Bugs

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reptylefreek

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I know at some point everyone probably has a problem with bugs and now my time has come. I used a mixture of organic soil and cypress mulch, or what I thought was cypress mulch, and immedietly had a bug problem. They were small and darker colored had six legs and little intenae. But too small for my camera to get a picture. They mostly crowded his food dish so i tried to make sure there was no food left in there when Marlin was done eating. I never saw the bugs on him. I threw all that substrate out. I figured it was the mulch that actually wasn't cypress mulch like the people at the hardware said. So I just filled his enclosure with straight organic soil since he likes burrowing in it. I planted some seeds and have had everything set up for about a week and started noticing bugs again. They dont seem to bother him, but am I doomed with bugs if I keep this substrate? How do I find a bug free substrate?
 

Rhyno47

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I use cocnut coir and sand and I have some mites. They dont eat him or his food; they seem to eat only his coconut coir. Isaac doesnt even seem to notice them at all. Plus i can only see them within an hour of turning on his heat lamp. Once the soil heats up past 95 or so they flee the area. I looked them up and they are called springtails. They are most likely the same as the ones you have. As long as their numbers stay minimal I wont do anything about it.
 

chadk

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Without a pic, it is hard to say. But I really wouldn't stress about it. My outdoor torts and box turtles live with all kinds of bugs. So unless they were causing him stress or termites or something you don't want in your house, I wouldn't worry. You could always get one of those air freshner looking deals that kill bugs in the room. But you'll be exposing the tort to the fumes. Maybe for a day or so and make sure the tort has good ventilation... Or remove the tort for a few days (plastic bin or something) while you treat the room.
 

dmmj

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Depending on the tort I would assume is the way to handle it, also wha ttype of bugs they are, in a previous thread someone said they keep hermit crabs with their redfoots to eat the bugs, but that the redfoots also eat the hermit crabs.
 

galvinkaos

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You could bake the substrate at over 150 degrees, in the oven for 1 hour or wrap it in black plastic in the sun for 8 hours. ALL bugs will die at that temp. The concern is their might be bugs or eggs in the table still. `130 degrees for 60 mins is the goal.

Dawna
 

reptylefreek

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They aren't bugging him now so I guess when I start seeing a bunch I'l change the substrate again. I figured it just simulates what he would encounter outside. I'll just keep in under control
 

DoctorCosmonaut

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Won't their colony only grow to be so big? Or will this problem require massive cleaning... I mean will their population end up out of control like rabbits?
 

galvinkaos

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Depends on the bug what their life cycle is and how pervasive they can become. So while some die off more hatch, again biology and space determine how large a problem they become. My recommendation is always stop them and start at zero so they don't overwhelm you know matter what the insect or pest.

Dawna
 
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