i got some top soil for my tortoise and 5 days after she gets mites, so i am going with coco core/eco earth from now on but how can i make sure there are no mites/bugs in there? pleases help
any dirt, or plants that you buy are going to have mites and mite eggs. even the eco earth will eventually develop mites if it is not cleaned out on a regular basis . what you can do, is freeze any substrate you buy for 24 - 48 hours, and this should kill any mites or eggs that are ALREADY in the substrate, but please remember, i do not know how, but mites or spring tails or what ever they are, will develop eventually if it is not cleaned, so best way to keep them away, is stay on top of spot cleaning the substrate, when you feed fruits, pull the fruits with in a few hours of setting them down, the fruits cause flies and mites , also do not keep the substrate to wet, yes you want it damp for your tortoise, but when it is soaked, thats when you will get an over load of mites or what ever they are, and they are harmless, but they are gross, and not something you want in there, so just make sure you change the substrate every few months and you should be fine