bugs and lots of them! :(

[Davuu]

My OH spotted this a while back in his old table but I didnt spot it at all, despite practically shoving me head in the substrate!

I was just spot cleaning his table, and gently picked him up so I could clean where he was sitting and as I picked him up there were these two tiny tiny bug things crawling across his shell! so I got rid of them and looked over him but couldnt see any more.

I placed him back down and looked in his substrate and couldnt see anything, so thought hrrrmmmm.... so I got my little cat litter tray spade thing, and dug deeper just to satisfy my own curiosity, and to my horror there are hundreds of them!

all deep under the substrate:/ I dont know what they are but there are lots and lots of them I dont know what they are.

the substrate hes got in at present is new, around a week old, its eco earth, with orchid bark on top and spaghum moss. My OH kept telling me he could see bugs in his last substrate since ive been using the eco earth:/ but I thought he was seeing things.

Im not sure how to get rid of them as this is new substrate, and theve obviously carried over from before, or are in the substrate itself when I buy it? Im quite frustrated. I spot clean his table practically everytime I go past it, I never leave uneaten food there, whatever he doesnt eat gets instantly thrown away.

I noticed the other day this white fluffy stuff growing in parts of his table, I keep taking it out but the next day there is more there, so I was contemplating getting completly rif of his entire setup and redoing it all without the eco earth, and without the moss, and get my bark from somewhere else to eliminate all possibilities:/

im quite worried ive just taken out loads of substrate and replaced it with new bark bugs= Grrrrrrrr!

[84KB11]

Little white mites by any chance?
Thay are once established in damp substrates.
Seem to like moss and damp hay a lot, and really hard to eradicate if the substrate is damp.
If you dry everything out, they will die quite quickly (they dehydrate and die).

I would change the substrate and keep on the dry side for a week or so to kill any straglers.
Toys and decor can be heated in an oven at around 70C for an hour, or washed in dilute milton to kill of any mites/eggs before going back in the viv.
Just make sure if you use milton, that any traces are completely removed before putting back in with your tort.

Hope this helps,

[Davuu]

Originally Posted by 84KB11

Little white mites by any chance?
Thay are once established in damp substrates.
Seem to like moss and damp hay a lot, and really hard to eradicate if the substrate is damp.
If you dry everything out, they will die quite quickly (they dehydrate and die).

I would change the substrate and keep on the dry side for a week or so to kill any straglers.
Toys and decor can be heated in an oven at around 70C for an hour, or washed in dilute milton to kill of any mites/eggs before going back in the viv.
Just make sure if you use milton, that any traces are completely removed before putting back in with your tort.

Hope this helps,

yeah tht sounds like them¬¬ they have been sneaky and hidden from me, but I have seen them now and theyre days are numbered! im going to get some new substrate and a new temprary table, so I can put him in it while I clean his other one >_<

other than look annoying and be annoying do they do any harm to the tortoise?

[84KB11]

In low numbers, they should not do any harm other than irritate your tortoise.

In high concentrations they can become a problem, congregating around the eyes and moist soft tissue.
In sick or negleted animals they can cause infection etc by damaging soft tissue and trying to enter the respiratory tract.

I would not worry about them too much, with good husbandary they will just be an occasional pain the the rear!

[blazingtortoise]

We've had them in our hatchling house. They tended to be under the water dish, nice and warm and moist must suit them. I'd have asked of you are removing the food but you are so thats good. They never bothered the tortoises at all but I can see how very large numbers could. We haven't had any for ages though. We use orchid bark mixed with peat moss soil stuff.

Sounds like drying out what you have could be a good start and I would keep an eye out for any stray bits of fruit.

White fluffy stuff sounds like mould and I wouldn't like that. Perhaps you are keeping the substrate too wet? But it does sound like something could be coming in with a substrate. Haven't used eco earth myself so \i couldn't comment on what its like.

[Grond]

Your substrate is too damp!

Mould and the bugs are both signs of this!

What sort of tortoise is he?

[blazingtortoise]

Originally Posted by Grond

Your substrate is too damp!

Mould and the bugs are both signs of this!

What sort of tortoise is he?

Redfoot

[Grond]

Originally Posted by blazingtortoise

Redfoot

It's more difficult with redfoots!

Try drying the substrate and spraying the sides until it's sorted!

[blazingtortoise]

Originally Posted by Grond

It's more difficult with redfoots!

Try drying the substrate and spraying the sides until it's sorted!

Whats more difficult with redfoots? I only have redfoots (in terms of tortoises anyway!) so anything I posted above was as a redfoot keeper.

[Grond]

Originally Posted by blazingtortoise

Whats more difficult with redfoots? I only have redfoots (in terms of tortoises anyway!) so anything I posted above was as a redfoot keeper.

I mean with them being a tropical species and needing humidity! I also meant the OP! You just had a few in the damper areas!

If they were meds, no problemos!