# MITES IN TORTOISE BEDDING?!?1



## Harry (Jul 14, 2014)

i got some top soil for my tortoise and 5 days after she gets mites, so i am going with coco core/eco earth from now on but how can i make sure there are no mites/bugs in there? pleases help


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## ascott (Jul 15, 2014)

Are you certain they are mites....or are the "springtail"?


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## taza (Jul 15, 2014)

Whats a springtail?


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## IBeenEasy (Jul 15, 2014)

Harry said:


> i got some top soil for my tortoise and 5 days after she gets mites, so i am going with coco core/eco earth from now on but how can i make sure there are no mites/bugs in there? pleases help



any dirt, or plants that you buy are going to have mites and mite eggs. even the eco earth will eventually develop mites if it is not cleaned out on a regular basis . what you can do, is freeze any substrate you buy for 24 - 48 hours, and this should kill any mites or eggs that are ALREADY in the substrate, but please remember, i do not know how, but mites or spring tails or what ever they are, will develop eventually if it is not cleaned, so best way to keep them away, is stay on top of spot cleaning the substrate, when you feed fruits, pull the fruits with in a few hours of setting them down, the fruits cause flies and mites , also do not keep the substrate to wet, yes you want it damp for your tortoise, but when it is soaked, thats when you will get an over load of mites or what ever they are, and they are harmless, but they are gross, and not something you want in there, so just make sure you change the substrate every few months and you should be fine


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## IBeenEasy (Jul 15, 2014)

IBeenEasy said:


> any dirt, or plants that you buy are going to have mites and mite eggs. even the eco earth will eventually develop mites if it is not cleaned out on a regular basis . what you can do, is freeze any substrate you buy for 24 - 48 hours, and this should kill any mites or eggs that are ALREADY in the substrate, but please remember, i do not know how, but mites or spring tails or what ever they are, will develop eventually if it is not cleaned, so best way to keep them away, is stay on top of spot cleaning the substrate, when you feed fruits, pull the fruits with in a few hours of setting them down, the fruits cause flies and mites , also do not keep the substrate to wet, yes you want it damp for your tortoise, but when it is soaked, thats when you will get an over load of mites or what ever they are, and they are harmless, but they are gross, and not something you want in there, so just make sure you change the substrate every few months and you should be fine



also when i say mites, im talking about any kind of tiny little bug , im not speaking about tortoise mites or any thing specific , im just saying any kind of mite in general, these procedures should help. the "springtails" are little white mites that will crawl around the wet areas of the enclosure, they are harmless and will not bother the tortoise, but what they will do is gross you out lol . so i do the best i can to keep em away


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## ascott (Jul 15, 2014)

While sprintails are annoying to humans, they are a sign of healthy soil....they are the cleaners/decomposers of the dirt....you can also add some pill bugs and nightcrawler worms to the enclosure/substrate ---this will help to balance out the population and all of these critters help create a balanced healthy eco in the indoor enclosure.....yes, spot clean poo and also remove food not eaten...but there is always some left behind...this is where all of these critters come in to play....


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