10 Best Turtle Substrates 2026: According to Reviews | Chewy

The 10 Best Turtle Substrates

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How we created this turtle substrate list

We leveraged input from our veterinarians and artificial intelligence to identify key considerations to help you find the best turtle substrate.
We scanned thousands of customer reviews and ratings and scored each product based on its performance against each of the key considerations. We then considered how popular a product is with Chewy customers and combined that with its key consideration scores to create the list of the best turtle substrates.

Key turtle substrate considerations

Absorbency

Durability

Non-toxic

Texture

1
Zoo Med Forest Floor Natural Cypress Mulch Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Forest Floor Natural Cypress Mulch Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Forest Floor Natural Cypress Mulch Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Forest Floor Natural Cypress Mulch Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Forest Floor Natural Cypress Mulch Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Forest Floor Natural Cypress Mulch Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag

Zoo Med Forest Floor Natural Cypress Mulch Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars
406
$29.98Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Absorbency

4.5/5
Great

Durability

4.6/5
Excellent

Non-toxic

4.5/5
Great

Texture

4.7/5
Excellent

Is this turtle substrate right for my pet?

Litter & Bedding Type

Cypress
2
Zoo Med Eco Earth Compressed Coconut Fiber Expandable Reptile Substrate, 3 count
Zoo Med Eco Earth Compressed Coconut Fiber Expandable Reptile Substrate, 3 count
Zoo Med Eco Earth Compressed Coconut Fiber Expandable Reptile Substrate, 3 count
Zoo Med Eco Earth Compressed Coconut Fiber Expandable Reptile Substrate, 3 count
Zoo Med Eco Earth Compressed Coconut Fiber Expandable Reptile Substrate, 3 count
Zoo Med Eco Earth Compressed Coconut Fiber Expandable Reptile Substrate, 3 count

Zoo Med Eco Earth Compressed Coconut Fiber Expandable Reptile Substrate, 3 count

Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars
493
$9.98Chewy Price
($3.33/ea)
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Absorbency

4.6/5
Excellent

Durability

4.4/5
Great

Non-toxic

4.4/5
Great

Texture

4.6/5
Excellent

Is this turtle substrate right for my pet?

Litter & Bedding Type

Coconut Fiber
3
Zilla Terrarium Liner, Green, 40/50-gal
Zilla Terrarium Liner, Green, 40/50-gal
Zilla Terrarium Liner, Green, 40/50-gal
Zilla Terrarium Liner, Green, 40/50-gal
Zilla Terrarium Liner, Green, 40/50-gal
Zilla Terrarium Liner, Green, 40/50-gal
Zilla Terrarium Liner, Green, 40/50-gal
Zilla Terrarium Liner, Green, 40/50-gal
Zilla Terrarium Liner, Green, 40/50-gal

Zilla Terrarium Liner, Green, 40/50-gal

Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars
117
$11.99Chewy Price
($11.99/ea)
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Absorbency

4.9/5
Excellent

Durability

4.9/5
Excellent

Non-toxic

4.9/5
Excellent

Texture

4.8/5
Excellent
4
Frisco Fir Bark Reptile Bedding, 24-qt
Frisco Fir Bark Reptile Bedding, 24-qt
Frisco Fir Bark Reptile Bedding, 24-qt
Frisco Fir Bark Reptile Bedding, 24-qt
Frisco Fir Bark Reptile Bedding, 24-qt

Frisco Fir Bark Reptile Bedding, 24-qt

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars
32
$23.56Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Absorbency

4.7/5
Excellent

Durability

4.8/5
Excellent

Non-toxic

4.7/5
Excellent

Texture

4.7/5
Excellent

Is this turtle substrate right for my pet?

Material

Wood

Litter & Bedding Type

Douglas Fir
5
Zoo Med Premium Repti Bark Natural Fir Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Premium Repti Bark Natural Fir Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Premium Repti Bark Natural Fir Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Premium Repti Bark Natural Fir Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Premium Repti Bark Natural Fir Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Premium Repti Bark Natural Fir Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Premium Repti Bark Natural Fir Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag

Zoo Med Premium Repti Bark Natural Fir Reptile Bedding, 24-qt bag

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars
332
$29.98Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Absorbency

4.6/5
Excellent

Durability

4.5/5
Great

Non-toxic

4.5/5
Great

Texture

4.5/5
Great

Is this turtle substrate right for my pet?

