which substrate?
- Thread starter rio8809
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Hi rio8809:
Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!
What would you like us to call you? and where in the world are you located (appx.)?
Do you have a red light on during the day? This sometimes makes substrate look like food. Another suggestion is the tortoise may not be getting enough minerals in its diet. I add a sprinkling of a product called "Miner-all" by Sticky Tongue Farms over the food. This usually makes a substrate eater stop eating substrate.
My substrate of choice is the fine grade of orchid bark. If I can't find that, then I'll use cypress mulch.
Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!
What would you like us to call you? and where in the world are you located (appx.)?
Do you have a red light on during the day? This sometimes makes substrate look like food. Another suggestion is the tortoise may not be getting enough minerals in its diet. I add a sprinkling of a product called "Miner-all" by Sticky Tongue Farms over the food. This usually makes a substrate eater stop eating substrate.
My substrate of choice is the fine grade of orchid bark. If I can't find that, then I'll use cypress mulch.
I was using cypress, but recently switched to coconut coir. My little redfoot seems to like burrowing in it better.
Rio is good and I am located in Huntington Beach, CA. Thank you for your responses. I went to a reptile store today and he recommended Timothy Hay, have you heard anything about that? Also I was curious about Rep-cal tortoise food (the little color pellet type food). She has not been eating the romaine lettuce that we have been giving her, and I am concerned about her eating habits as well.
I vote very much AGAINST timothy hay, for several reasons. The biggest reason is that a Redfoot needs a humid environment, and a humid substrate. If you wet the hay, it will mold. If you leave it dry, your tortoise will not be properly hydrated, and also, they really like to be able to burrow down.
You will get a bunch of different answers, because different people like different things. I prefer cypress mulch for my adult Redfoots, and for my youngsters, either coconut coir or plain soil topped with sphagnum moss. Yvonne also mention fine grade orchid bark, which is a good choice. It has to be something that will hold humidity and not mold.
As far as diet, I don't know anything about the Rep-cal food. The foods most used here are Mazuri and Zoomed Grassland tortoise food. I can tell you that romaine is not a good item to use as a "staple." You need to be offering a much wider array of food items. I start my diets with spring mix, which you can buy at grocery stores (Santa Barbara mix and Rocket mix are also acceptable.) To that you should add fruits and veggies. Redfoots also love mushrooms. Any mushrooms from the grocery store will do (I feed portabellas.) Many also add a good quality low-fat rehdrated cat kibble to their Redfoot's diet.
Here is an article I wrote about providing a balanced diet.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...ises-The-Balanced-Diet-Revealed#axzz1l5AvRcIV
To give you an idea of how much of what to feed how often, I would give Terry Kilgore's page a read. This also talks about lighting and humidity and other aspects of caring for a Redfoot.
http://www.turtletary.com/redfootcare.htm
Hope this helps
You will get a bunch of different answers, because different people like different things. I prefer cypress mulch for my adult Redfoots, and for my youngsters, either coconut coir or plain soil topped with sphagnum moss. Yvonne also mention fine grade orchid bark, which is a good choice. It has to be something that will hold humidity and not mold.
As far as diet, I don't know anything about the Rep-cal food. The foods most used here are Mazuri and Zoomed Grassland tortoise food. I can tell you that romaine is not a good item to use as a "staple." You need to be offering a much wider array of food items. I start my diets with spring mix, which you can buy at grocery stores (Santa Barbara mix and Rocket mix are also acceptable.) To that you should add fruits and veggies. Redfoots also love mushrooms. Any mushrooms from the grocery store will do (I feed portabellas.) Many also add a good quality low-fat rehdrated cat kibble to their Redfoot's diet.
Here is an article I wrote about providing a balanced diet.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...ises-The-Balanced-Diet-Revealed#axzz1l5AvRcIV
To give you an idea of how much of what to feed how often, I would give Terry Kilgore's page a read. This also talks about lighting and humidity and other aspects of caring for a Redfoot.
http://www.turtletary.com/redfootcare.htm
Hope this helps
I have used sphagnum moss for years
I like cypress, with nothing else mixed in. I especially like it where weight may be an issue, like plastic tubs or big tables.
Very good Info Kristina! Cypress mulch is what a lot of people use in my area its cheap and there is a large supply good stuff!
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