Not sure how much this may have been discussed here, but a search did not find too much on it.

I've had our BTS since last summer. First, we had her (or him) on shredded aspen. I recently got some sani-chips and have been switching some animals over to it with subsequent cleanings. I switched Zelda, the BTS, to it, but I think it's not to her liking as much b/c it sticks around her eyes. Is this normal?

What are acceptable substrates for them? She does love to burrow. Would shredded newspaper (through a paper shredder) be OK. And what is the BEST substrate for them?

Also, do you think BTS'es can suffer from lack of attention/handling? Or is handling primarily for the pleasure of the keeper?

Some of her favorite dietary delights are red grapes, Madagascar Hissers and American grasshoppers (seasonal, LOL - no chemicals used on our 8 acres, so I assume they're safe). She also enjoys the NASCO turtle brittle we got for our Eastern box turtle, since she gets some of that too to ensure good protein intake with a high quality diet - no more cat food! For anyone interested, I highly recommend the NASCO turtle brittle - it's used by the Atlanta Zoo.

I'm still learning. Thanks for your help! I'll try to post a picture. I think she's an Irian Jaya.