"Munster" is home! (Photos)

[Jan W]

I'm with Finsky on the composting, but then I have been tidying the veg patch today.

On the Ikea label it states the coir has nutrients that will feed plants for 3-6 weeks, but obviously not sure what happens as time goes by.

[Suze65]

Originally Posted by markbigears

Hi Emma, the wife bought him from a pet shop, with all the bits and bobs that shop owners sell you ..... You know the usual, vivarium, beech chips.... And the top advice of, he doesn't need water .... I could go on!! As soon us I've used up the huge sack of clippings, I'll try something else. He has been on beech chips his whole life, he gets around fine though.

I would ditch your huge bag of chippings and switch to coco fibre or top soil straight away, a mix of the two is also very good. Those chippings are not easy for them to walk on, as has been said on other posts, they are like you and me trying to walk on marbles. And they do not hold any moisture, which your tort really does need. But he is a lovely little fellow, enjoy.
Also, don't mix play sand in the substrate, it can irritate the eyes and there's no need.

[CherryBrandy]

... do make sure your coco coir isn't full of nutrients as this can be harmful to torts if they ingest ....get the plain one....nat ur al ! Still good for the plants and should cost less than bags or bricks with added bits... cb

[Finsky]

All commercial composts for plants, including coir have approx. 3-5 weeks 'worth' of nutrients..once those have been taken up by plants there is nothing left to 'feed' the plants and resulting the compost/coir just being medium to accommodate plants roots (some other added ingredients do linger much longer tough)....it is after approx. a month you have to start thinking of feeding your plants to keep them looking healthy (depending your plants nutrient needs).
But, as you tortoise would have been doing its 'business' into the substrate... there would be some added 'goodness' there, though how much and how good stuff that is something I'm yet to experiment with
Coir is perfectly good stuff to put straight on/into soil as it is ..even after being 'used', there is no need to put it through composting process, unless you want to.
Coir can also be bought as 'plain', without any fertilizers as well..which I think might be better for tortoises. Depending manufacturer, they use different recipes with added fertilizers etc. some could be irritant to tortoises.
I have use some amount of coir for my work as gardener and I have found some being quite drying to my hands..that's due to lime content in the coir, to make it similar to 'multipurpose compost'.
In past I have bought 'plain' coir blocks from wormery suppliers
I'm probably telling you lot how to suck eggs ....

[Ozric Jonathan]

I buy this one:

http://www.fertilefibre.com/organic/...ir-blocks.html

I get it delivered which is handy as I don't have a car so Kokosnot isn't an option.

I don't think the one I get has any additives and that company seems to sell the nutrient separately. The blocks are huge and gallons of water is needed for each one but it works out good value.

[Finsky]

Thanks for that link!
You have just 'given' me a job that I didn't really need at the moment..looks like I'm going spend next couple of hours finding bulk buy prices and comparing them to compost prices.
I have got my 'money saving' hat on.....and trying to figure out, if I should ditch or partially replace some of my yearly compost purchases with coir. I'm considering the possibility of re-using the coir from tortoises bedding to gardening use... but the amount of compost I do use in a year, one tortoise has to have quite liberal bowel movements to keep soiling enough coir for my recycling uses....perhaps it is not case of total replacement of compost sources...

[Jan W]

Thanks for all the tips. Finsky - no you are not teaching grandmother to suck eggs!

I think I will put mine in the compost heap as I like a mix of things, also my understanding is that torts naturally carry salmonella, so thinking best to compost first.

As it is such good stuff I will probably order the big blocks eventually - so thanks for web site.

[CherryBrandy]

yes the natural without any additives and or nutrients ,is for torts and just as good for the garden and spider plants, though I add some plant food for that anyway. so soft too, ive used for seeds and they've done ok. CB

[mcgregor]

Lovely shell on Munster. Ummmm, is it a female? Might be too early too tell if it's young but kinda looks female to me in the upside-down shot

[markbigears]

Hi, mcgregor, Munster was born 2014. Can you tell that early?