Cleaning of the Substrate

[Donut]

Hi Everyone, I got a Russian tortoise a few weeks ago. I am using Orchid Bark for the substrate and I like it so far. I am however concerned with how to clean it. Poop is easy to spot so I just pick it up but I don't know how to deal with pee. I have seen my tort pee and A LOT comes out. I can't always spot a damp spot let's say so mostly pee would go undetected. I see that many of you don't change the whole substrate often (maybe every few weeks or even longer sometimes) and I am just wondering won't this pee cause bacteria and possibly stink after a few days? I just feel bad for her to be walking around her pee

I also took her to vet for check up just to make sure everything was ok because her poop was little runny and my vet said that I should only use unbleached paper towels for her substrate!!! I was so shocked. She said otherwise bacteria will grow in her enclosure and cause her to get sick. I don't really like this idea as I do want to provide her with something more natural. Vet said they are not in their natural environment so as long as I provide her little area to burrow with some substrate and hay I can have paper towels in the rest of the enclosure. I am not an expert at caring for tort just yet but I plan to continue to use Orchid Bark but just need some advice on how you all deal with pee and how often do you change the whole thing to ensure tort doesn't get sick and enclosure doesn't stink.

Also do you all think I need to find a new vet?? I have read from other people that vets told them to use paper towels or repti carpet so it seems like its not just mine. But do you have vets that don't suggest that? I want to be able to trust her vet and this has me wondering.

Thank you in advance!

 

[iAmCentrochelys sulcata]

Mix it...

 

[Maggie3fan]

Hi Everyone, I got a Russian tortoise a few weeks ago. I am using Orchid Bark for the substrate and I like it so far. I am however concerned with how to clean it. Poop is easy to spot so I just pick it up but I don't know how to deal with pee. I have seen my tort pee and A LOT comes out. I can't always spot a damp spot let's say so mostly pee would go undetected. I see that many of you don't change the whole substrate often (maybe every few weeks or even longer sometimes) and I am just wondering won't this pee cause bacteria and possibly stink after a few days? I just feel bad for her to be walking around her pee

I also took her to vet for check up just to make sure everything was ok because her poop was little runny and my vet said that I should only use unbleached paper towels for her substrate!!! I was so shocked. She said otherwise bacteria will grow in her enclosure and cause her to get sick. I don't really like this idea as I do want to provide her with something more natural. Vet said they are not in their natural environment so as long as I provide her little area to burrow with some substrate and hay I can have paper towels in the rest of the enclosure. I am not an expert at caring for tort just yet but I plan to continue to use Orchid Bark but just need some advice on how you all deal with pee and how often do you change the whole thing to ensure tort doesn't get sick and enclosure doesn't stink.

Also do you all think I need to find a new vet?? I have read from other people that vets told them to use paper towels or repti carpet so it seems like its not just mine. But do you have vets that don't suggest that? I want to be able to trust her vet and this has me wondering.

Thank you in advance!

I have never used anything but orchid bark...my tortoises have never gotten any bacteria...think about this...how many tortoises in the wild do you suppose live on paper towels???

 

[Donut]

I have never used anything but orchid bark...my tortoises have never gotten any bacteria...think about this...how many tortoises in the wild do you suppose live on paper towels???

Thanks I appreciate the feedback. I guess my only concern was that in the wild they don’t live in such small space (Even with nice size enclosure) so they are not waking around same space they pee at. But anyways I’m going to continue using orchid bark as I do like it. How often do you take it all out and change it?

 

[ArmadilloPup]

I would consider a second opinion. Paper towels are good for babies and sick torts that need to heal or be monitored. I imagine her opinion may be because many Russians come from pet stores already riddled with issues. But a healthy tort does not need a sterile environment.

If you want a more natural indoor enclosure, look into bioactive setups. It will be costly for an adult tortoise enclosure but it is extremely worth it because it’s low maintenance. Mine involves about 5 or 6” soil and a thick layer of orchid and coconut on top, with isopods (pillbugs), springtails, and worms I ordered online. (I also have a drainage layer on the bottom but I don’t know if that’s necessary for your species.) I only ever need to clean up solid waste. Any pee or little poop or food bits that fall in between the bark can be buried and the bugs take care of it. Every few months I’ll dig a bit to aerate the soil, but it doesnt need changed. And it always smells nice, like a garden. I couldn’t keep plants alive but the fake ones look fine.

 

[Donut]

I would consider a second opinion. Paper towels are good for babies and sick torts that need to heal or be monitored. I imagine her opinion may be because many Russians come from pet stores already riddled with issues. But a healthy tort does not need a sterile environment.

If you want a more natural indoor enclosure, look into bioactive setups. It will be costly for an adult tortoise enclosure but it is extremely worth it because it’s low maintenance. Mine involves about 5 or 6” soil and a thick layer of orchid and coconut on top, with isopods (pillbugs), springtails, and worms I ordered online. (I also have a drainage layer on the bottom but I don’t know if that’s necessary for your species.) I only ever need to clean up solid waste. Any pee or little poop or food bits that fall in between the bark can be buried and the bugs take care of it. Every few months I’ll dig a bit to aerate the soil, but it doesnt need changed. And it always smells nice, like a garden. I couldn’t keep plants alive but the fake ones look fine.

Wow sounds like you have heck of a set up! Sounds awesome and I’ll definitely look into that. My tort does have parasites that I’m giving her meds for now so I did switch her to paper towels at this time until she is done with meds bc her poop is runny and it would drag everywhere and that’s definitely not ideal while she has parasites. But I don’t plan to keep her on paper towels once she is healed. But I did ask vet if she means only paper towels while tort is sick and she said no she means always. Thanks for all your feedback I really appreciate it. I have some homework to do on this!