"Soil fungus" in enclosed chamber

Markw84

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
5,041
Location (City and/or State)
Sacramento, CA (Central Valley)
Repti-Bark is on sale right now online or in-store at Petco--$14.99 for the big bag which I think is 24 qts.
That is a 4 qt bag Petco has on sale for $14.99. Luckily we can get the microbark. The 2 cu ft bag of Microbark is the same stuff at $11 for 50 qts. (2 cu ft)
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hi Tom. We love the micro bark, but now there are bugs in it that always congregate in on his food and food rock. They jump and look like they have wings. They never get on my little guy but it bothers me that I don't know what they are. Any ideas?
Those are probably phorid flies. They are harmless detrivores and they come from the surrounding environment. You will get those with any type of substrate you use that is warm and damp. I just ignore them. They are nature's clean up crew. Their numbers can seem a bit high at first, but after they eat up all the existing food sources, their numbers reduce all on their own to a sustainable level. The best way I have found to safely reduce them is those hanging sticky traps. Personally, I just ignore them. If they bother you, you can boil, bake, freeze, or replace the substrate ever so often to keep the numbers down.
 

Mrs.Campos3

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2021
Messages
42
Location (City and/or State)
Sacramento
I get mine in bulk from local garden centers. You can probably get it this way too in Sacramento. If not, you can buy Repti-bark relatively cheaply on chewy.com.
Hi Tom! We're loving the Micro bark and so is our little one. We have one issue though. Water is settling at the bottom and we have no way to drain it. Do you have any suggestions? I was thinking of taking his enclosure outside to drain every 2 weeks or so. The top is totally dry but if I dig down I can feel standing water at the bottom. Help!
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hi Tom! We're loving the Micro bark and so is our little one. We have one issue though. Water is settling at the bottom and we have no way to drain it. Do you have any suggestions? I was thinking of taking his enclosure outside to drain every 2 weeks or so. The top is totally dry but if I dig down I can feel standing water at the bottom. Help!
That water at the bottom will wick up into the drier top layers. Its totally fine to leave it there.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Ok. Any smells or signs I need to look for to change it out? How often should we change it?
Orchid bark resists mold, bacteria and fungus. You should not have any trouble with that.

I don't ever change it unless I'm putting a new tortoise into that enclosure. I spot clean daily, and soaking the tortoises in a separate tub empties them out, so they almost never poop in their enclosures.
 

Mrs.Campos3

Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2021
Messages
42
Location (City and/or State)
Sacramento
Orchid bark resists mold, bacteria and fungus. You should not have any trouble with that.

I don't ever change it unless I'm putting a new tortoise into that enclosure. I spot clean daily, and soaking the tortoises in a separate tub empties them out, so they almost never poop in their enclosures.
Oh yeah, he gets a bath daily.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
Moderator
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
28,938
Location (City and/or State)
South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
Anyone know where to get some in Los Angeles county? I haven't any that sell it in my area of Sherman oaks or Northridge.
Do you have a Home Depot nearby?
They sell bags of pure Orchid bark in the garden department.
Get the PURE POTTING "MEDIA".
Not the POTTING "MIX"
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
Moderator
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 16, 2014
Messages
28,938
Location (City and/or State)
South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
Are there large bags? I only see 8qt on the site
There are at least two size bags. Both are pretty small.
That bark holds in moisture and doesn't grow mold. It's also easy to spot clean and it's much cheaper than an inferior product from a pet shop
 

Bespin66

New Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2023
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Sherman Oaks, CA
Hi Tom! We're loving the Micro bark and so is our little one. We have one issue though. Water is settling at the bottom and we have no way to drain it. Do you have any suggestions? I was thinking of taking his enclosure outside to drain every 2 weeks or so. The top is totally dry but if I dig down I can feel standing water at the bottom. Help!
Is there another alternative? I need a lot for an 8'x3' enclosure for a leopard tortoise
 

Jan A

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2021
Messages
1,808
Location (City and/or State)
Boulder, CO
Is there another alternative? I need a lot for an 8'x3' enclosure for

Is there another alternative? I need a lot for an 8'x3' enclosure for a leopard tortoise
Just search on the internet for "Repti Bark" made by Zoo Med. It has a 24 qt. size that's usually on sale somewhere like Amazon, Petco, eBay, Chewey, & other online pet & reptile sites. It's rarely on sale at PetSmart, who's on the high side, but it's cheaper sometimes at a Super Walmart. Repti Bark is 100% orchid bark on the side of "finer" rather than the landscaping size of the stuff you put in around bushes & flowers. You can also check out nurseries in your area that might sell it by bigger loads cheaper since you're in Cali.

BTW, welcome to the forum.
 

Bespin66

New Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2023
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Sherman Oaks, CA
Just search on the internet for "Repti Bark" made by Zoo Med. It has a 24 qt. size that's usually on sale somewhere like Amazon, Petco, eBay, Chewey, & other online pet & reptile sites. It's rarely on sale at PetSmart, who's on the high side, but it's cheaper sometimes at a Super Walmart. Repti Bark is 100% orchid bark on the side of "finer" rather than the landscaping size of the stuff you put in around bushes & flowers. You can also check out nurseries in your area that might sell it by bigger loads cheaper since you're in Cali.

BTW, welcome to the forum.
Thank you! I will most likely try the orchid potting mix and get several bags or make the drive somewhere that sells micro bark.
 
Top