Mold?

Ruszian Tortoise

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Apr 11, 2020
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TX
Hi,
I sometimes use pellets to supplement my tortoise's greens. She eats them and walks in them and they get everywhere. Fast forward a few days, I have sprayed her substrate with water. Every day I find a few moldy pellets buried in the substrate, and while she soaks I pick them out. Is this enough? Do I have to disinfect, dump the substrate, etc.? I really hope not.
Thank you!
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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I'd lay off that type of pellets.
I'm not so sure about them being ingested while covered in mold or soaked in tortoise waste.
I also don't keep Russian tortoises.
But I'm pretty sure that hay is not part of the diet anyway.
 

Maro2Bear

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Hi,
I sometimes use pellets to supplement my tortoise's greens. She eats them and walks in them and they get everywhere. Fast forward a few days, I have sprayed her substrate with water. Every day I find a few moldy pellets buried in the substrate, and while she soaks I pick them out. Is this enough? Do I have to disinfect, dump the substrate, etc.? I really hope not.
Thank you!

You definitely don’t have to disinfect & dump your substrate. Pick out the offending moldy pellets along with any other left over food. When you spray your substrate, just don’t spray the pellets. Or, you can actually just pour sater inside. Water doesnt have to be misted inside for humidity - a pour is good too. Maybe feed less pellets too So they are consumed faster.
 

Ruszian Tortoise

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Location (City and/or State)
TX
I'd lay off that type of pellets.
I'm not so sure about them being ingested while covered in mold or soaked in tortoise waste.
I also don't keep Russian tortoises.
But I'm pretty sure that hay is not part of the diet anyway.
I don't use hay.
 

Ruszian Tortoise

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Messages
116
Location (City and/or State)
TX
You definitely don’t have to disinfect & dump your substrate. Pick out the offending moldy pellets along with any other left over food. When you spray your substrate, just don’t spray the pellets. Or, you can actually just pour sater inside. Water doesnt have to be misted inside for humidity - a pour is good too. Maybe feed less pellets too So they are consumed faster.
Okay, thank you!
 

Kim&Tim

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The pellets are generally compressed hay.
If we're talking about the same type of pellet.
Tortoise food pellets are in general not hay/grass. The only ones I know are zoomed grasslands and forest. And pre Alpin, I use that. That's is, all the other pellets are mixes of corn, wheat, soy etc.

Russians can definitely eat these hay/grass pellets, as the majority of tortoises, great source of vitamins, fiber, low in protein.
 
L

LasTortugasNinja

Guest
Mine won’t eat hay pellets unless they are mixed with radicchio. I only use them if there aren’t enough weeds outside and he has to eat a little grocery greens. Russian torts don’t eat grasses. They live in “goat country”... aka shrub lands. You can mix a little in with food, but I wouldn’t do more than a single soaked pellet thoroughly mixed in his greens.
even doing that, most times I find my tort eats around the hay pellets. I’ve had better success with keeping a bottle of dried weeds, flowers, and greens and sprinkling that on his food. Also can try dried organic camomile and herbal tea blends. Those typically have elements of dandelion, flowers, and other herbs and work just as well as hay pellets for adding fiber to a diet.
 

Kim&Tim

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Mine won’t eat hay pellets unless they are mixed with radicchio. I only use them if there aren’t enough weeds outside and he has to eat a little grocery greens. Russian torts don’t eat grasses. They live in “goat country”... aka shrub lands. You can mix a little in with food, but I wouldn’t do more than a single soaked pellet thoroughly mixed in his greens.
even doing that, most times I find my tort eats around the hay pellets. I’ve had better success with keeping a bottle of dried weeds, flowers, and greens and sprinkling that on his food. Also can try dried organic camomile and herbal tea blends. Those typically have elements of dandelion, flowers, and other herbs and work just as well as hay pellets for adding fiber to a diet.
These pellets are not just hay. I'm talking about pre alpin or zoomed grassland/forest.
I use pre alpin its different dried grasstypes, herbs, weeds, flowers. That's an excellent combo!
 

Ruszian Tortoise

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Location (City and/or State)
TX
Mine won’t eat hay pellets unless they are mixed with radicchio. I only use them if there aren’t enough weeds outside and he has to eat a little grocery greens. Russian torts don’t eat grasses. They live in “goat country”... aka shrub lands. You can mix a little in with food, but I wouldn’t do more than a single soaked pellet thoroughly mixed in his greens.
even doing that, most times I find my tort eats around the hay pellets. I’ve had better success with keeping a bottle of dried weeds, flowers, and greens and sprinkling that on his food. Also can try dried organic camomile and herbal tea blends. Those typically have elements of dandelion, flowers, and other herbs and work just as well as hay pellets for adding fiber to a diet.
Err... A single pellet? The pellets I use are 1/8-1/4 of an inch in diameter...
 

tortlvr

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San Diego Ca
Hi,
I sometimes use pellets to supplement my tortoise's greens. She eats them and walks in them and they get everywhere. Fast forward a few days, I have sprayed her substrate with water. Every day I find a few moldy pellets buried in the substrate, and while she soaks I pick them out. Is this enough? Do I have to disinfect, dump the substrate, etc.? I really hope not.
Thank you!
I put a folded pillow case under the food dish to catch scattered food. Soaked chow gets tracked everywhere. An easy way to keep orchid bark clean.
 
L

LasTortugasNinja

Guest
These pellets are not just hay. I'm talking about pre alpin or zoomed grassland/forest.
I use pre alpin its different dried grasstypes, herbs, weeds, flowers. That's an excellent combo!
Zoomed grassland is mostly hay and grasses. The first ingredients are the main ones. For a Russian tort, there are better ways to do it. Again, highly recommend a dehydrator. I can do a gallon bag of weeds in a few hours, and it stores for a long time and I can sprinkle it on fresh food to add fiber and natural roughage. Pellets end up in the garbage 90% of the time.
 
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