NoLimitz07
New Member
Could I add an area of this to the enclosure?
Zilla Ground English Walnut Shells Desert Blend
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NoLimitz07
New Member
I used walnut hulls awhile back (before I found this forum), and I found it to be quite dusty.
Many years ago, when I believed everything I was told about tortoise care, I was told that walnut shells were toxic. And I've been passing that along to others ever since. I have no idea if it's true, I've been parroting, but common sense tells me if it gets stuck to the food and the tortoise accidentally eats it, the harsh surface of each particle would not be beneficial to the digestive tract.
NoLimitz07
New Member
I was planning on doing different zones in the enclosure. One side with the food has the mulch and then some live grass in the middle and on the other side this. I wouldnt put the food near the side with this.
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You should be aware that tortoises sometimes just decide to purposely eat their substrates for no apparent reason. I had a beautiful female Star Tortoise die from intestinal impaction from eating Aspen shavings which I thought would never happen. My sulcatas used to routinely eat their oat star substrate if I didn't fee the enough other food items. If Yvonne thinks the walnut shells are toxic, I would avoid using them or at the very least make sure they are not before using them.
Also, I agree with Mrs. Jennifer that the shells can produce a lot of fine dust.
NoLimitz07
New Member
What can I use to give that desert feel? Right now Im using the organic top soil with mulch. I am going to switch to the orchid bark.
Happytort27
Active Member
I put a layer of coco coir on the bottom and fine grade orchid bark on top. Orchid bark is not messy and is a great substrate for tortoises.
Walnut shells are not suitable as a tortoise substrate because you can't keep them damp. They are also dusty and an impaction risk. I've never hear they are toxic, but that doesn't mean they aren't.
What would you want a desert feel? Sulcatas don't come from a desert, and desert conditions are bad for them. They hatch at the start of the monsoon season when it hot, rainy, humid. Puddles and marshes form everywhere, and there is green lush going food in abundance.
Soil should never be used under a tortoise because you can't know what composted material it is made of and it could be something toxic.
Grass will not live in an indoor enclosure, and again with the soil, you don't know what the soil is made of unless you made your own soil. Store bought soil usually has additives in it, like perlite, that can be deadly to your tortoise.
Orchid bark is the best substrate for small sulcatas.
NoLimitz07
New Member
The desert feel is from watching youtube videos of the sulcata out in Arizona in the sand there. I was wanting something more easy for burrowing. The soil I bought was on the recommended list for sulcata substrates. For growing the grass I was planning on getting a daylight t5 bulb and should be able to grow it under that light. Thanks for your responses. I will be picking up the Orchid bark this weekend.
Happytort27
Active Member
If this YouTube channel told you that soil was safe for your tortoise, I wouldn’t recommend listening to anything else they say. They probably have outdated information.
That info is plain wrong. I'm surprised they didn't recommend sand with their mix. Soil and peat should never be used under a tortoise. The coco coir is safe, but its too messy for my liking.
Try the grass, but what you'll find is that it doesn't grow well under indoor lighting, and the tortoise will trample or eat it fairly quickly. Some people like to grow several trays of it, and then sink the trays into the substrate. As one tray gets eaten and trampled, they rotate in a new tray and let the old one recover and re-grow outside in the sunshine. With enough trays this can work well.
Give this a read for the current and correct care info;
The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...
tortoiseforum.org
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