Untreated top soil

[Joao2416]

Hi everyone. Could you advise without judging pls.
We get untreated top soil for our tortoise but we are finding it hard to boil it as it is not warm enough to get the soil dry and it will get mouldy. If untreated do we need to boil it? If so, how do you do it so it doesn’t get mouldy?

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone. Could you advise without judging pls.
We get untreated top soil for our tortoise but we are finding it hard to boil it as it is not warm enough to get the soil dry and it will get mouldy. If untreated do we need to boil it? If so, how do you do it so it doesn’t get mouldy?

Hello and welcome.

Soil is not a good substrate to use for tortoises, and there is no need to boil it anyway. Soil is made from composted yard waste and all sorts of other weird ingredients. There is no way to know what is inside that bag, and it could be something toxic or dangerous. The makers do not intend for small animals to be living in or on it.

Check this out for substrate info and much more:

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[TammyJ]

Can you please tell us more about your tortoise and post some pictures? And yes, one of the first things I learnt about keeping tortoises when I came here was don't use topsoil. Best substrate taking first place is fine grade orchid bark or Reptibark.