Tiny little white bugs on shell….help!

TortillaEnrique

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Joined
Oct 19, 2021
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8
Location (City and/or State)
Massachusetts
We noticed very very very small whitish bugs in the crevices of the scutes of his shell. They just recently showed up. We have had the same substrate (orchid bark and organic peat moss) in his enclosure for about a month. I can’t spot any inside his enclosure, but I noticed a few on his shell yesterday. I cleaned him off but there are a few more today. Any ideas of what these are?? We had some fruit flies/gnats in the house (there are a lot outside of the house this time of the year and I grow him food indoors which attracts them), but we have a Katchy bug catcher that has been working pretty well. Mites? Springtails? Is this harmful/something I should be worried about??? I was planning on changing all of the substrate this weekend. Also, humidity is around 80% (baby sulcata). He has been peeing in his hole that he digs in too and I have been replacing the peat moss over there so it doesn’t get too gross. He seems to like peeing in there rather than his water dish or bath time. They are hard to see in the pic, but just to give everyone an idea of what I am talking about. Thanks for the help!
 

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ZenHerper

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I can't tell from the pic if they are springtails or mites...mites that bite reptiles usually hide between the scales on the legs and in the dark places where the skin is softer. They make the reptile itchy and restless.

Springtails are beneficial to habitats since they eat refuse like old food, stool, urine, and mold. Springtail poo is slightly alkaline and it can help keep a substrate from becoming too acidic.

Springtails are 100% non-harmful to pets.

Their eggs ride into a set up in packaged bedding such as coco coir and bark chips. Once damped, the eggs hatch and the springtails go to work. Their population can appear large at times, but they calibrate their reproduction to the available food sources they find in the habitat.

If you keep the very top layer of substrate dry and the lower layers damp, you will see them seldom as they need the moisture to live.

There are several types of springtails, and they can look different depending on what developmental stage they are in.

***************
A note about peat moss: it is very acidic...too acidic for humid habitats. The acid can erode the plastron and burn the leg scales as a tort sits in it over time.

Coco coir is a better underlayer to the fir chips.
 

TortillaEnrique

New Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2021
Messages
8
Location (City and/or State)
Massachusetts
I can't tell from the pic if they are springtails or mites...mites that bite reptiles usually hide between the scales on the legs and in the dark places where the skin is softer. They make the reptile itchy and restless.

Springtails are beneficial to habitats since they eat refuse like old food, stool, urine, and mold. Springtail poo is slightly alkaline and it can help keep a substrate from becoming too acidic.

Springtails are 100% non-harmful to pets.

Their eggs ride into a set up in packaged bedding such as coco coir and bark chips. Once damped, the eggs hatch and the springtails go to work. Their population can appear large at times, but they calibrate their reproduction to the available food sources they find in the habitat.

If you keep the very top layer of substrate dry and the lower layers damp, you will see them seldom as they need the moisture to live.

There are several types of springtails, and they can look different depending on what developmental stage they are in.

***************
A note about peat moss: it is very acidic...too acidic for humid habitats. The acid can erode the plastron and burn the leg scales as a tort sits in it over time.

Coco coir is a better underlayer to the fir chips.
Thank you so much!! This is super helpful!!
 

Maro2Bear

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Greetings. I agree with @ZenHerper , today or tomorrow when you give your youngster its soaking get a nice soft (tooth) brush and give it a good soft scrubbing all over.

As far as substrate, there’s no need for total swapping it out very often. Daily Spot clean as you are, removing dirty bits but every once in awhile add new substrate in (orchid bark, coco coir, cypress mulch). I had very good success using a coir/cypress combo for our Sully. Good luck
 

Duckster RT

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Like said mostl likely spring tails. I’m not a fan of any bugs harmless or not! I changed all the bedding. Got a few different knat traps places in what no contact at all with the tortoise. Been free since. But I nipped it in the bud right away. I don’t know if my advice is good for you. I keep my 5 by 10 area super clean. Everything feeding. Cleaning. Soaking takes a lot of time and effort. I have a daily routine and almost never miss. Unless I am dying sick or something. Thanks
 

TortillaEnrique

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Joined
Oct 19, 2021
Messages
8
Location (City and/or State)
Massachusetts
Like said mostl likely spring tails. I’m not a fan of any bugs harmless or not! I changed all the bedding. Got a few different knat traps places in what no contact at all with the tortoise. Been free since. But I nipped it in the bud right away. I don’t know if my advice is good for you. I keep my 5 by 10 area super clean. Everything feeding. Cleaning. Soaking takes a lot of time and effort. I have a daily routine and almost never miss. Unless I am dying sick or something. Thanks
I feel the same way! I am constantly changing his water dishes, adding filtered and boiled water to his humidifier, checking for poops, daily baths, very varied diet (my office became a grow room for my spoiled baby lol!), etc. Lots of work, but so worth it!! :) I am going to change the bedding soon just in case.
 
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