Substrate!?!

lixxy990

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So I have had my Hermann tortoise for just under a year and he’s getting on very well! His name is Collin and is very very tame! Whenever I go see him in his table he comes to me! I’m so happy to have my first ever tortoise HOWEVER, I use play sand as his substrate and I do not mist..... lots of people have commented that I need to mist and that I should be using soil?..... opinions would be amazing! Xxx
 

wellington

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Wow, can't believe you have been a member over a year and have not read about how bad sand can be. It can cause impaction. Yes, remove the sand use dirt, peat moss or coconut coir or orchard bark. Also, some humidity is needed. Great caresheet under the Hermanns section, read that.
 

lixxy990

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I know over a year! Crazy however I only just got this app back again when it came to my attention, where I got my tortoise I was told to only use sand, so do I just use garden soil and am I supposed to be misting, good old Collin is ok so the sand can’t be awful surely?
 

wellington

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The sand is and can be awful. Your only not seeing signs cuz he hasn't eaten enough of it yet, that we know of.
Any dirt that is chemical free will work. Yes, spray the substrate and to get some humidity in his enclosure and you can spray him too, using warm water.
 

lixxy990

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The sand is and can be awful. Your only not seeing signs cuz he hasn't eaten enough of it yet, that we know of.
Any dirt that is chemical free will work. Yes, spray the substrate and to get some humidity in his enclosure and you can spray him too, using warm water.

Perfect thank you I have now read to see it’s bad however did not see what to replace it with so assuming I can just use garden soil which should be better! Xx
 

lixxy990

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My tortoise is still young and has only been to the vets once they sent us home and say wait for him to grow then we will micro chip him,
 

Tidgy's Dad

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You need to use fine grade orchid bark from a garden centre, or coco coir or orchid bark.
It's much better for moisture retention and safety than garden soil that may have stones, sand, plant remains that may be harmful, etc.
But it's better than the sand for now if you're fairly sure it's chemical free.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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My tortoise is still young and has only been to the vets once they sent us home and say wait for him to grow then we will micro chip him,

Hey buddy. Damn I’m sorry you got such horrible misinformation when you originally got Collin. Yes the sand is terrible for your tortoise. I use a 50/50 mix of organic “top soil” and organic peat moss. It’s important to me not to use compost that is sold because often times it contains things you wouldn’t find in the wild. I don’t want my leopard tortoise to grow up in the barn yard surroundings of horse and cow manure. So I make sure to read the top soil label to make sure it’s clean as well.
Was the microchip idea yours or the vets? If it was your idea, I say good job with thinking of that. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I realized it would have been in my favor to have done so when some of my tortoises were stolen from me while I was in a Health Rehabilition Center after a “fun” car accident I was in. IMG_1761.jpgIMG_1677.jpgIMG_1738.jpg sorry. It’s late.
 

Cheryl Hills

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Hey buddy. Damn I’m sorry you got such horrible misinformation when you originally got Collin. Yes the sand is terrible for your tortoise. I use a 50/50 mix of organic “top soil” and organic peat moss. It’s important to me not to use compost that is sold because often times it contains things you wouldn’t find in the wild. I don’t want my leopard tortoise to grow up in the barn yard surroundings of horse and cow manure. So I make sure to read the top soil label to make sure it’s clean as well.
Was the microchip idea yours or the vets? If it was your idea, I say good job with thinking of that. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I realized it would have been in my favor to have done so when some of my tortoises were stolen from me while I was in a Health Rehabilition Center after a “fun” car accident I was in. View attachment 225506View attachment 225507View attachment 225508 sorry. It’s late.
Wow, that was a nasty one. Hope you are doing better!
 

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