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What is the best substrate for a home's hingeback tortoise. I know they need high humidity so I was thinking cypress mulch. Any other suggestions.

Also, I read where they prefer subdued lighting so I was thinking a ceramic heat emitter for heat and a small fluorescent bulb for light. Do these guys need any UVB exposure or can they get by on supplements of D3. From what I have read they are a forest species who do not bask much so UVB may not be needed.

I had a custome r drop one off today and I am looking for the best information I can find. I have the basic setup but a few details are needed.

I havn't found the perfect substrate yet. It's tough to read these guys, and the best I've found is newspaper. For whatever reason, the male I have seems more active and outgoing on it compared to other substrates, where he would pick a corner and sit inactive for days. Along with a humid hide(s) you shouldn't have any problems. Don't expect these guys to eat much. They'll eat enough to sustain them, but won't be a glutton like a Sulcata or a Redfoot. I've never given my Indoor Tortoises any UVB/UVA exposure and they do just fine with proper supplementation. These guys may be fairly easy to keep, but frustrating at the same time. Its taken a long while for the one I have to eat in front of me, but he's still really shy

I do not claim to be an expert on hingbacks. However from everything I have read & have been told newspaper would make a VERY bad choice. It adds nothing to the humidity & offers nowhere to hide - both very important considerations with hingebacks.

A mixture of cypress mulch & soil would be much better. Many growers also places a thick layer of large leaves such as magnolia on one end so they can dig through. This combination of moist cypress/soil topped with leaves is perfect for earthwoms & many hingebacks will like digging for earthworms. Many growers also have small ponds in their setup - some placing small fish in which again many hingebacks will eat if they can catch them. If you can provide a large enough area, plants would be appropriate.

Your hingeback may seem more active on the newspaper because it is stressed and looking for hide spots.

Using supplements instead of proper UVB lighting is like a human taking vitamins instead of eating properly. It may be enough to sustain you but is not a good choice. Having said that, hingebacks are mainly reclusive animals & most do well with less light than say a sulcata.

It may be a good idea to have a reptile vet check out your hingebacks as they are notorius for having large parasite loads & may rapidly become ill if stressed to much with a large parasite load.

Good luck with your new tortoise.
hingeback caresheet

Lets see. I have a Hingeback who, when kept on the substrates you've mentioned, would literally wedge itself in a corner and not move for days on end. However, when switched to newspaper as a base, and given other options like humid hides and the like, has taken a tortoises that was not thriving, to a Tortoise that if patient enough, will eat out of my hands. Like I said in my original post, I havn't found the perfect substrate yet. When I get time to do so, I'll be working on a soil mix, but not the kind you'll find in a Home Improvement store. If it works, great. If it doesn't ohh well. The point being, is if you limit the animal to what you think it needs, it will fail. If you give it options and let it choose what it needs, it'll thrive. Which brings me to my second point that was in my original post; These guys are hard to read compared to other Tortoises, hence why you see the mortality rate you do ( and the fact that they can be had for $30, which puts them in alot of beginners hands ). As much as a care sheet can help, it can also hinder. Sometimes thinking outside the box can give you better insight, because your not limiting yourself to what someone else has experienced.

Posted by: EricIvins at Thu Mar 1 23:08:37 2007 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

Lets see. I have a Hingeback who, when kept on the substrates you've mentioned, would literally wedge itself in a corner and not move for days on end. However, when switched to newspaper as a base, and given other options like humid hides and the like, has taken a tortoises that was not thriving, to a Tortoise that if patient enough, will eat out of my hands. Like I said in my original post, I havn't found the perfect substrate yet .
>>> To date the " perfect substrate " for both K. homeana and erosa I would have to say is orchid bark or western bark . Easy to clean and spot check any feces and holds humidity very well . Eric , your homeana would hide for days in a corner when kept on bark is probably a bigger sign/problem than you forming an opinion of what substrate is best for your homeana . Both homeana and erosa are one of the few and most highly aquatic tortoises around . Both species are found in dense leaves and may hide for days . On the other hand , both species are known to enter into the water to chase down prey including snails nad various aquatic plants . When you had your homeana on " bark " substrate , did you mist it down every morning and evening ? Did you hydrate your tortoise ? How bright of a light did you put on it ? I use either ZooMed energy saver 10.0 bulbs or Energy saver dayglows , both bulbs put out very low light , great for those big dark eyes of homeana and erosa ! Homeana love to be misted with water and fed in the mornings and evenings daily . I do not know you , your tortoise or your husbandry practice . But I assure you , newpaper is as comfortable to a chelonian as concrete bedroom is to a human .

