The Best Substrate and Bedding for a Russian Tortoise

Choosing the substrate and bedding for your tortoise is one of the most important things that you have to do when it comes to properly taking care of your tortoise. But this can be a little hard when you take into consideration all the options that you have, or at least for me it was when I had to choose a substrate for my tortoise. To make sure that I pick the right one I decided to do as much research as possible, so after a week of research I ended up creating this guide.

After reading this guide you will be able to choose the perfect substrate/bedding for your Russian tortoise, and you will also be able to understand the difference between all the different types of substrates available. And also I will also give you a few recommendations for the best substrate and bedding for a Russian tortoise.

Now let’s start with the most important thing.

Understanding What Kind of Substrate / Bedding Your Tortoise Needs

There are a lot of substrates and beddings out there, some are soil, some are sand, some are wood, etc. So to eliminate a lot of them you first have to think of the natural habitat of the Russian tortoise.

Russian tortoises live in central Asia, especially in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. So  Russian tortoises will need a substrate that is at least similar to their homeland.

After a surprisingly quick google search, I found out that this: “ Afghanistan soils are formed under arid and semi-arid climatic conditions. Textural classes are mostly clay loam to sandy loam. Soil pH and calcium carbonate contents are high. “ source: afghanag.ucdavis.edu

So now that we have a better understanding of what kind of substrate/bedding we need for a Russian tortoise, let’s talk about another important thing that you have to take into consideration, microclimates.

The Microclimate of a Substrate / Bedding

The microclimate of an area refers to the humidity, temperature. Those two factors can influence a lot of things in an area, things like the plants that grow, the microscopic creatures that live in that area, the texture of the soil, etc. A good example to properly understand the difference is to think about a tropical rainforest and a desert. In the beginning, they were both just two pieces of land, but due to the temperature and the humidity, one of them exploded with life, while the other remains mostly uninhabited.

There are two very significant ways that the microclimate of the substrate can influence your tortoise.

The first one is humidity. Different types of tortoises live in different climates, that have their own climates. So some tortoises are accustomed to different types of humidity. The thing about humidity is that it’s not something that your tortoise can get used to. You can’t take a tortoise that lives in a desert and then put it in a place with high humidity, this will only lead to health problems.

The second major way that the microclimate can affect your tortoise is through the insects and small bugs that live there. Just like all animals those small creatures have certain needs to grow. And some climates are more favorable for them than others. In general, you don’t want any kind of bug or insect to appear, but from my experience, it will happen at some time. And when it happens you want to make sure that they won’t affect your tortoise at all. Tortoises are used to a lot of insects, bugs, and other microscopic creatures. But exposing a tortoise that lives in a forest to the microscopic organisms that live in tropical areas can lead to serious health problems.

If you want to get the microclimate right for your tortoise you just have to take a closer look at where it lives, and try to emulate the conditions as well as possible.

In the case of the Russian tortoise, it lives in Central Asia, a place with a very hot and dry climate. So they will need a place with a similar microclimate.

Now let’s take a closer look at the humidity level.

The Moisture of a Substrate / Bedding for a Russian Tortoise

For a Russian tortoise, you will need to maintain a humidity level of around 30% to 50%.

There are a few ways in which you can influence the humidity level. But the best and simplest one is to simply pulverize some water over the substrate/bedding. To do this you can use any kind of bottle with a pulverizer. You can even use an empty window cleaning spray bottle, as long as you make sure that you disinfect it completely, you don’t want any of the chemicals in there in the substrate. But the safest thing would be to just buy a new empty bottle with a pulverizer, like this one from Amazon.

To measure the moisture of the substrate you will need a soil humidity meter. Without one it’s impossible to properly know the humidity level of the substrate, so I strongly recommend you to get one. In general, you can find them at some gardening shops, and online. Here is a link to the one that I use: Dr.Meter S10 Soil Moisture Sensor Meter. I personally really like this model because it doesn’t take up any space, it doesn’t use any kind of electricity, so the tortoise is in no danger, and the best part is that my tortoises don’t interact with it at all, so I don’t have to worry about that.

