Mold??

[Ashes]

Quick question. I tried to find a thread that already answered this, but didn't really locate one...

I lifted my half log out to grab my RF for a soak and supper... I noticed on the back of the log there was mold on the back bottom - about 3/4 inch - and a little on the spag moss behind it in that area.... Obviously need to clean it out, right? Should I put the log against the glass instead of moss? Suggestions?

 

[Ashes]

Not sure if this got lost in the update - anybody have any advice?

 

[Yvonne G]

I doubt if that kind of mold is harmful to your tortoise, but maybe you can exchange the wooden half log for a cut in half plastic pot instead.

 

[StarSapphire22]

I occasionally get some white fluffy mold (kinda looks like dandelion fuzz), especially if Littlefoot tracks food somewhere and I miss it. I spot clean it out if I see it on the substrate or moss. If it's on things like a hide, I wash it off with some warm water and gentle soap, rinse it well and let it air dry for a few hours before putting it back in. My tank can get crazy wet sometimes though, water condenses on the glass and drips down into the substrate, so I completely change about half the coir every month or so. I've never had much of a widespread mold problem and Littlefoot never tries to eat it or anything, so I'm not too concerned. Just remove it as quickly as you can and try to get it all to prevent spreading. Chances are it won't hurt anything, it's just annoying. Also, sphagnum moss is high in acidity and should help in preventing mold. It won't prevent it completely but I rarely get it in the areas I have carpeted with moss.

 

[Ashes]

I doubt if that kind of mold is harmful to your tortoise, but maybe you can exchange the wooden half log for a cut in half plastic pot instead.

I think that's a good idea. Thanks!

 

[Ashes]

I occasionally get some white fluffy mold (kinda looks like dandelion fuzz), especially if Littlefoot tracks food somewhere and I miss it. I spot clean it out if I see it on the substrate or moss. If it's on things like a hide, I wash it off with some warm water and gentle soap, rinse it well and let it air dry for a few hours before putting it back in. My tank can get crazy wet sometimes though, water condenses on the glass and drips down into the substrate, so I completely change about half the coir every month or so. I've never had much of a widespread mold problem and Littlefoot never tries to eat it or anything, so I'm not too concerned. Just remove it as quickly as you can and try to get it all to prevent spreading. Chances are it won't hurt anything, it's just annoying. Also, sphagnum moss is high in acidity and should help in preventing mold. It won't prevent it completely but I rarely get it in the areas I have carpeted with moss.

Yeah I get the white fuzzy when I miss a piece of food.... But he moss doesn't told, just that darn back of the log where it meets the moss. Lol.

 

[StarSapphire22]

Could that maybe be a particularly wet spot for some reason? Water dripping there or no light reaching that spot to help dry it up? Is the substrate there wet?

 

[Ashes]

Yeah there's no light right above it... I'm actually angry at my an closure right now. I can NOT keep humidity up again. Can't keep it above 65%! I have an auto mister, but I flooded it so I backed off a lot.... But now it won't stay humid so..... I'm between a rock and a hard place. It's rather frustrating. :/

 

[StarSapphire22]

Humidity is very frustrating! I actually have way too much in mine right now, cause of all the water evaporating from the dish and dripping into the substrate down the aquarium walls. You want some of mine? (Haha....if only...)

When I was struggling to keep it up I did a few things that worked well for me...
-taking out the sphagnum moss, soaking in a bucket of water once or twice a week, and putting it back in.
-When adding new substrate I would add the first inch or two and get that nice and wet (not flooded, but more than just damp), then putting dry stuff on top. It released humidity over time that way, though eventually everything was just wet at the end, no layers....that might just be my stupid tank though. It was great for plants too...I, like, never water and they do great!
-Misting the enclosure once or twice a day. I put tons of moss in my enclosure and really focused on getting that nice and wet, it released humidity throughout the day.

This is just what worked for me. Every enclosure has it's own quirks and problems and eventually you will learn yours and how to handle them. It just takes time. Hardly anything in the tortoise world happens fast. If something in your enclosure is kindof off for a week or so, your tortoise will almost always be just fine. They can handle little cold snaps or dry spells or rain storms or whatever in the wild. They can forgive your minor mistakes or their enclosure acting up. It usually takes a long time or really extreme conditions for something to cause a real problem. Just keep trying new things until something works.

 

[Ashes]

Those are wonderful suggestions!!! Thank you very much, I appreciate it! I will definitely try the soaking moss... And I decided when I take out everything to change the substrate, I'm going to add a bottom layer of (I think people use a type of) topsoil beneath the coconut coir.

 

[StarSapphire22]

You could try that. I found I had less mold when I used pure coir though (I used to do half and half with dirt with a bottom layer of pure dirt). The soil also gave me little white mushrooms which are bad bad bad. If you have/plan on having live plants though, some people prefer to use a soil mixture. I just didn't like the extra mold and mushrooms made me nervous. Plus the dirt when it got really wet had this horrible rotten egg smell after a while...I noticed it most when I was digging around in it. BUT that could have been the brand I used or some factor in my environment causing that. It may work for you!!!

 

[Ashes]

Well.... I'm always open to suggestions... You say you use pure coir - where do I get that? I'd be willing to try that too... How thick do you make yours?

 

[StarSapphire22]

I use ecoearth brand from petco or petsmart. 2 bags gives me a nice deep substrate in my 75 gallon tank, which is about 48"x18". You can also get bricks that you add water to to expand (a brick makes about a bag worth and is cheaper too). For me, it never really dries out and it's a little clumpy sometimes, so I use the pre expanded stuff in the bag. For you, bricks might be a good thing to help with humidity. Many people on here use coir. FYI though, if your little one is a big burrower sometimes it will stain their legs and head kindof a tea brown color. My little one has some pretty brown little feetsies right now.

As far as "thick", do you mean depth? I landscape it so there's some hills and valleys, but anywhere from 4-6" deep. Hermann's are big diggers though, so they like more. I don't know much about the burrowing habits of redfoots.

 

[Ashes]

I actually do use the Eco earth bricks - am I wrong that's it's coconut coir? Are there different ones?

And he is a HUGE burrower!! He doesn't get completely buried, but only his shell is above ground most of the time. Lol. And 4-6 inches sounds good - I don't like how thin mine seems (is about 2 inches now) so I was gonna change that when I changed/cleaned the cage.

 

[StarSapphire22]

eco earth is coco coir, yes. if he likes to dig, I would try for deeper.

I think home improvement stores also sell coco coir. I prefer eco earth because to me it just seems more "pet-friendly". Gardening companies aren't concerned about tort safety. But plenty of people use it without issue, I'm just weird and paranoid.

 

[Ashes]

Haha no, I agree... My fiancé thinks I'm way overprotective but I don't care.. Lol.