Mites!

[rachels-torts]

So koda currently has mites in her cage. I'll be spending the weekend cleaning her cage and my entire room. But I was wondering after i take care of this mess, are there any ways to prevent them? My hermit crabs had them once and I managed to get rid of them. I'd really like to know because they're just such a pain to get rid of. Id like to prevent my animals from getting them.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Rachel, and you are 100 % sure that these are mites? How are they getting to your house, your tort's enclosure, etc?

 

[leopard777]

did you try diotomaceous earth ?

 

[Tom]

Can you post a pic? Mites are very rare. I would guess that you have one of the types of substrate flies. These are harmless detrivores and they come from the environment. The only way to prevent them is to bake, boil or replace your substrate every couple of weeks.

I just ignore them.

 

[rachels-torts]

Well I just finished cleaning her enclosure last night, but the bugs were tiny little tan/brown looking things. I was using repti-bark as her bedding, but I'm planning to switch to something else because this one creates to much dust. I'm not quite sure how they got here, possibly from a decoration I bought at the petstore.

Just to be safe, I baked all of her wood decor, boiled her stones, have her a warm soak, and scrubbed everything else.

 

[Tom]

Well I just finished cleaning her enclosure last night, but the bugs were tiny little tan/brown looking things. I was using repti-bark as her bedding, but I'm planning to switch to something else because this one creates to much dust. I'm not quite sure how they got here, possibly from a decoration I bought at the petstore.

Just to be safe, I baked all of her wood decor, boiled her stones, have her a warm soak, and scrubbed everything else.

If you are getting dust, your substrate is much to dry. Orchid bark is an excellent substrate for older russians. I would not change it.

The substrate flies probably did not hitch a ride and find their way in. They are present everywhere and they come from the surrounding environment. That's why they will always eventually find their way back and start reproducing in your warm tortoise habitat.

 

[rachels-torts]

If you are getting dust, your substrate is much to dry. Orchid bark is an excellent substrate for older russians. I would not change it.

The substrate flies probably did not hitch a ride and find their way in. They are present everywhere and they come from the surrounding environment. That's why they will always eventually find their way back and start reproducing in your warm tortoise habitat.

I've tried zoo med forest floor bedding once, but stopped because of the price. It was never dusty and was easier to clean. I couldn't breathe last night when I was scooping the repti bark out because of the amount of dust that flew up. It even came really dry after I bought it. I've bough a few bags at different times and each was as dry as the next. Def switching back I can sacrifice a few more bucks to get the better stuff.

 

[Tom]

I've tried zoo med forest floor bedding once, but stopped because of the price. It was never dusty and was easier to clean. I couldn't breathe last night when I was scooping the repti bark out because of the amount of dust that flew up. It even came really dry after I bought it. I've bough a few bags at different times and each was as dry as the next. Def switching back I can sacrifice a few more bucks to get the better stuff.

You need to add water to it. All substrate will dry out under our hot lights. Open enclosures dry out particularly fast in winter with our heaters running more often. Some people have to dump half a gallon a day into the substrate to maintain dampness. Every enclosure is different.

As I said, if your substrate was dusty, its because you let it get too dry.

 

[chaseswife]

I love our repti bark. We got bugs really bad with our top soil and coco coir mix and i had to just toss it all because we couldn't clean it. When i put in the repti bark I soaked it all (in small batches) in boiling water then added it to the habitat. It retains the moisture really well. When bugs started to get bad again I just pulled out all the repti bark and soaked it in really hot water for a whole day then rinsed it and put back in. Never had any dust issues.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

+1 diotomaceous earth. ( spelling?)

 

[biochemnerd808]

We get a lot of little creepy crawlies in our baby enclosure, because it is so warm and humid in there. Some of them look like little mites, but they are not the kind that attack the animals - they just help eat plant pieces and fecal matter. I bet the little 'mites' you saw were just of that variety. Fungus gnats are another common tort tank bug - annoying tiny little flies! Adding rolly polies to the tank will take care of those, since they eat the larva of the gnat. If there are any flying bugs, you might allow a little spider to take up residence in a corner - my Margies and my baby Russians have a little tank spider that I caught an put into the closed chamber. That helps cut down on flying pests as well.

As Tom mentions above, if your substrate is dusty, it is definitely too dry. I really like using a 50/50 (ish) mix of ACE brand top soil, mixed with coconut coir. It holds humidity well. I buy the coconut coir as 'Eco Earth' bricks, which you then add water to and watch expand - MUCH cheaper than buying the bags! The big cubic-foot-bag of Ace topsoil will cost about $3. You can pour some warm water in every week from the corners, and for the health of your tortoise's shell, you should be misting the tortoise and its enclosure once daily anyway. That should eliminate the dust problem...