Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone!

Herman (real original, I know) is my Hermanns Tortoise. We've been together for about a year now. I had been using ReptiBark as a subtrate, however, I recently switched him over to a crushed walnut subtrate. I did research on the subtrate before I used it, and couldn't seem to find any disadvantages in using it. Anyone heard anything negative about it?
Also, Herman's skin is gradually becoming extremely dry and chapped looking. I've tried soaking him, but that doesn't seem to be helping. Any ideas?

I've never used walnut shell, but I've heard that it can become impacted in the degestive tracts of tortoises if they accidently eat too much of it.

I would ditch the walnut substrate. It can cause impaction, and it gets moldy quickly when wet. Best thing to use is a 50/50 mix of soil and sand (no additives to the soil like fertilizer or perlite). That should help with the skin, also regular soaks (every other day, at least).
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Sohni
Northern California