Why the Humidity Level Matters

At first, it might not seem as much but the humidity level is really important. But tortoises spend almost their entire life in contact with the substrate, so it will have a very powerful impact.

One of its most important roles is that of helping the tortoise maintain a proper body temperature. In general, a substrate that is wet will be slightly colder than a dry substrate. And since tortoises rely on their surrounding environment to adjust their body temperature, the humidity becomes very important.

Getting the humidity level wrong can, unfortunately, have very severe consequences. If the humidity is too high, the tortoise will most likely end up with shell rot in no time. And if the humidity is too low, their skin and shell will also end up suffering because they don’t get the required hydration.

I know those things can seem a little harsh, but they only happen if you get the humidity completely wrong. Thi is why in the beginning I gave you the required humidity between 30% and 50%, instead of saying an exact number like 42%. In the wild Russian tortoises don’t experience an exact humidity level, it will be wary almost every day, but in general, it stays between 30% and 50%. So as long as you keep the humidity somewhere around that area your Russian tortoise will be completely fine.

Now let’s move to another important aspect, the depth of the substrate.

The Depth of the Substrate / Bedding for a Russian Tortoise

Russian tortoises like to dig. They sometimes dig to get underground away from the heat, sometimes they can dig just for the fun of it. So it’s important to make the substrate as deep as possible.

Ideally, you could make the dept of the substrate around 6 inches ( 15 centimeters ). But realistically that’s not possible for everybody. To make the substrate that deep you will need a lot of space and not everybody has that kind of space at their disposal.

But you should always make sure that the depth of the substrate is at least 2 inches ( 5 centimeters ). This way your Russian tortoise will be able to dig if it wants to.

How Often to Change the Substrate / Bedding of a Russian Tortoise

How often you should change the substrate/bedding of a Russian tortoise really depends on the specific circumstances: the depth of the substrate, the size of the terrarium/habitat, etc. So it’s really hard to give you an exact answer, but I will give you some pointers that will help you know when it’s time to change it.

The most important thing that you have to ask yourself when you are thinking of changing the substrate is: Is it clean? If the answer is yes, then you probably don’t.

If the substrate looks clean, and there are no bad smells coming out of it, then it’s most probably fine, and it doesn’t need a change.

If you have 2 inches of substrate, then you will usually need to change it after 3 or 4 months. And you will need to change it all.

If the substrate is 6 inches deep, you will probably need to change it after 5 or 6 months. And most probably you won’t even need to change all of it, just the first 3 inches that were on the top.

Those two cases are usually the most common and are for people who have only one tortoise. If you have more than one then the time will probably be half of what it would have been if you had only one tortoise.

But as I said a lot of factors can come into play, If you have an enclosure that is 40 inches wide, you will probably need to change the substrate once a year, even if the depth is only 2 inches.

To make sure that you don’t have to change the substrate too often, make sure that you clean the terrarium/habitat as often as possible, ideally, you will clean it every time your tortoise finishes eating.

Now let’s take a closer look at a few different types of substrates that you definitely have to avoid if you want your tortoise to be healthy.

Substrates / Bedding That You Should Avoid

Wood, you should stay away from any kind of substrate that is made out of wood. Tortoises can and will get stung by splinters. There is also the problem that they can eat it by mistake, and the wood can cause a lot of life-threatening problems while it’s inside the intestines of the tortoise. And there is also a good chance that it will catch fire if exposed to high temperatures, like the ones from the basking area.

Pine and Cedar, I know I just said that wood, in general, is bad but I want to evidentiate pine and cedar since they are much worse. Pine and cedar can be toxic for tortoises. Even if they are not ingested, the simple fact that they are present near the tortoise can have a very bad effect on them.

Sand is usually sold in a lot of pet shops as a great substrate/bedding for tortoises. This is not the case, even for tortoises that live in desert areas. Sand on its own is a terrible substrate/bedding for tortoises. However sand can definitely be used in combination with different types of soil, but it’s not good on its own. If you use only sand, your tortoise will end up getting an eye irritation/infection. And if your tortoise ends up swallowing it, which happens a lot more than you might think, it will end up with intestinal problems.

