Tortoisel Life substrate

[SusanMcM]

Hi all
I have read there is a substrate called Tortoise Life Substrate. I want to use something in my torts indoor house so that she can dig/bury. Does anybody know if it is good to use i.e. does not contain dust or is harmful if eaten? I am in the UK. Thank you in advance. Susan

[adele]

Hi

I'm from uk too. Am not sure what tortoisel life is. I've just bought something called top dressing (50/50 loam and sand) from a garden centre and am using it indoors in a tortoise table. Joe the administrator on this site told me it would be ok. Wait for more replies though as i am new.

Adele

[AW1971]

In the uk what we tend to use is Hemcore, its from the hemp plant and is totally safe if ingested. Really dirt cheap too around six pound for a massive bale. You can buy it from any saddlery and it lasts for ages and they can burrow really  deep. Its dust free but needs a mist sometimes as especially for hatchlings.

[SusanMcM]

Many thanks for all the information. Will look around for them.
Cheers
Susan

[Heppers80]

I am too from the UK and I use beech chips and slightly mist them to keep them dust free!  Matilda loves them!

[AW1971]

Yeah i used to use chippings and found them good too  . I did change a few months back to hemp it is much easier for digging into and wont harm them if eaten, also PRICE.
I think the cheapest overall thing is soil out the garden,    lol. 
I would like to know more about tortoise life as i`ve not really heard of it too. 

[SusanMcM]

I have managed to find a stockist of Tortoise life on the Wirral (Northwest Exotic Pets in Hoylake) which is not too far from me (Liverpool) but don't know when I will be able to get over there to look at it. Another firm I emailed said it was recommended by Tortoise Trust. I ahve asked my local animal feed shop if they can get some for me to try so I will let you know what it is like when/if I get some.
Thanks for everybody's advice. I daresay Hermione will let me know if she likes it!!!! She does seem to know what she likes!!

[AW1971]

Thanks would be interested to know too, 

[lepinsky]

In the uk what we tend to use is Hemcore, its from the hemp plant and is totally safe if ingested. Really dirt cheap too around six pound for a massive bale. You can buy it from any saddlery and it lasts for ages and they can burrow really  deep. Its dust free but needs a mist sometimes as especially for hatchlings.

Hi,
I'm from the UK too, and there are two brands of hemp available here:  hemcore and aubiose.  Hemcore has citronella added to it, and while citronella isn't supposed to harm pets (athough there is some evidence that it can cause skin irritation in humans), I prefer to use aubiose.  Hemp is a wonderful substrate for burrowing in (softer and shorter cut than straw or hay, and as far as I know is not as prone to growing mould if it gets damp).  The aubiose site is at  http://www.aubiose.co.uk/
What I find really funny is that hemp is not available in the USA because it's in the same family as marijuana and so the law forbids its sale (but this is industrial hemp and doesn't have any of the ingredient in marijuana that makes it so popular <g>).

Nina

[AW1971]

   well if i disappear off the forum for a while you know were i`ll be (Police cell sitting next to my bale of hemcore) 

 

[lepinsky]

LOL!  I'll come visit you and smuggle in some matches and some roll-up papers.

Nina

[AW1971]

cheers! 

[SusanMcM]

Hi
I can't find a local stockist to me for the Tortoise Life Substrate and I don't have a lot of time to get over to the Wirral to the shop that stocks it. The local animal food suppliers does stock Aubiose but in massive bales. Apparently it is used for horses and is dust free. I went to a fairly local reptile stockists today to see if he could help. He had not heard of either of the 2 substrates I asked about but he has a friend who keeps horses and will ask. He has said that if he can get it he would be prepared to repack it into smaller bags for sale. I have to contact him next weekend to see how he got on so will keep you posted. (Is there an email address for your local prison Turbotort???)
Susan 

[AW1971]

Don`t know which prison i`ll be in yet but i`ll let you know,   
I`ll get you a number of a friend of mines shop that i`ve persuaded to stock in tort products if you want, and hemp too shes doing small bags. Shes from birkenhead and will deliver free. Shes so nice and helpful. If thats any help let me know, i even got her to join a tort forum just to swot up on torts. Just let me know 

P.S, Is tortoise life like a green compacted dry grass?, if so Susan its what we call rabbit pellets and shouldnt be used as its too dry and isnt good eaten in large amounts. Probably completely wrong, has anyone got any pics.

[lepinsky]

Hi Susan,

If you can get your local reptile stockists to break up a bale then that's ideal (and that's what mine did).  If turbotort's friend can supply you then that's great too.  If neither of these works out you can buy smaller quantities of hemp from the Shelled Warriors shop
http://shelledwarriorsshop.bravehost.com/Substrate.html
Of course it works out to be more expensive than buying a bale, but it does go a long way and doesn't need frequent changing (and torts love it).

Nina

Hi
I can't find a local stockist to me for the Tortoise Life Substrate and I don't have a lot of time to get over to the Wirral to the shop that stocks it. The local animal food suppliers does stock Aubiose but in massive bales. Apparently it is used for horses and is dust free. I went to a fairly local reptile stockists today to see if he could help. He had not heard of either of the 2 substrates I asked about but he has a friend who keeps horses and will ask. He has said that if he can get it he would be prepared to repack it into smaller bags for sale. I have to contact him next weekend to see how he got on so will keep you posted. (Is there an email address for your local prison Turbotort???)
Susan