!!!!! White bugs !!!!!

[Ricardoleopard]

Hello everyone!!!

I need a bit of help. I recently built a new enclosure for my tortoise, and today I found a few white bugs in the soil. Are these bugs dangerous for my tortoise? Do I need to change the substrate?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello everyone!!!

I need a bit of help. I recently built a new enclosure for my tortoise, and today I found a few white bugs in the soil. Are these bugs dangerous for my tortoise? Do I need to change the substrate?

If these are elongated fast and chaoticaly moving bugs - let them be. They are springtails, who feed on decaying organic matter and mold. Once they clean up everything their population will diminish.

Slow moving round bugs are likely soil mites - not harmful but a little bit less useful.

If you want, you may put substrate in the oven at 200-250F for 1-2 hours to get rid of them for some time. A long, labourous and smelly process and they will return back anyway.

 

[Ricardoleopard]

If these are elongated fast and chaoticaly moving bugs - let them be. They are springtails, who feed on decaying organic matter and mold. Once they clean up everything their population will diminish.

Slow moving round bugs are likely soil mites - not harmful but a little bit less useful.

If you want, you may put substrate in the oven at 200-250F for 1-2 hours to get rid of them for some time. A long, labourous and smelly process and they will return back anyway.

Thank you so much

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

If you could post photos that would be good, but they do sound like springtails which are harmless
What kind of substrate is it? Not a top or reptisoil? Trouble with top soil is if you’ve not composted it yourself, there’s no knowing exactly what plants have gone into, could be something toxic, with reptisoils they tend to have sand mixed in which also isn’t good for them. If it’s just coco coir you’re using, ignore me

 

[Ricardoleopard]

If you could post photos that would be good, but they do sound like springtails which are harmless
What kind of substrate is it? Not a top or reptisoil? Trouble with top soil is if you’ve not composted it yourself, there’s no knowing exactly what plants have gone into, could be something toxic, with reptisoils they tend to have sand mixed in which also isn’t good for them. If it’s just coco coir you’re using, ignore me

I use this one

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I use this one

That’s fine no problem, it’s coir

 

[Ricardoleopard]

That’s fine no problem, it’s coir

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yep looks like springtails to me! They’re a helpful clean up crew