Sand advice

[Ludrup]

WOuld you recommend mixing sand in with topsoil in an outdoor enclosure for Hermann's? If so, how much sand to soil and what grade of sand would you use?

I know some people argue against the use of sand as it can be an irritant

Many thanks

L

[sandy]

Originally Posted by Ludrup

WOuld you recommend mixing sand in with topsoil in an outdoor enclosure for Hermann's? If so, how much sand to soil and what grade of sand would you use?

I know some people argue against the use of sand as it can be an irritant

Many thanks

L

They don't need sand in the soil.
But if your soil is mainly clay, then you might need something to help it drain more:0)

[Ozric Jonathan]

Hi there. Hermann tortoise habitats very often have ground that looks very sandy and the soil does tend to be very light, stoney and sandy looking.

But I wouldn't recommend adding sand to your topsoil because it can actually make the drainage worse if it's a clay type of soil.

If you have a clay soil and want to improve the drainage it is possible to do it by adding huge amounts of grit. And it really is huge amounts. I did this some years ago in my front garden and had to buy 25 bags of grit. It did improve the drainage but it was very hard work! If not enough grit is added there is no benefit at all.

What I did for the tortoise enclosure was to weed the ground and cover a lot of it with weedblock and then I put a thick layer of limestone chippings on top of it. Plants are planted through slits in the weedblock. The water drains off the top layer of limestone chips really well.

If you have soil which is light already, I wouldn't add sand to it.

[Rambotron]

How does everyone feel about sand in an indoor enclosure like a tort table?

I've been using the tortoise substrate stuff which is a loam/sand mix because Irwin tends to eat the coco stuff.

I wasn't aware that sand was bad for them?

[JerryMaffz]

I use a Soil/Sand/Gravel mix outdoors at a 50%/30%/20% ratio and a Soil/Sand mix indoors at 75%/25% ratio.
No problems at all in the three years I've had my tortoise.
ALL tortoise habitats in the wild I have visited had sandy areas, none had coconuts!
I have still yet to see anyone post conclusive proof that sand causes eye irritation, which I suspect in many cases is caused by inadequate lighting set-ups. Just my opinions, from my short experience, I know others disagree.

[sandy]

Originally Posted by JerryMaffz

I use a Soil/Sand/Gravel mix outdoors at a 50%/30%/20% ratio and a Soil/Sand mix indoors at 75%/25% ratio.
No problems at all in the three years I've had my tortoise.
ALL tortoise habitats in the wild I have visited had sandy areas, none had coconuts!
I have still yet to see anyone post conclusive proof that sand causes eye irritation, which I suspect in many cases is caused by inadequate lighting set-ups. Just my opinions, from my short experience, I know others disagree.

You have to have been around forums for a very long time to have heard about sand in tortoises eyes. It has and does happen, but it will depend on how much sand is used, and how much common sense:0)
Some newbies hear sand and use only sand. Same as diet, it's easier to feed junk foods (lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber) than it is to grow or pick weeds etc, good foods.

[CherryBrandy]

From experience I agree with the conclusion that sand is not good or ideal in almost all circumstances. Arid / sandy / loamy soil bright coloured soil in a micro climate does not equate to sand substrate - many factors, consistency, moisture content , weight, texture, erosion of weed beds due to too light a sand mix. Imagine....sat on a beach and you lean over into the cool box.....slightly wet hands...the wind blows.... there is sand in your eye, sand on your sandwiches....down your throat as you eat, scratching your cornea, the tide comes in, it turns quick sand......bacteria breeds in the stagnant non draining areas , add a bit of wee, add a bit of poo, it sticks to the food it breeds fungus...the grain gets into your eye, this time it just doesn't scratch your cornea it infects it. My horsfields I have had for over 25 years live on shingle. No sand, no soil - arid dry conditions replicated around a micro climate. my others are on soil / concrete / shingle / lawn. Even my Egyptian tortoise is on a low keel sand , oyster shell mix wit plenty of platforms to bury under and on - less sand than a sandy thing. Turtles love sand , but they can wash it off. CB

[Suze65]

I agree with no sand in either indoor or outdoor enclosures, there's no point to it being there and it can irritate eyes.