Substrate for Star Tortoise?

I purchased a Star Tortoise at the Tampa show. I have gotten lots of different advice about substrates.
-Sand and Dirt mixture
-shaved aspen bedding (aka hamster bedding)
-bark nugget type stuff (reptibark)
-mulch

any sugguestions?
I tried the dirt/sand mix and she obviously got all dirty and I don't really like the look of it. That and her water dish gets muddy.

One other quick question too, for the shallow dish that she needs to soak in, how shallow/deep should it be? The one I have she can't submerge her head in just up to her chin.

Thanks,

Missy

for my stars and chacos, i use 2/3 mixture of pine bark mulch nuggets and finner grade; and 1/3 peat moss... i buy this from home depot for very cheap prices...you can also find the peat moss at walmart in large quanities...all of the experts whom i have talked to have told me pine bark mulch is the absolute best...i like to use peat moss cos it retains moisture and allows the torts to have burrow depth.

i spot-clean this substrate and change it every 3 months or sooner if needed.

aaron =)

also for the additional question over the water:

my stars are about 4 inches (so adapt your method in respect of tortoise size) i keep a 7 inch wide by 5 inches wide dish of water in my stars terrarium with about 1.5 inches of water in it...i change it every to everyother day...

i soak them in luke warm water every week to 2 times a week in 1.5 inches of water and sumtimes a bit more...

Thanks for your reply. I still am unsure of what to use. I have to have her inside with it being Wisconsin and friggin cold out right about now.

I may mix pine shavings with peat moss. I just hate it when she gets all dirty. She's so pretty I want her to shine more than be all dusty.

I'm hoping to get a house this fall and then I can build her a nice tort. table with a spot for growing grasses and all that jazz. just have to make due until then...

I have used cypress mulch in the past with my star tortoises, but I am currently using what I would consider patio carpet. This is a cose knit carpet with a heavy rubber backing.
They also have access to hiding shelters which some use more than others.
They have been doing very well on this and there's no problem of getting the enclosure so messy when they spread their meals everywhere, or any risk of substrate ingestion.
I keep a shop vac in the herp room and just vaccuum the tort enclosure a couple of times a week to clean up the spilled food.

I also don't use a water dish at all. I soak them every 2-3 days for around 30 minutes. Their diet also includes some moist vegetables and soaked Mazuri periodically. This routine seems to provide their moisture requirements well for me.
At this time my stars are all around four inches, so when they reach the age to begin breeding I will no longer use this setup. I plan to go to the more traditional soil based substrate with a depth sufficent to aid in the egg laying process.

my tortoises constantly have dust and soil on them...that's just part of being a tort...think about the tortoise's well-being and not its aesthetics...be the tort and learn what makes it comfortable. they don't burrow for nothing...the pine bark and moisture in peat moss is good for their skin. i live in missouri and have to keep them inside all winter too...i have a 4 story terrarium that is about 3.5 by 2.5 feet per individual terrarium...it's like u see in petstores... but in summer i keep them in a 6 by 6 foot grassy area.

with keeping water in the enclosure, i have noticed all my torts soaking in it thru out the week and adds humidity to the air, which is really needed when mercury uv bulbs are used.

aaron

Correct me if I am wrong,

But I heard that Stars do not tolerate moisture well. It was sugguested to me, by reputable herp breeders/collectors/whatnot, that I try to keep my star as dry as is possible.

The main problem I had with sand/soil mixture was that the dirt gathered in the nooks of her shell and I was afraid that it would iritate her skin and that she would get a rash or an abrasion of some sort.

But I may be wrong on all of this, that's why I am so thankful for your help and sugguestions...

yes it is true--indian stars are desert dwellers. but we must remember all of the people who keep sri lankan and indian stars in florida, moisture city, and do wonderfully with them; in fact, my stars came from florida. the main objective is to keep them warm, dry, and a lower ambient humidity, and that can be kept by misting the enclosure once weekly. when we put an animal in an unatural surrounding, such as a terrarium, there is no balance. there are not seasonal rains, ambient moisture in the grounds or air, nor a good place to burrow and eat grasses from the earth. so we must make our mini ecosystem as balanced as possible. read up on india and sri lanka's climates...and remember that to duplicate an ecosystem, we must remember to continue to keep the climate as a constant as possible and never be sloppy. the main problem with moisture is to keep them in a damp, stagnant area. this would hurt them. but as long as they get moisture on their foods and fruits as a treat, soakings every week, and then as a plus, a water pool, there would be no problem. but i do highly recommend the substates that I spoke of...we dont need to keep them wet, just keep them natural...does a super dry or super wet substrate feel good to the skin? nope! and the type that i spoke of, pine bark and peat moss, should not irritate their skin...actually, i have been told that the tortoises benefit from the acids in pine bark and i know they love that peat moss. if u see watery eyes or nose probs, then stop it...do what best works for your individual tortoises cos we each live in different climates. i hope this helps.

aaron