This is just to make all members aware of the death of a tortoise...he died due to ingesting hemp and it punctured the gut wall.
I saw this posted on a yahoo group...the owner is asking all tort keepers to act and change the hemp substrata.
She is going to post the vets pics from xrays soon.

In the last tortoise trust newsletter they informed their members NOT to use hemp. It can be very sharp.

i dont use it for my torts but i do use it for my snakes. after this bag has gone it will be used no more. my husbands pride and joy, Tom, a pastel royal has got a cut on his head from the aubiose in his hide. as soon as the next change comes around, thats it. kitchen roll or bust!

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their some excellent reptile substates on the market for snakes, pastel royal is too nice to risk

TBH clive we have tried bark chippings, megazorb and aubiose and i just cant be bothered with any of them! they all get stuck in the runners, jam my hoover and get into really annoying places. our geckos are on news paper and my beardys are about to get taken off there sand/rock mix as its too messy. AND i am gettin strict with the newspaper/kitchen roll as substrate. my torts have laminate floor in there indoor section for ease of cleaning, buy obviosuly have soil outside. my water dragons have soil/sand and i am leaving that in for humidity.

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I've been out for the evening and just read this very sad post on Tortsmad. I've emailed the poster to ask if I can post her mail in full on here so that people can read the whole story. I'll post it as soon as/if I am given permission to do so. It's certainly made me rethink using any hemp in my table and will be clearing mine of the area that has it in very first thing tomorrow morning.

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It is a sad story but I am going to continue using hemp for the time being - I have found it to be a very effectve substrate. I'm appreciate that this Tortoise died by my guess is that this is quite a rare event.

I appreciate what you say George...and I am the last person to act on a scare or on impulse...however there are more and more of these incidents when you look on different forums.

On a forum last year I tried to tell folks how sharp it was and I had concerns for tortoises eyes...many a time I have flicked bits away from the eye....the reply I got was that they would meet far sharper objects in the wild....but in truth they would never be in this concentration and they would not generally be burrowing down in it!..

I use 100% soil for mine that are inside ....for the short time they are...I spray it daily/nightly...and have had no problems with it at all.....

You might also mention that the tortoise was not totally healthy and the owner was tube feeding the tortoise at the time. Both of these could have been a factor but accidents do happen.

Under the owners theory you shouldn't keep your tortoises outside for fear of ingesting possibly dangerous substrate.

You know the old saying... $hit happens.

Ed

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Ed @ not allowed to post a link
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

A 40/60 mixture of sand and topsoil is supposed to be good for torts indoor housing. its a real shame that it ended up with a fatality

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Thanks,
Carl

0.0.1 Testudo Hermanni Boettgeri