Bedding whats best

[QUEST6RC]

HI I currently have my tortoise in the tortoise table with 1" of sand and 1" of hemp top bedding on top of the sand but i have heard a lot of horror story's about hemp and injuries and costly vet treatment the other thing is i've heard people say top soil well my garden has all in the past month been treated with pet safe weedol weedkiller so don't want to use that plenty of fields around me but you know they will of been sprayed with farm chemicals at some point in the past so that's a no no the local garden center only do bulk bags like you get on a tipper lorry any ideas where i can get some topsoil from and what do i do just chuck the soil on top of the sand or mix it in with the sand or just put a pile in one corner of my table the set up is 32" x 18"
any help advice please

[fantapants]

GEM do organic compost and they are avaialable from alot of garden centres. failing that i have been told a fine grade of john innes from b and q can be used . never used it meself though as i have a staedy supply of GEM organic across the road from me. and hep can be dangerous, but ony if its ingested. feed from a big slate and that will minimise the risks. same with soil, that too can cause problems if eaten so feed off a big slate just tpo be sure.

[purplepixie]

Plain garden soil mixed with playpit sand works well.

[Grond]

I buy topsoil in bags from wickes and mix it with playpit sand 50:50.
I always feed of a large slate tile.

[SWsarah]

I use hemp and find it a great substrate i advise to feed of a slate.
There has been alot of injurys just using top soil and sand, eye irritation.
Alot of people are using readigrass

[FreakOonique]

ive used the john innes soil, its superb!

[Tortoise Trust]

Originally Posted by SWsarah

There has been alot of injurys just using top soil and sand, eye irritation.

I'd merely point out this is exactly what they live on in the wild. Pure sand in many cases.... I have not seen any signs of eye irritation (or injuries) there either. They have structural mechanisms to avoid this kind of damage. Compare the eye-lid structure of a T. graeca to a Redfoot, or Hingeback, for example. Used properly, and appropriately, a sand/soil substrate is entirely safe. Just avoid Calci-Sand (which is indeed problematic). I've personally kept literally hundred of tortoises on sand/soil substrates and not recorded one single problem in over 15 years.

I could show you some pretty gruesome photos of fatalities resulting fom sharp hemp pieces, however.

Andy Highfield
www.tortoisetrust.org

[wizzasmum]

Originally Posted by Tortoise Trust

I'd merely point out this is exactly what they live on in the wild. Pure sand in many cases.... I have not seen any signs of eye irritation (or injuries) there either. They have structural mechanisms to avoid this kind of damage. Compare the eye-lid structure of a T. graeca to a Redfoot, or Hingeback, for example. Used properly, and appropriately, a sand/soil substrate is entirely safe. Just avoid Calci-Sand (which is indeed problematic). I've personally kept literally hundred of tortoises on sand/soil substrates and not recorded one single problem in over 15 years.

I could show you some pretty gruesome photos of fatalities resulting fom sharp hemp pieces, however.

Andy Highfield
www.tortoisetrust.org

Presumably a tortoise in the wild wandering around rubbing its eyes would be eaten by some hovering predator as they would not be taken away for treatment by a vet I have seen three cases of eye irritation from dry powdery sand in just the years I have been breeding torts and in babies I have sold. I do use it myself but attempt to keep it in the state it would be outdoors, by watering frequently which obviously washed nasties below the surface and allows the soil/sand to compact more.
I am assuming hemp is not available to them in the wild for comparison <vbg>

[moody232002]

i must admit i have been using hemp but after reading a lot of things on the forums i am changing it,i have noticed small pieces in doras poop and that is a worry.i do feed off a slate but dora doesnt help when she does her circuit of the perimeter of the table through her water bowl then over her food

[FreakOonique]

Originally Posted by wizzasmum

Presumably a tortoise in the wild wandering around rubbing its eyes would be eaten by some hovering predator as they would not be taken away for treatment by a vet I have seen three cases of eye irritation from dry powdery sand in just the years I have been breeding torts and in babies I have sold. I do use it myself but attempt to keep it in the state it would be outdoors, by watering frequently which obviously washed nasties below the surface and allows the soil/sand to compact more.
I am assuming hemp is not available to them in the wild for comparison <vbg>

I like the way you keep your horsfields, and the way you mimic their natural environment as much as possible. In my opinion when keeping any tortoise, lizard, snake, etc, you should mimick their natural habitats as much as possible, and only use substrates that they would naturally encounter in the wild. Thats why Harry is now on soil, I personally would not use hemp, ive seen the nasty things it could do