Substrate

[Quasi]

Hello,
I use topsoil in my indoor enclosure for my tortoise using bags of top soil from the garden centre. In the past I have sieved it but this is pretty hard work for a large enclosure as I get older! In the past I have found the odd bit of plastic or glass etc in the bags.

Do you think it is necessary to sieve it? I am thinking the odd twig or bit of bark won’t be a problem as in the wild they would obviously encounter such things but bits of glass or plastic etc is a concern.

Also, how important is it that that the soil is sterilised? I have read somewhere sometime ago that the top soil should be sterilised but the top soil I have got (Westland) doesn’t appear to be sterilised and none of the bags I find seem to be.

I would appreciate your comments.

Thank you,

Quasi

[lin]

Hi Quasi.
I would say you’re right. Our tortoises once in the garden and even in the wild would come across things they might pick us and ‘mouth’ to see if it’s edible. I can’t see that any glass in these bags of topsoil would be sharp enough to cause any cuts because that’s would be an open door for claiming, and I would hope it’s not large enough to get stuck in the digestive system of a tortoise. We do build our outdoor enclosures for the tortoises and I doubt anyone checks it thorough enough to remove every piece of plastic or worn down smooth glass.
Personally I would agree with you and say it will be fine, but I do know Nina uses topsoil and maybe she can come on and give you her outlook on the subject.

Lin

[Quasi]

Hello Lin,
Thanks for your reply which is reassuring.
Best regards,
Quasi

[Nina]

Hi Quasi,

I use topsoil and children's playsand mixed together, and I agree with Lin that the occasional bit of plastic or glass that you find isn't a problem. Topsoil is almost always screened, and these bits are small enough to have got through the screening process, so they aren't big and when I see them I just pick them out. I don't think it needs to be sterilised either (although in an ideal world that would be nice) -- after all, who sterilises the soil outside in their garden enclosure, and picks the bits out of that? For some reason, the last bag of topsoil that I bought has lots of very tiny stones in it, and in a way I worry more about my tortoises eating little white stones (which they sometimes do outdoors but don't seem to have done indoors yet), than I do about other stuff. I don't think any of those things are a major problem though and you are just fine with the bags of topsoil that you've been buying.

Nina

[Quasi]

Hello Nina,
Thank you for your very helpful reply. It’s reassuring and makes perfect sense. I will stop sieving the soil now and will pick out any obvious bits that have found their way into the bags!

Thanks again,

Quasi