Bugs!!

[ilovemytortoiselarry]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if it’s normal to have loads and loads of bugs in my tortoise’s enclosure. During the night, they eat his pellet (I give him new ones after) and they’re everywhere! Behind the walls, on the top etc. How do I get rid of them?!? Madness. As you can see in the picture below, there are bug antennas peeking out from behind the fence walls. The type of bug on the wall is the type of bug that I mostly see around his tank but there are much bigger ones as well.

 

[Tolis]

Cockroach infestation. Not direct threat to torts from what I am aware but still gross.
There's food safe roach poison nowadays it should be safe to use that around torts.

 

[ilovemytortoiselarry]

Thank you so much! I’ll look into the tortoise safe poison

 

[Maggie3fan]

Cockroach infestation. Not direct threat to torts from what I am aware but still gross.
There's food safe roach poison nowadays it should be safe to use that around torts.

Oh crap! It does look like a cockroach. I would totally clean the whole habitat down to the bare bottom get new substrate and everything. I see you are in Hong Kong, is it possible that these roach things are kinda normal? Our New York city has lots of roaches, nasty

 

[ilovemytortoiselarry]

Hello! Yes it is very disgusting?. Roaches in Hong Kong are pretty common but they’re not everywhere. Thank you for your reply! Ill try cleaning out his entire tank to see what happens to the roaches.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Hello! Yes it is very disgusting?. Roaches in Hong Kong are pretty common but they’re not everywhere. Thank you for your reply! Ill try cleaning out his entire tank to see what happens to the roaches.

I'm just real cautious with a poison product around my tortoises and birds

 

[TeamZissou]

Is this an indoor or outdoor enclosure?

 

[Tolis]

Just cleaning the enclosure will do nothing. Theres a roach poison with toothpaste consistency that exterminators put on the cupboard hinges that they eat, throw up and die, then another roach goes eat the vomit until they are all dead. That poison is safe for humans even if you eat it however theres no reason to risk using it inside the enclosure.

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if it’s normal to have loads and loads of bugs in my tortoise’s enclosure. During the night, they eat his pellet (I give him new ones after) and they’re everywhere! Behind the walls, on the top etc. How do I get rid of them?!? Madness. As you can see in the picture below, there are bug antennas peeking out from behind the fence walls. The type of bug on the wall is the type of bug that I mostly see around his tank but there are much bigger ones as well.

If I'm not mistaken, that is our friend Blatta lateralis.I breed them by the thousands for reptile food. More pics, and pics of the adults will help me get you a positive ID. Roaches are harmless, won't hurt your tortoise or you, and they are natures clean up crew. Poisons on the other hand are extremely harmful to you and the area around you. Poisoned roaches will be eaten by all the local predators and they will die too. When that happens, the roaches will breed unchecked and really get out of control. DON'T use poison!

To control their numbers, Roach Motels are effective. Its a sticky trap with molasses inside to attract them. Roaches check in, but they don't check out! I use them for a few days, then flip them over when they start looking full. These work well and won't kill of the local roach predators.

It will also help if you don't leave food out for them to gorge on all night. Pick up your tortoise's food every evening and put fresh food out each morning.

 

[ilovemytortoiselarry]

This is an indoor enclosure!

 

[ilovemytortoiselarry]

I’ll send some more pictures as soon as possible. I’ll check out the roach motels! I was actually thinking about using those but I’m scared that my tort might go poking around. Thank you for all your helpful advice!

 

[ilovemytortoiselarry]

Thank you for your advice! I’m checking out the roach motels that Tom suggested.

 

[ilovemytortoiselarry]

Here’s two photos of some of the larger bugs and smaller bugs. Thank you!

 

[Trudy_the_tortoise]

(READ MY FULL ANSWER FOR SOME USEFUL INFORMATION) Actually, Roaches have a more flat body and a deeper color. But they still look like roaches, and if they are eating your tortoise's food it is a great chance they are roaches. But, to be 100% accurate observe the bugs. Do they hop? Do they jump? Do they crawl? Do they make noises? There are many insects that look like roaches. Crickets look a lot like roaches, and you will notice crickets have a fat abdomen and large mandibles for chewing their food. Roaches have a flat, oily body to help them squeeze into the smallest of cracks and crevices. Do these insects like to hop? If they do, they are most likely crickets, since roaches don't hop or jump. If the bugs skitter around really quickly and if they can squeeze into small cracks, they are more likely roaches. Both insects are nasty, but expect roaches to 100 times worse. Roaches are also really hard to get rid of. Here is how you can remove roaches & crickets naturally without poisons. For a natural roach removal, take a Osage orange fruit (Also known as the hedge apple), and put it in the area where the roaches are. Roaches are repelled by the Osage orange fruit. BUT- make sure not to put the Osage orange fruit near your tortoise's enclosure. BUT do, put the Osage orange fruits outside your tortoise enclosure or near the areas where you notice roaches. BE WARNED!!! Osage orange fruits may be a toxic fruit to tortoises. So do NOT place it in your tortoise's enclosure keep it out of your tortoise's reach. The smell of the Osage orange fruit will drive all these roaches out of your house. Make sure to place these fruits in the rooms of your house to, and around your house. Just not inside the tortoise's enclosure. The same thing goes to crickets. Crickets hate Osage orange fruits. Do place the Osage orange fruits as I instructed for a safe and natural pest removal. (Many pests hate Osage orange fruits, not just roaches and crickets.) I am an expert with insects, and so if you have any problems with insects or pests, feel free to contact me. **NOTE** (OSAGE ORANGE FRUITS ARE INEDIBLE AND CANNOT BE EATEN BY PEOPLE. ONLY USE THEM TO REPEL ROACHES AND PESTS NOT FOR FOOD!)

 

[Trudy_the_tortoise]

I hope you find my answer helpful and if you have tried already but it hasn't worked I will find more natural methods. (Poison is harmful, and often doesn't work). There are many methods out there, you can search some up online. Best of hopes!

-Trudy

 

[ilovemytortoiselarry]

Thank you so much for all that helpful advice! I think that’s going to work really well. I think that these bugs are roaches since they skitter away very quickly and fit into very small cracks. I’ll update everyone very soon, thanks so much for replying!

 

[Trudy_the_tortoise]

Thank you so much for all that helpful advice! I think that’s going to work really well. I think that these bugs are roaches since they skitter away very quickly and fit into very small cracks. I’ll update everyone very soon, thanks so much for replying!

Your very welcome! I would love to help you out more, if you need more help! Glad you found my article helpful! Please do update information! I would love to help more. Be careful with Osage orange fruits! They may irritate skin so you may want to wear gloves. Also! Make sure to cut them in half while using them to repel insects. Best of luck!