RF substrate smell?

Ashes

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I've read on here there's no need to change the substrate as long as you spot clean. Little Dude rarely poos in his enclosure since he usually does in his soaks, but I feel like his enclosure just stinks! I was gonna change the substrate since I've had him over a month, but then I read where Tom says he doesn't change his, just spot cleans.

I use the Eco Earth bricks.... There's no mold in it (took out the log). Could it be the moss? How often should I take the sphagnum moss out? Should I just clean it or replace it?...
Also, should I use a little cypress mulch on the Eco Earth or is it fine on it's own? He burrows a lot.

Thanks for any input!! You guys are great!! :)
 

Ashes

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And I think I'm going to switch to sheet moss instead of sphagnum. Any thoughts?
 

abclements

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It shouldn't go bad in a month... if you really feel it is dirty, put it into a bucket of really hot water, mix it around, pour out the water and put it back in. That way the stuff will last you forever! I do this every 6 months or so.... the moss is fine too. Just rinse and fluff it every couple months or so. Also, you don't need for the cypress mulch, but it won't hurt anything.
 

Ashes

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Yeah I think I'm gonna wash everything this weekend. I bought more substrate but that's because mines only 2 inches deep and I wanted to give him a little hill or something. Thanks! :)
 

Ashes

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Rotten egg smell when I changed the substrate - I use the Eco Earth bricks. Anybody else had this problem and know how to avoid it? It was disgusting.....
 

abclements

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Hmm... are you spot cleaning regularly? Sometime the enclosure smells bad, but that cuz I missed a poo or he just dropped a stinker lol but I can't say I've ever smelled a rotten egg type smell. Maybe you got a bad brick or something...
 

Ashes

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Yeah if I see he pooped, I'll clean it up. But the smell wasn't until I mixed it around to loosen it up to take it out and clean it - it was awful. Lol.
 

abclements

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Gross! Maybe give it a through cleaning, but if it still smells, toss it and get new stuff.
 

Ashes

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Oh I got new stuff. Lol. There was no way I could put it back - I washed some and put it back but bought 3 new bricks. Lol.
 
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Maggie Cummings

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I use fine grade orchid bark in all my indoor habitats. I have a tort table with 3 box turtles and the same substrate has been in there for about 5 years. It's kept wet and I spot clean and add some new substrate once a year or so...I don't understand why the coir smelled so bad...
 

Courtney Cavender

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Maybe you should clean your entire enclosure either that or switch substrate, I use a mixture of topsoil and shredded coconut fibers which is fairly easy to clean and cheap to buy... My tortoise seems to love it!
 

Ashes

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Maybe you should clean your entire enclosure either that or switch substrate, I use a mixture of topsoil and shredded coconut fibers which is fairly easy to clean and cheap to buy... My tortoise seems to love it!
Yeah I just got coco chips and we are going to use distilled water - I think it was our water making it stink..... It's the only logical thing I could think of that would cause the awful smell...
 

johnsonnboswell

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What is your enclosure made of? Is it porous & soaking up smell?

2" is really too shallow.

Interesting puzzle.
 

Ashes

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Well my tort is tiny and the 2 inches isn't everywhere: he has hills and stuff. And right now he's in a 40 gallon glass aquarium so I can't imagine anything is being soaked up. I'm thinking our water sucks. Lol.
 

StarSapphire22

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I use eco earth and after a while also get the rotten egg smell...it's from the lower layers that never dry out. Something about being constantly wet makes it stink like that, and you'll notice it more when you dig around in it and stir up the smelly stuff. My substrate is 3-6" deep in different spots. If I can keep the top layer dry and keep it a dark brown instead of black from being so wet, I don't usually have a problem. That being said, I still need to change eco earth every 1-4 months before it gets icky.
 

jaizei

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I use eco earth and after a while also get the rotten egg smell...it's from the lower layers that never dry out. Something about being constantly wet makes it stink like that, and you'll notice it more when you dig around in it and stir up the smelly stuff. My substrate is 3-6" deep in different spots. If I can keep the top layer dry and keep it a dark brown instead of black from being so wet, I don't usually have a problem. That being said, I still need to change eco earth every 1-4 months before it gets icky.

It's because being waterlogged allows for the growth of anaerobic bacteria. Setting up a bioactive substrate can sometimes help with it. Using a mix instead of a singular material can also help sometimes.
 

Yvonne G

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This is why I like orchid bark or cypress mulch. Neither one gets sour when sitting too wet. That's what you're smelling...sour, bacteria-laden substrate.
 
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