snailpeekoutofshell
Member
Beans got to work chowing down on the dried food from yesterday before I could get up to grab him some new food this morning, but he also had left pee/urate. I use a large terracotta saucer for feeding so it soaked in quite a bit, although it was still quite easy to clean. He's only done this a few times and I've always washed it out as soon as I've seen it, but I've read a few times on the forum they sometimes like to eat their own waste (although I specifically have NOT heard about this for urates, only poops).
So I was wondering if it's worth cleaning out immediately for the sake of having a clean enclosure or if the springtails will eventually get to cleaning it for me, or if it poses any sort of concern for my tort. If I'm in a rush in the morning, would it be terrible to just toss new food on top and clean the dish in the evening? It's dry because it's quite a small amount on a terracotta dish and it's not too far from the basking lamp, but should I be concerned about bacteria? I had a late morning so it's likely been there for at least an hour or two now.
He's a Russian if that makes a difference, and he does not usually urate/pee/poop in his enclosure at all as far as I can tell because I usually soak him in the morning and he does it kindly in the bath.
So I was wondering if it's worth cleaning out immediately for the sake of having a clean enclosure or if the springtails will eventually get to cleaning it for me, or if it poses any sort of concern for my tort. If I'm in a rush in the morning, would it be terrible to just toss new food on top and clean the dish in the evening? It's dry because it's quite a small amount on a terracotta dish and it's not too far from the basking lamp, but should I be concerned about bacteria? I had a late morning so it's likely been there for at least an hour or two now.
He's a Russian if that makes a difference, and he does not usually urate/pee/poop in his enclosure at all as far as I can tell because I usually soak him in the morning and he does it kindly in the bath.