Sulcuta tortoise, help pls.

[Antoni]

Hey guys, so i did a walk through with u guys to get set up for raphael. And decided to try more advance things. As many suggested, i added a calcium block in the enclosure, they said so he can have calcium whenever he needs it... i left it in the enclosure and within 3 hours, i saw there was a white webby looking thing around the block that looked like mold.. automatically, i remobed the block and cleaned out the mold.. for a few days everything was back to normal but now i am noticing that my lid which is made of wood is starting to mold in colors (teal/black) (never happened before but maybe inevitable?) i read a few forums about this matter here and it said it could be lack of air circulation, high humidity etc... i dont see mold in the enclosure itself so aside from switching the lid, should i be concerned about anything else? My substrate is athin layer of soil at the bottom and peat moss in contact with the sully. I dont think its the temp because I monitored it to have the needed temp on certain areas and to have 80-90% humidity. It could be as easy as replacing the lid? (Lid has cut holes for the lamps.and a lil opening to let some heat out on certain spot) input pls

 

[Tom]

The moisture contained in the humid air will sometimes condense back into a liquid as the air cool at the margins of your enclosure.

I would use something other than wood in your application. I would also use a thicker substrate layer and I wouldn't use soil or peat moss with a sulcata. 4" is good and fine grade orchid bark is cheap, easy and works best.

 

[Antoni]

The moisture contained in the humid air will sometimes condense back into a liquid as the air cool at the margins of your enclosure.

I would use something other than wood in your application. I would also use a thicker substrate layer and I wouldn't use soil or peat moss with a sulcata. 4" is good and fine grade orchid bark is cheap, easy and works best.

Yes i intend to replace the wood with something else. But wouldnt replacing my substrate with something "wood-like" be counter productive with what im trying to achieve? Also how often is the maintenance for those? You've also mentioned that u live in soCal like me,is there a store where i can buy these substrates cheaper and try out what works for me best? Lastly, when you clean the enclosure you replace the all of the substrate correct? Thanks for the quick reply tom

 

[Antoni]

The moisture contained in the humid air will sometimes condense back into a liquid as the air cool at the margins of your enclosure.

I would use something other than wood in your application. I would also use a thicker substrate layer and I wouldn't use soil or peat moss with a sulcata. 4" is good and fine grade orchid bark is cheap, easy and works best.

I am very willing to replace my substrate with orchid bark, the moss tend to get really messy, though he enjoys the digging part alot haha. Do u buy any orchid bark like from walmart or home depot? Or do u buy from pet stores?

 

[Tom]

Yes i intend to replace the wood with something else. But wouldnt replacing my substrate with something "wood-like" be counter productive with what im trying to achieve? Also how often is the maintenance for those? You've also mentioned that u live in soCal like me,is there a store where i can buy these substrates cheaper and try out what works for me best? Lastly, when you clean the enclosure you replace the all of the substrate correct? Thanks for the quick reply tom

1. Wood supports mold and fungus. Orchid bark does not.
2. No maintenance for orchid bark. Just spot clean as needed and keep it damp.
3. You won't find it at the hardware store, but any nursery should have it. I like this one:

4. I don't replace the substrate until a new tortoise is going to live in my enclosure.

 

[Antoni]

1. Wood supports mold and fungus. Orchid bark does not.
2. No maintenance for orchid bark. Just spot clean as needed and keep it damp.
3. You won't find it at the hardware store, but any nursery should have it. I like this one:
View attachment 190191
4. I don't replace the substrate until a new tortoise is going to live in my enclosure.

Hmm ok, i found some at home depot but before i buy it i wanna make sure that this kind is ok. Also what does "spot clean" mean exactly, like where he poops or pee?

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, except the particles in that bag are a bit large. I prefer the smaller particles. The brand I buy is Black Gold, and it specifically says on the label "Orchid Bark." I prefer to buy a product labelled "orchid bark" because orchids are sensitive and I know I'm buying a clean product. The Black Gold brand comes in three particle sizes, small, medium and large. This is the small:

 

[Antoni]

Yes, except the particles in that bag are a bit large. I prefer the smaller particles. The brand I buy is Black Gold, and it specifically says on the label "Orchid Bark." I prefer to buy a product labelled "orchid bark" because orchids are sensitive and I know I'm buying a clean product. The Black Gold brand comes in three particle sizes, small, medium and large. This is the small:

View attachment 190197 View attachment 190199

Oh! Those looks lovely. Ill look for something similar then. How do u clean these? My sully poops and pees usually on his hide, (idk why) but he still sleeps next to it. I clean the area with the hide daily

 

[sibi]

In the wild, I understand that when tortoises burrow, they keep temps and humidity levels acceptable by pooping and urinating in it. Then, they just stay in it. It works for them. It just looks like your tort is doing what comes natural to them.

 

[Antoni]

In the wild, I understand that when tortoises burrow, they keep temps and humidity levels acceptable by pooping and urinating in it. Then, they just stay in it. It works for them. It just looks like your tort is doing what comes natural to them.

Wow that's interesting..

 

[Tom]

Hmm ok, i found some at home depot but before i buy it i wanna make sure that this kind is ok. Also what does "spot clean" mean exactly, like where he poops or pee?

Like Yvonne said, those particles are too large. You need the "fine" grade or "small". Home Depot and Lowes don't carry it. I saw it at OSH, but the bags were small and the price was high. Garden centers ail have the right stuff for $10-12 for a giant 2.0 cubic foot bag.

Spot clean means to look around in the enclosure frequently and remove any "spots" of poop or leftover food. I immediately remove poop any time I see it and I clean up any leftover food each night when I change and clean the water dishes. Tortoise pee is just water and nothing to worry about. If you see white urates, you can remove those and then start soaking more often or longer.

 

[Big Charlie]

In the wild, I understand that when tortoises burrow, they keep temps and humidity levels acceptable by pooping and urinating in it. Then, they just stay in it. It works for them. It just looks like your tort is doing what comes natural to them.

When we had to dig up Charlie's giant burrow, he had something that almost looked like a bathroom! The burrow went down deep, turned and then came up some before continuing on. The low part of the turn was full of poop.