One of the things I've been getting the most varied advice on is what substrate to use for my future Greek hatchling.
It seems the common recommendations are:
- Coco fiber, not bark/husk (with 0-50% play sand mixed in for weight/traction)
- Aspen
- Organic mulches (orchid bark, cypress, fir)
- Organic topsoil (with 0-50% play sand mix)
- Mosses (mainly for a humid hide, not an entire enclosure)
Less common ones are:
- Indoor/outdoor carpet (not plush, something like berber)
- Recycled/shredded newspaper
- Hay
- Hemp
And the 'no-no' ones:
- Pine, Cedar (toxic)
- Sand (impaction*)
- Small pebbles/gravel (impaction*)
- Walnut shells (impaction*)
- Food Pellets, such as rabbit food/alfalfa (not dangerous, but definitely not healthy)
* I'm not 100% sure what impaction is, I'm assuming it's getting non-digestible items stuck in the tort's stomach/intestines?
Right now I have a 2/3 coco fiber 1/3 play sand mix in the entire enclosure, and when I was describing my setup to the breeder I'm getting my hatchling from he said:
"I don't ever recommend people use any kind of substrate with tortoises that can be ingested, like coco fiber or sand. It sticks to their food, gets in their eyes, it's dusty and generally is impossible to keep clean and hygenic."
He highly recommends carpet, and right now I'm unsure how to proceed. On one hand I'm going by advice from several people here who are all for coco fiber/play sand, but on the other hand the breeder who I'm getting the tort from highly discourages using that. I'd feel like a huge jerk getting the tort from him and saying 'thanks for the advice, but I'm using coco fiber/sand even though you said not to.'
It seems the common recommendations are:
- Coco fiber, not bark/husk (with 0-50% play sand mixed in for weight/traction)
- Aspen
- Organic mulches (orchid bark, cypress, fir)
- Organic topsoil (with 0-50% play sand mix)
- Mosses (mainly for a humid hide, not an entire enclosure)
Less common ones are:
- Indoor/outdoor carpet (not plush, something like berber)
- Recycled/shredded newspaper
- Hay
- Hemp
And the 'no-no' ones:
- Pine, Cedar (toxic)
- Sand (impaction*)
- Small pebbles/gravel (impaction*)
- Walnut shells (impaction*)
- Food Pellets, such as rabbit food/alfalfa (not dangerous, but definitely not healthy)
* I'm not 100% sure what impaction is, I'm assuming it's getting non-digestible items stuck in the tort's stomach/intestines?
Right now I have a 2/3 coco fiber 1/3 play sand mix in the entire enclosure, and when I was describing my setup to the breeder I'm getting my hatchling from he said:
"I don't ever recommend people use any kind of substrate with tortoises that can be ingested, like coco fiber or sand. It sticks to their food, gets in their eyes, it's dusty and generally is impossible to keep clean and hygenic."
He highly recommends carpet, and right now I'm unsure how to proceed. On one hand I'm going by advice from several people here who are all for coco fiber/play sand, but on the other hand the breeder who I'm getting the tort from highly discourages using that. I'd feel like a huge jerk getting the tort from him and saying 'thanks for the advice, but I'm using coco fiber/sand even though you said not to.'