco coir, but it got stuck in his mouth once so I replaced that. I have been using orchid bark that I was told was pure fir bark by the guys who work at the wood workshop nearby, but I was told today that they're actually not sure and that they outsource from Europe. They said it's a safe, organic mixture of woodland pieces but you can imagine my anger!! It smells just like reptibark's fir bark so I didn't really question that it might be something else until I was told. I have since switched it out.
My questions are:
1) What is a good substrate for a vivarium?
2) What are the effects of using pine wood/cedar wood for tortoises? (I am not saying that the bark chips I've been using are that, but I couldn't find any information/credible sources citing what it does to tortoises). I am scared that I may have exposed him to pine/cedar and would like to prepare for what may come and catch him early.
He does not show any symptoms of illness, he seems his energetic self. But paranoia as a new tort owner runs deep
Thank you for any help!!
I have been using a mix of coco husk and bark chips for his substrate for about a month now. I also tried organic peat moss and sand for two days but got paranoid that it would go into his eye because he loves to climb things and he falls over on his face sometimes. I tried coco coir, but it got stuck in his mouth once so I replaced that. I have been using orchid bark that I was told was pure fir bark by the guys who work at the wood workshop nearby, but I was told today that they're actually not sure and that they outsource from Europe. They said it's a safe, organic mixture of woodland pieces but you can imagine my anger!! It smells just like reptibark's fir bark so I didn't really question that it might be something else until I was told. I have since switched it out.
My questions are:
1) What is a good substrate for a vivarium?
2) What are the effects of using pine wood/cedar wood for tortoises? (I am not saying that the bark chips I've been using are that, but I couldn't find any information/credible sources citing what it does to tortoises). I am scared that I may have exposed him to pine/cedar and would like to prepare for what may come and catch him early.
He does not show any symptoms of illness, he seems his energetic self. But paranoia as a new tort owner runs deep
Thank you for any help!!