How often should we change the substrate?

[WesternHermann59]

We are still new at this and would like advice on maintaining the substrate for our Hermann tortoise. How often should we change the substrate, if at all? We’ve noticed little flies and recently little white “bugs” under the terra-cotta water dishes. Are these harmful?
Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[SweetGreekTorts]

The bugs are harmless to the tortoises. Just a nuisance to us. They like moist, humid environments so it's difficult to avoid having them. You can add pill bugs to the enclosure to keep the population under control, and the pill bugs provide "clean up" duties as well.

As for substrate, I "spot clean" all my enclosures daily while my babies are soaking, to remove any uneaten food and feces. Twice a month I'll shift all the substrate around with warm water to mix it up and keep it moist. I completely change it out about every 8 months to a year. I have mostly baby tortoises and they don't make huge messes so I don't feel I need to replace the substrate too often.

 

[WesternHermann59]

Thank you! We spot clean too but I was worried about the bugs. Appreciate the guidance!

The bugs are harmless to the tortoises. Just a nuisance to us. They like moist, humid environments so it's difficult to avoid having them. You can add pill bugs to the enclosure to keep the population under control, and the pill bugs provide "clean up" duties as well.

As for substrate, I "spot clean" all my enclosures daily while my babies are soaking, to remove any uneaten food and feces. Twice a month I'll shift all the substrate around with warm water to mix it up and keep it moist. I completely change it out about every 8 months to a year. I have mostly baby tortoises and they don't make huge messes so I don't feel I need to replace the substrate too often.