Kylee L.
Well-Known Member
I recently planted some plantain plants in Sheldons enclosure, I noticed now there are these very tiny bugs, some are white, in the substrate where the plants are? What are they? Is it normal and safe?
bugs in substrate
- Thread starter Kylee L.
- Start date
It is normal even without plants and is safe. I forget what they are called. You may also get tiny bugs that look like gnats, that's normal too.
I always bake in the oven at 200-250 for about 3-4 hours, any new substrate. It keeps the bugs away for a much longer time, usually for me, over a year.
I always bake in the oven at 200-250 for about 3-4 hours, any new substrate. It keeps the bugs away for a much longer time, usually for me, over a year.
ZenHerper
Well-Known Member
Those are springtails: wee tiny terrestrial crustaceans. They are very helpful in all terrariums since they eat detritus and bits of leftover food, urine, stool, etc. that we might fail to detect while cleaning.
Their populations wax-and-wane, depending on how much cleaning there is for them to do...they are completely non-harmful to your pet, no matter how many there happen to be on any given day.
They prefer a wet environment, so keeping the bottom layer of your substrate damp and the top more dry (a coco-coir base with some kind of bark/mulch topper) keeps them down out of sight.
Their excretions are a bit alkaline, so they keep the acid balance in your substrate stable...and the plants fed!
Their populations wax-and-wane, depending on how much cleaning there is for them to do...they are completely non-harmful to your pet, no matter how many there happen to be on any given day.
They prefer a wet environment, so keeping the bottom layer of your substrate damp and the top more dry (a coco-coir base with some kind of bark/mulch topper) keeps them down out of sight.
Their excretions are a bit alkaline, so they keep the acid balance in your substrate stable...and the plants fed!
Kylee L.
Well-Known Member
I change his out once year, spot clean a few times a week, never had bugs until now.... he LOVED having the plants... I may plant more since it's ok and bake the substrate this time. Do you bake it wet or dry. All I could find this time are the compressed bricks.
Bake it dry.
Kylee L.
Well-Known Member
thank you!!
