I currently use bed o beast but I really don't like it. Can someone please recommend a good beeding for my turtles.
I found a little info on their natural habitat here: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site..._insculpta.html This is what they say about natural substrate: Clemmys insculpta is almost invariably found in association with moving water (streams, creeks, or rivers), although individuals in some populations may wander considerable distances away from water, especially in the warmer months. Females may be more terrestrial than males in some populations. Streams with sand or sand and gravel bottoms are preferred, but rocky stream courses are sometimes used, especially in the north-eastern portion of the range. Wood Turtles are often described as a woodland species, but in some places they appear to thrive in a mosaic habitat of riparian woods, shrub or berry thickets, swamps, and open, grassy areas. Some unvegetated or sparsely vegetated patches, preferably with moist, but not saturated, sand substrate, are needed for nesting (Harding, 1991; Ernst, Lovich, and Barbour, 1994; Harding, 1997; Tuttle, 1996). I'll see what else I can find. Angie
For Wood turtles, you could use mulch, peat moss, or wood chips. www.atphabitats.com has a nice build a tank section for spotted and wood turtles.
I have an RP Manni, Ornate or Painted Wood, one of the subspecies of CA Woodies. Donnie lives in oh about 3-4" of a mix of forest floor and the coconut fiber stuff. It holds in moisture well. Plus a pack of the moss on top. These guys naturally are diggers, and spend hours on end under the dirt with nothing more thant thier head sticking up. so cute...heh... But anyways....that's what my boy lives in. He seems very comfy in it too.