Litter & Bedding Type

Douglas Fir
6
Zoo Med Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber Reptile Substrate, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber Reptile Substrate, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber Reptile Substrate, 24-qt bag
Zoo Med Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber Reptile Substrate, 24-qt bag

Zoo Med Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber Reptile Substrate, 24-qt bag

Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars
386
$25.98Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Absorbency

4.7/5
Excellent

Durability

4.6/5
Excellent

Non-toxic

4.6/5
Excellent

Texture

4.7/5
Excellent

Is this turtle substrate right for my pet?

Litter & Bedding Type

Coconut Fiber
7
Zoo Med ReptiSoil Reptile Soil, 10-qt bag
Zoo Med ReptiSoil Reptile Soil, 10-qt bag
Zoo Med ReptiSoil Reptile Soil, 10-qt bag
Zoo Med ReptiSoil Reptile Soil, 10-qt bag

Zoo Med ReptiSoil Reptile Soil, 10-qt bag

Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars
132
$10.98Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Absorbency

4.6/5
Excellent

Durability

4.6/5
Excellent

Non-toxic

4.6/5
Excellent

Texture

4.5/5
Great
8
Frisco Cypress Reptile Bedding, 24-qt
Frisco Cypress Reptile Bedding, 24-qt
Frisco Cypress Reptile Bedding, 24-qt
Frisco Cypress Reptile Bedding, 24-qt
Frisco Cypress Reptile Bedding, 24-qt

Frisco Cypress Reptile Bedding, 24-qt

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
19
$29.99Chewy Price
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Absorbency

4.6/5
Excellent

Durability

4.5/5
Great

Non-toxic

4.5/5
Great

Texture

4.6/5
Excellent

Is this turtle substrate right for my pet?

Material

Wood

Litter & Bedding Type

Cypress
9
Zoo Med ReptiSand Reptile Sand, Desert White, 10-lb bag
Zoo Med ReptiSand Reptile Sand, Desert White, 10-lb bag
Zoo Med ReptiSand Reptile Sand, Desert White, 10-lb bag
Zoo Med ReptiSand Reptile Sand, Desert White, 10-lb bag

Zoo Med ReptiSand Reptile Sand, Desert White, 10-lb bag

Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars
214
$12.98Chewy Price
($1.30/lb)
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Absorbency

4.4/5
Great

Durability

4.6/5
Excellent

Non-toxic

4.3/5
Great

Texture

4.6/5
Excellent

Is this turtle substrate right for my pet?

Litter & Bedding Type

Sand
10
SunGrow Mini Catappa Frog & Gecko Leaf Litter, Bioactive Substrate for Reptile Vivarium, 50 count
SunGrow Mini Catappa Frog & Gecko Leaf Litter, Bioactive Substrate for Reptile Vivarium, 50 count
SunGrow Mini Catappa Frog & Gecko Leaf Litter, Bioactive Substrate for Reptile Vivarium, 50 count
SunGrow Mini Catappa Frog & Gecko Leaf Litter, Bioactive Substrate for Reptile Vivarium, 50 count
SunGrow Mini Catappa Frog & Gecko Leaf Litter, Bioactive Substrate for Reptile Vivarium, 50 count

SunGrow Mini Catappa Frog & Gecko Leaf Litter, Bioactive Substrate for Reptile Vivarium, 50 count

Rated 4.3 out of 5 stars
69
$5.97Chewy Price
($0.12/ea)
Promo, New Customers Only: Spend $49+, Get $20 eGift Card

Our ratings

Absorbency

4.2/5
Great

Durability

3.8/5
Good

Non-toxic

4.2/5
Great

Texture

3.8/5
Good

Is this turtle substrate right for my pet?

Material

Plant Material

Aquarium Type

Freshwater, Saltwater

Fish Type

Betta, Goldfish, Cichlid, Tropical Freshwater...