When I get time to do so, I'll be working on a soil mix, but not the kind you'll find in a Home Improvement store. If it works, great. If it doesn't ohh well. The point being, is if you limit the animal to what you think it needs, it will fail. If you give it options and let it choose what it needs, it'll thrive. Which brings me to my second point that was in my original post; These guys are hard to read compared to other Tortoises, hence why you see the mortality rate you do ( and the fact that they can be had for $30, which puts them in alot of beginners hands ). As much as a care sheet can help, it can also hinder. Sometimes thinking outside the box can give you better insight, because your not limiting yourself to what someone else has experienced....
>>>> Homeana are not hard to read as are any animal for that matter . Do your research , find out their microclimate , variety of food intake , etc etc . The price of homeana has noting to do with mortality rate as much as it's matter of supply and demand . I personaly beleive these animals should be up in the few hundred dollar range as they are getting rarer and rarer each year , between the typical habitate destruction , local villagers and natives eating them , and the supply for the pettrade . I've read a few caresheets online , I must say I am impressed that quiet a few are pretty accurate and trustworthy but then there are some caresheets that are in left field . Eric , thinking outside the box is a good thing within reason as long as it lines up with accuracy . I would recommend trusting anyone's advice that has extensive experience with homeana as many have had them thrive , breed , lay fertile eggs and hatched . I have 20 homeana and I've only kept them for 3 yrs . They have bred for me off and on during the summer and fall months . Never hatch out an egg as of yet . Homeana are one of my favorite tortoises and should be considered as special species with special care . There arent many coming in these days and I am happy that many hobbyist and academic alike are keeping studbooks and many notes on furthering the husbandry of Kinixys .
By the way , yes I do keep all my homeana on orchid bark and spray them down daily and evenings , feed them often and they are always out crusing the enclosures only to bury and hide during the daylight hours .

I'm not sure why anyone here would make the assumption that a tortoise that hides in its substrate is 'not thriving.' This is the natural hbaitat of Kinixys and other forest floor torts (which spend 90% of their lives hidden in the substrate), and to keep one on newspaper just leads it to spend its day searching for a place to hide.

In other words, being active is very likely a sign of stress in this and related species. You've got to consider the natural behavior of the animal.

Why would newspaper be more appropriate than a Home Improvement type soil? I can't follow your logic. Both are artificial man made products but clearly the soil is closer to the tortoises natural substrate.

I agree thinking out of the box can be helpful. However using newspaper as a substrate is hardly thinking out of the box. To disregard Misty Corton's caresheet - basic as it may be - is troubling. She has ran an animal care center in Africa for many years & is quite familiar with hingeback's.

I think we are going to have to agree to disagree. I am a mere beginner having only raised tortoises for the last 12 or so years.

Good luck.

just to add that there is really no evidence that forest tortoises like these require UVB - it may be helpful in low doses, but bright light probably is a stressor that would cancel out the benefits of the UV.

I kept a hingeback several years ago and did it completely wrong. Unfortunately most/all are wild caughts with very few captive breds on the market. Needless to say, I think I kept my hingeback to dry, inadequate sized cage, and inadequate heating. This was over 10 years ago and much wasnt available about hingebacks, much less tortoises as great as info is today.

I think these guys suffer more from being under hydrated than anything. Regardless of the substrate, I would soak them a bit more than other species of torts like mediteranean or other types of arid loving tortoises. The cypress seems a good choice and does allow them to hide in different areas of the cage where the temps and humidity suit them best at the time. A good tepid water shallow bath a couple of times a week may be good and also helps them get active. They appear to be more shy than other species. I think the ceramic emitter would be great because I heard they are more shade loving/heavy forested area dwelling torts like redfoots. Just as a precaution, I would go with a UVB bulb too.

If its feeding well and pooping, I would get a fecal done for parasites. I hear these guys are usually loaded when wild caught and stressed the way they are during importation. Apparently they are also more omnivorous than other common petshop torts and will eat more animal matter and fruits in the wild than say a sulcata or russian would.

Good luck