100% Sand?

[Alan1]

I used to mix sand in with the topsoil originally and had no eye problems but it was such a hassle buying and carrying sand and soil that I gave up the sand. there are a variety of grades of sand from coarse to fine

[egyptiandan64]

Actually there are no tortoises that live in the sandy areas of a desert. The ones that do live in deserts live in hard packed rocky soiled areas that do grow plants (need to eat something ). Loose sand is extremely difficult to walk on (just think of you walking on a dry sand beach, hard isn't it ) if it has any depth to it.

So yes, no one should be using 100% sand as a substrate.

Danny

[Alan1]

beach sand is hard to walk on (on the part of the beach that doesn't get wet) but what about the moist sand which is fine to walk on, as is building sand?

[Merlin M]

But desert sand is dry...

[Alan1]

Originally Posted by Merlin M

But desert sand is dry...

You'd think so anyway, at least on the surface. My topsoil was just turning into the hard to walk on type sand you get on the dry part of the beach and watering it never got it back to the way it was when it was a new bag. At least the coco coir is ok after watering. I wonder what a coco coir/sand mix would be like. Probably the sand would sink

[Merlin M]

I turn the soil when I water it so it stays soft

[Catwoman63]

Topsoils horrible when it dries out, I use a watering can of warm water on it and rake it through x

[becciwales]

Yes, I do that with the coco coir

[emma_mcraf]

Originally Posted by Catwoman63

Topsoils horrible when it dries out, I use a watering can of warm water on it and rake it through x

Me too Bev.

[Levi]

Originally Posted by Alan1

Why the poll? So that I can find out if anyone uses 100% sand obviously

Fair enough, I though it might have had something to do with that small section of the Horsfields TT article you quoted, but obviously not.

Just for the record my tort has a small section of sand, but it's only a very thin layer that warms up quickly when the sun comes out, it is covered so always very dry indeed. My ibera seems to like it.