Timothy Hay - Yay or Nay ?

[Triffik]

Hi,

I've been looking at the pictures of indoor enclosures and see some people have what looks like hay in the hide for the tortoise. Also there is some white shredded type stuff that looks a bit like wood shavings but i dont think it is - what is this?

My table has just top soil in it and a few wee pebbles. It has a built in 'hide' and i was wondering should i put some timothy hay into this ontop of the topsoil to make it a bit cosier or easier to 'bed' down in ?

I have timothy hay anyway as i have guinea pigs so should i add this to the tort table or could it be harmful. Is it ok if she eats some? She's a hermanns and is 6/7 yrs old.

Thanks

T

[TortBabe]

Hi T, the wood shavings stuff is probably hemp or aspen, which is not really recommended anymore Its best just to use plain sterilised topsoil which is available from B&Q or Homebase. Some people add 30% playsand and mix it all up. I'm not sure about the timothy hay, but what a lot of people use is readi-grass which is available from the SW shop I personally just use topsoil as torts often like to dig down in it and it can be moistened to help them thermo-regulate their temperature, and I've read it can protect them from dehydration

[16 shells]

Hi i would do as Tortbabe, just carry on with top soil, the thing with using hay/redigrass is if you spray for humidity it can grow mould spores quick in tables. Your Timothy Hay is a great source of fibre though, it can be cut very small and a little sprinkled on damp weed's/plants, if they accept it. A blender set on rough chop is ideal for dry stuff, kept in a sealed container.

[Torterra]

Originally Posted by Triffik

Hi,

I've been looking at the pictures of indoor enclosures and see some people have what looks like hay in the hide for the tortoise. Also there is some white shredded type stuff that looks a bit like wood shavings but i dont think it is - what is this?

My table has just top soil in it and a few wee pebbles. It has a built in 'hide' and i was wondering should i put some timothy hay into this ontop of the topsoil to make it a bit cosier or easier to 'bed' down in ?

I have timothy hay anyway as i have guinea pigs so should i add this to the tort table or could it be harmful. Is it ok if she eats some? She's a hermanns and is 6/7 yrs old.

Thanks

T

I have Timothy Hay in few places on top of soil. However I keep Stars, they seem to be very accurate and tidy tortoises, and the Hay generally staying in one spot where I put it in. I spray other parts and keep areas with hay dry. She loves eating it from time to time, as i can see the hay dissapear from the table, at one point I found out that there were literally nothing left for her to hide under, two straws a day missing you will not notice but after a while it will become more apparent.