Dusty substrates are also a very bad idea, the dust from the substrate can easily lead to respiratory problems for your Russian tortoise.

Fiber substrates are also a popular choice, but unfortunately, they can become dangerous if they are not well maintained. Their biggest disadvantage is that they can easily become moldy which will lead to a lot of health problems for your tortoise. And if the fiber substrate is not kept wet it will become very dusty, which will lead to respiratory problems. There is also the problem that those kinds of substrates can easily catch fire if they are exposed to high temperatures, like the ones from a basking area. But fibers can be a good substrate if used with care and replaced regularly.

Paper, any kind of paper is bad, whether is paper towels, newspapers, or old magazines, they are all bad substrates. They don’t provide any kind of benefit for your tortoise, they can get moldy very fast, and they can catch fire in an instant. So stay away from any kind of paper substrate or bedding.

Alfalfa is another type of substrate that you should stay away from. Alfalfa is very absorbent, which is great for keeping the enclosure clean, but it can also easily dehydrate your tortoise. And there is also the fact that they usually contain a lot of protein, and this can be bad if your tortoise starts eating it.

Those substrates that I just listed can be very dangerous for your tortoise, but this doesn’t mean that every single possible bad thing will happen to your tortoise if you use them, but for me personally, just knowing that there is a real risk of something bad happening to my tortoise makes me want to avoid them. Especially since there are better alternatives.

I know I eliminated some of the most common commercially available substrates with this list, but don’t worry there are a lot of solutions out there that are very cheap and accessible. So let’s talk about them.

The Best Substrate / Bedding for a Russian Tortoise

The best thing that you can use as a substrate/bedding for your Russian tortoise is a combination of soil with sand. The soil is perfect for digging, and it provides a lot of thermal benefits. And combining it with sand will let you adjust the amount of humidity that it will retain.

While sand by itself is a terrible choice, combining it with soil should solve any problem.

The exact proportion you should mix those two can vary depending on your area, if you live in an area with a lot of humidity you might need to add a little more sand than somebody who lives in a dryer area. But in general, the mix should be around 70% to 80% soil and the rest of 30% to 20% sand. 

The soil and the sand that you use don’t have to be anything special, just make sure that the soil is 100% natural, with no added fertilizers, organic or chemical, and sand has to be relatively small and soft. 

Here are a few links to Amazon, for the sand and the soil that I use, both of them are perfect for a Russian tortoise substrate:

• Exo Terra Plantation Soil
• 2 lbs. Natural Sand
• 5 lbs. Natural Sand

For the warmer months of the year, I would also recommend you to use some coconut fiber, but this means that you will have to be a little more careful than usual. As I mentioned before, if you keep them for too long they can get moldy, so I would recommend you to change them after one month or two. Also, make sure that you don’t let them get dry, if they get too dry they will get dusty, and they can cause problems for your tortoise. And the last thing that you have to be careful about is to keep them away from the basking area.

Even if they require some extra care, coconut fibers can be really great at keeping the humidity high, during the hot summer months. So if you can spend a couple of minutes each day to check if everything is ok with them, then I suggest you go ahead and use them.

And here is a link to Amazon for the coconut fibers that I use for my tortoise: Zoo Med Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber Substrate

Related Questions?

Can I grow plants in my tortoise’s habitat? Yes, you can try to grow plants in your tortoise’s habitat, but they won’t last very long. Tortoises tend to eat every plant that they can find, so as long as you plant the plants for your tortoise to eat everything should be fine. If you plant them with the intent of looking nice, your tortoise will still be fine, but you will probably end up disappointed.

Why do tortoises dig holes? In the wild, tortoises dig holes to search for food, to make a place to hide from predators, and to get underground where the temperature is colder. Pet tortoises dig holes for the same reasons, even if there are no predators around or anything like that, they just maintain their natural instincts.

Can tortoises eat soil? When tortoises eat food off the ground they will usually also eat some soil, so it happens pretty often. In general, if the soil is not chemically treated, the tortoise should be completely fine after eating small amounts.

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