substrate

[2Torti]

Are pet store reptile wood chips a suitable substrate for russians?  What's everyone's opinion?

[Joe H]

They are ok....but not all that good

[slewis16]

I used them for about a week with my new rt, but it was hard for him to move around.  I switched to the 50/50 blend of sand and bed-a-beast and he loves it.

[AW1971]

I`ve used them and thought they were very good but as has been said my tort had a tough time walking on it.  They might be best just kept in one section rather than all over, but if eaten would be harmful.

[2Torti]

Thanks everybody!

[monkeyman]

I would never consider using wood chips with my RT because my tortoise was kept in bad conditions at a Petsmart and is still recovering so I want to keep it in the best conditions possible.

[William]

I've used the chips in various ways since acquiring Lenin.  This recent concoction I've tried is I've mixed an amount of them into my fresh batch of 50/50 substrate.  Lenin seems to like this way the best, he burrows now more than ever (deeper, although this could have absolutely nothing to do with the substrate) and seems to like stomping around in it.

[MrsT]

My pet stores don't have Bed-a-Beast.  What is it exactly and what can I use instead.  I currently have a mixture of sand and fine smooth gravel made of walnut shells.

[Phoebe]

You can also order bed-a-beast online.

[Joe H]

My pet stores don't have Bed-a-Beast.  What is it exactly and what can I use instead.  I currently have a mixture of sand and fine smooth gravel made of walnut shells.

Hi
Bed-a-Beast is coconut coir.
There are other brands such as EcoEarth

Sand and walnut shells is a dangerous combination. The walnut shell gravel in particular often leads to fatal intestine impaction

[figcardi151]

I used to get my eco earth at petco. But recently I ordered a three brick pack that was the same price as one brick from petco. Imagine that. You save even more on shipping when you buy in bulk. I got it from reptilesupply.com

[monkeyman]

I recently started using a patch of chips in a section of my habitat, my tort likes it some, and that's nice, but I think it's still nice to have mostly 50-50 coir-sand.