Odor Concerns

Linda Brodzik

New Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2022
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Lincoln, Nebraska
Hello All, I am wondering if others have had to deal with odor concerns with an indoor habitat? My Leopard Tortoise has both an indoor and outdoor habitat. She is in at night (due to preditory wildlife) and in colder weather. Luckily I live in an area with a long growing season and the ability to be outside early in the spring thru later fall, on most years. Anyway, I am currently dealing with an increasing odor that I can not get a handle on, from the indoor facity. It is just a strong "zoo/animal" smell. I am not sure if this is due to the substrait (I changed it recently ... but the substrait itself does not have a noxious odor in it's self. I recently got her eating the Mazuri diet, mixed with chopped greens and other edibles. Although the Mazuri Diet is new an d this is about when the odr started, the other greens and edibles are not new to her diet. Since I got her eating the Mazuri diet she is deficating more often (good .... this was needed, and (possibly) urinating more often. I have tried to add Professional Grade Activated Carbon" to the substraite, as someone in another group mentioned. This helped initially but not in the long term, although I add more with the substrait I add after cleaning up her feces and urine. This issue is getting so bad that I am almost at the brink of making a desicion of whether I can keep her or not. I can not have my home smell like a zoom. I, and my souse wuill not be okay with this.

1. She must come in at night and in colder weather. There is no other option at this time.
2. She must be in the "bonus" room off my home office. This is the only place she fits with habitat, and is consistently warm enough for her. (Yes she does have propper lighting day and night).
3. If it matters, she is approximately 5 years old, and 13" long (good size)

Any help would be much appreciated.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
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Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Most of us resort to heated night boxes or shelters and leave the animals outside, with the tortoise locked in the box or shed at night.
 

Linda Brodzik

New Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2022
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Lincoln, Nebraska
Mark, thank you for your response. The are og=f the habitat that has substrate is 5' x 7'. This is where she mainly hangs out. To reitterate, I change the entire substrate a few times a year. I clean up emidiately if she eliminates (urine/feces). I also remove any contaminated substrate and replace it with new/fresh substrate. She tends to eliminate in only one area. There is pool liner under neith the substrate to protect flooring. The pool liner has no holes so I know that nothing is getting into the flooring.
 

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