Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi everyone,i have a 3 1/2"sulcatta.he's on alphalfa pellets.my wife is having a hard time with the smell.i read on a care sheet that carefresh is a great substrate for them.i thought i would ask you guys before i change it to carefresh and get some opinions on it.thanks in advance for any input.mike

Hi! I wouldn't recommend the pellets as a substrate because
they shift a lot when walked upon, thus not providing firm footing
which is essential to proper leg muscle development. They also
can mold quickly and your tort may eat some fouled pellets.
And as you have found out have a strong smell and are dusty.
If you think they're dusty and smelly now, try dumping 2 bags
weighing 50 pounds each into an enclosure for substrate - I did
this at my old house, never again! And talk about heavy, plus
they gotta be changed out - kills the trash guys. Anyway as you
can see it's not really a long term substrate regardless.

My favorite substrate is a 100% natural hemp, sold as "Life Mate"
has a picture of a child holding a rabbit on it. If you can't
find that go with aspen - Kaytee brand, it's softer and not as
dry as the Wal-Mart types.

I have used carefresh before, but found it to be very drying
for the tortoise. Besides it is really dusty also and will leave
a thin black layer of film everywhere. It think it's very ugly
besides that. You can try it if you choose. You'll find the
expense of it eventualy will also make it not a long term substrate.

When I say long term, I mean that whatever you are using now may
be fine, but as your sulcata gets bigger, it may not be ideal
because of expense or weight or dust or all of the above.
I always seem to come back to aspen, mine is now in an outside
building with an aspen substrate in his sleeping/basking area.
I can buy one huge bag for $9 which covers the entire area he
needs in his house and it lasts a long time before I need to
get another one.
I've used newspaper, plain and shredded - flat newspaper wouldn't
absorb the huge amounts of urine a sulcata can produce at one
time, and shredded was also too dusty for me. Matter of fact
no substrate worked inside for my taste, and eventually we moved
the sulcata out of the house to his own house. Much better for
all! He can come inside occasionally - though I have to watch
him knocking down the furniture! Here a Dec. 2003 old pic. of my
4 year old sulcata Teddy. Yeah, he's killing me at over 50 pounds! lol!

Theodore (aka Teddy) my Sulcata