How to prep and clean orchid bark?

[Maurthetort]

Hello! i switched to an orchid bark substrate mixed with coco coir - how do i keep this substrate clean? is it okay for him to pee in there and for me to just leave it? or is there a method to cleaning it up. sorry if this is a dumb question haha, new tort owner.

 

[wellington]

Just spot clean, picking up poop and left over food.
If you want, you can bake both at 200-250 for at least 3 hours. This will kill and bugs, bug eggs, mold, etc that might be in it. It will hold off for about a year or more the little bugs we all get in our damp warm substrate. You don't have too though.

 

[Maurthetort]

Just spot clean, picking up poop and left over food.
If you want, you can bake both at 200-250 for at least 3 hours. This will kill and bugs, bug eggs, mold, etc that might be in it. It will hold off for about a year or more the little bugs we all get in our damp warm substrate. You don't have too though.

Thank you!!, and how often should I change it? Also - sorry for the many questions - but is there a way I can prevent bugs in the first place?

 

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

Thank you!!, and how often should I change it? Also - sorry for the many questions - but is there a way I can prevent bugs in the first place?

I change mine every 4 months

 

[Maggie3fan]

I have 4 tort tables with orchid bark, 3 of them have had the same orchid bark for 17 years. I spot clean and at times I add fresh, but I've never needed to change it all out...I do what wellington said but I never bake it...

 

[Maurthetort]

I have 4 tort tables with orchid bark, 3 of them have had the same orchid bark for 17 years. I spot clean and at times I add fresh, but I've never needed to change it all out...I do what wellington said but I never bake it...
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Oh wow!! thank you!

 

[wellington]

I change mine every 4 months

You don't need to change it at all for at least a year or possibly more if you keep it spot cleaned.

 

[wellington]

Thank you!!, and how often should I change it? Also - sorry for the many questions - but is there a way I can prevent bugs in the first place?

Doesn't need to be changed for a year of more if you keep it spot cleaned. The baking the substrate or boiling it is the only way I know of to keep bugs away longer. Without baking they will appear in 3-6 months approximately. With baking, they were held off for at least a year, it may have been longer.

 

[uscpsycho]

This is a very timely thread for me as I was about to change out my orchid bark. I have never spot cleaned because I have never seen droppings in the cage. My tort gets a bath every day and it poops in there. If it poops at other times of the day, I have never seen identifiable poop. But I assume it is pooping in the cage on the occasional days it doesn't get a bath even though I haven't seen it. It must be camouflaged very well with the bark. Anyway, I have noticed it is starting to get stinky in there so it is time to clean.

Since I haven't been spot cleaning and there must be droppings in there, would you change it all out to make sure all the poop is gone? Or just swap some old bark for new? I would prefer not to do a full change because I've got a plant growing in there and I believe it's got quite a root system under the bark. I'd probably do some damage to it or maybe even kill the plant if I do a full clean. But if I don't change it all I might not get rid of the poop or the stink.

Thoughts?

 

[Tom]

Hello! i switched to an orchid bark substrate mixed with coco coir - how do i keep this substrate clean? is it okay for him to pee in there and for me to just leave it? or is there a method to cleaning it up. sorry if this is a dumb question haha, new tort owner.

What species and size tortoise?

If you are soaking regularly, as everyone should, most of the "business" should be done in the soak water.

When tortoises pee, they are simply releasing stored water. Its not concentrated urine like what we produce. When a tortoise concentrates the contents of its bladder, we get urates. The white stuff like what you'd see with bird poop on your windshield.

So if you see urates, or feces, remove it. Also remove any leftover food each day. If you do that, there is not need to "clean" or replace the substrate. If a well hydrated tortoises releases its bladder contents in the substrate once in a while, it won't hurt anything.

Keep your substrate lightly damp to keep the dust to a minimum.

 

[Ak3035]

I have 4 tort tables with orchid bark, 3 of them have had the same orchid bark for 17 years. I spot clean and at times I add fresh, but I've never needed to change it all out...I do what wellington said but I never bake it...
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How long does your orchid bark stay humid under your heat lamps? I was going to post my own thread but I’m snooping through some others first.

I was using forest floor and with my greenhouse cover I was getting about 6-7 days of 80% or higher humidity and then refreshing with 3-4 big cups of water and mixing it in.

Seems like the new orchid bark is not staying at 80% under my warm side very long at all but the cooler side is staying at 85% or so just fine.

 

[Sarah2020]

I change over after 6 months as it seems to start to breakdown and get bitty. I spot clean. Daily I pick old food and scoop any messes inc urates puddles if I see them. Under the water dish it gets wet so I tend to stir the bark around to get dryer under the dish. Monthly I take all hides, rocks etc out and deep clean. I then stir it all up and reorganise and replace clean bits and normally come across some missed poos to remove. I have a plant water spritz to dampen the bark which is done daily AM. Hope that helps.

 

[Maggie3fan]

I think the important thing is to clean the old food out daily...if you are soaking often like Tom said, normally they will do their business in the soaking water...but the old food molds and creates bugs...in Oregon I get rolly pollies in my box turtle tables...but the box turtles dig them out and eat them....also the bugs eat the old food and create a healthy soil...