May have made a grave mistake?

[melly_87]

I mist my Russian tort's substrate with water from an old Kaboom cleaner bottle because it's the only spray bottle I had at the time. I washed it many times before using it, but recently I noticed the water smelled weird. I fear that by me spraying his enclosure from this potentially-harmful bottle I may poison him!!

Please help!

 

[tortoise007]

Well, all I can say is hope for the best and replace the spray bottle.But should probably be fine.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Toss the bottle.

Go to a dollar store near you and for a buck buy a brand new one.

Heather
Sent from my Android TFO app

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Toss the bottle.

Go to a dollar store near you and for a buck buy a brand new one.

Heather
Sent from my Android TFO app

Completely agree! He's probably fine though - I'm sure it wasn't enough to hurt him. Don't feel too bad - we all make mistakes!

 

[melly_87]

Oh gosh, thank you so much!! I'll definitely get a brand new one soon. You don't think that I'll have to completely replace his substrate, though?

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Oh gosh, thank you so much!! I'll definitely get a brand new one soon. You don't think that I'll have to completely replace his substrate, though?

I would wash it out, but no - I wouldn't replace it all.

 

[wellington]

If you sprayed the enclosure, you should get rid of everything in the enclosure and replace what can't be washed. Why risk poisoning him.

 

[melly_87]

Luckily I only sprayed the substrate, so I suppose I'll just replace it all with the substrate I have left. Hopefully I can get some more soon.

Thanks for the advice!!

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes...I would toss that bottle AND the substrate and start with fresh.

 

[cemmons12]

Yeah, what Yvonne said..

 

[melly_87]

Thanks guys! I got a new spray bottle and just replaced all of the substrate this morning. His eyes were getting a little puffy, I thougt, but after a warm soak he looks fine now. Maybe it wasn't anything super serious? He was sleeping a lot yesterday and today, but it seems like he's more active now. Hopefully that solves that problem!

 

[ascott]

His eyes were getting a little puffy,

What does his diet consist of? What day temps are you providing and what night temps are you providing? What is the age of your tort? What is the substrate in your enclosure? What is the general/ overall humidity? There are many things that can create puffy eyes....so perhaps not simply account the puffy to the sprayer--something else may be going on..

He was sleeping a lot yesterday

I would again say, please make sure your temps are good for day and night....

 

[melly_87]

For the past three days, I've been giving him kale. Should I mix other vegetables with it, too, or wait until he finishes the bundle and then switch to a new one?
The temperature has been 85F during the day and then around 80F at night. I live in California, so the temperature is normal for summer, but maybe I should turn off his night lamp if he's meant to be cooler? I keep a basking lamp in a corner of his tank on during the day, too.
My tort is about 5 months old. I've had him for a week now.
The substrate I use is loose coconut fiber.
The humidity has been between 30-40%, but I've managed to raise it up to 50%.

If it's something more serious, then what could it be?

 

[ascott]

The idea of using a bundle of one type of food one week and then rotating to another one the next and then so on---good idea, works well...

Since he is young I would suggest going to the store and purchasing organic spring mix....this allows a variety and allows for a larger nutritional variety for him which will give a better chance that he is not missing out on vitamins and minerals he needs....also, you can check into Mazuri and that is also a good food to offer a young one adjusting to a new home as well....again, as part of the diet and not the main food....

Have you been offering warm water soaks every day? If not, then I would strongly suggest you make this part of your daily routine--it is very important (especially since he is in an enclosure in which artificial lighting and heating is used--and necessary) to assure dehydration does not occur....

---

http://russiantortoise.net/edible_plants.htm

Just make sure that plants you feed are pesticide and herbicide and fertilizer free....

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-russian.htm

Good informational guide here (except I would not suggest the sand as part of substrate )

http://lllreptile.com/info/library/animal-care-sheets/turtles-and-tortoises/-/russian-tortoise/

These are a few good reference links....

 

[rocky1998]

Never mind the bottle! Get rid of the substrate and keep an eye on your tort , hope he's okay

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

i am glad you changed the substrate to be super sure. One of our TFO experts once shared that he cleans his coco coir with boiling water in a 5 gallon bucket, pours it in, lets it sit until hot cools down and then strains with colander or cheesecloth. I use one of those frying pan screens, the ones that prevent splatter. From the 99 Cent Only store. Voila! You can then reuse. His current coco coir batch is 2 years old, our expert shared. Excellent idea and thought I should share. Old coco coir is an excellent soil amendment in the garden or sprinkled on planter/pots so don't trash it, re-purpose it. Glad you caught wind of this in time. Phew! All good. Yay! : )

 

[Ayrrow]

Is it ok to use this as a base for our tort table?

 

[WillTort2]

You will need to read the fine print to see if anything has been added.

I prefer a plain top soil with a top layer of coco coir.

Good luck.

 

[ascott]

Yeah, Miracle Grow products "usually" have some additives in it....

 

[Ayrrow]

Thanks for the info, I found some top soil 40lbs for $1, and bought 4 bags.