Tortoise Hides (Half Logs)

[Chenderson]

Hi all, I have been having some issues with wooden tortoise hides in my Redfoots vivarium. I initially bought a small one when I got the tortoise(Genkai from now on), however I seemed to make my first rookie mistake of keeping the substrate too moist in order to get the humidity levels higher, also using the wrong substrate recommended by the store(sand and clay desert mix).

After the first week I noticed around the edges of the hide, it began to develop mould! I panicked and threw it away. I then went and purchased a second one, much larger. Soaked in hot bleach water for 30 minutes, allowed to dry out, soaked again in hot water for 10 minutes, dried and placed in enclosure. Now with a different substrate cypress mulch, and sphagnum moss, I initially wet the substrate to lock the moisture in the bottom, and mist twice daily to keep the humidity high. Much too my surprise after 3 weeks, it has begun to develop slight mould, and I have noticed one or two small, light brown, bugs crawling on the inside of it.

I have replaced the substrate and removed the log ... again. This is beginning to mount up quite the cost, and my partner is becoming frustrated with my faffing and wastage, she is already suffering from a bad case of tortoise envy. Heat levels are 95-100 at the hot end, and 80-85 at the low end(where the wood log hide is), the humidity levels vary from 60-80 depending on when I am working.

Any advice would be brilliant, should I just stay away from wooden hides? If so, what would people recommend, I do not really want to buy one online, due to not being able to judge if Genkai can comfortably rest there, and the pet stores near me only sell hides for snakes/lizards that she can not squeeze into the entry's for. She has been spending a lot of her time recently in the plastic skull hide near the hot end, she loves it even though it is not total coverage, however part of me thinks she knows the log is bad, and purposely stays away from it.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

you can always just cut a plastic pot in half to make a hide.

 

[Chenderson]

you can always just cut a plastic pot in half to make a hide.

I likely will as a temporary measure, but I would like something more insulated for the cool end ideally. However may not be needed I guess.

 

[leigti]

You can get the half long that is actually made out of resin and not wood. It won't mold

 

[TortsNTurtles]

You can get the half long that is actually made out of resin and not wood. It won't mold

I have purchased one of those in the past and the paint fumes are terrible. I just purchased the Exoterra Tortoise cave and hoping that will work. LLLreptile and Josh's Frog sells them on Amazon.

 

[leigti]

I'm not familiar with that, I'll have to look it up. The log I bought it didn't smell. I put a couple of the real ones outside.

 

[leigti]

I looked it up, I actually do have one of those. But my tortoise outgrew it. But it did work well.

 

[tortdad]

Go find some rocks and make a natural hide for it.

 

[crimson_lotus]

Everyone else gave you some great advice, but just throwing in one more. The half log I purchased about a year ago was made from cork and didn't mold whatsoever. I'm guilty of trying to put hand-made wooden hides in my tortoises enclosure, though, and boy did they mold.

Good luck!

 

[Chenderson]

Go find some rocks and make a natural hide for it.

Simple but effective, I know my mission for my day off tomorrow!

Has anybody else had problems with wooden logs in a humid environment? are the bugs that I have seen natural occurrence that wont effect my tortoise, or a form of parasite?

 

[tortdad]

Simple but effective, I know my mission for my day off tomorrow!

Has anybody else had problems with wooden logs in a humid environment? are the bugs that I have seen natural occurrence that wont effect my tortoise, or a form of parasite?

Most likely the bugs are gnats. When we get our substrate it has eggs in it. Then we water it down and warm it up and the eggs hatch. They don't harm anything, they're just annoying. I freeze my substraight for 48 hours before I use it. Some people bake it in the oven on a low temp, like 250, for like 4 hours.

When I spot clean my set up I'll take some substraight out and make it super wet. Then I put it in the microwave for a while and make it all steamy... Then I just pop it back in the enclosure.

 

[crimson_lotus]

The bugs could also have been springtails, they are pretty common in moist enclosures. When I took my tortoise home with the vivarium they had her in, I discovered the entire bottom was covered in them. I had to flush the whole thing out with boiling water and give it a good scrub down.

Tortdad has a great idea as well for freezing or baking the substrate to get rid of the bugs.

Someone in the past few weeks made a really cool cave for their tortoise, I wonder if I could find it.

 

[crimson_lotus]

Found it fairly fast!

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/cave-tortoise-mind-blown.111953/#post-1048921

 

[Chenderson]

Found it fairly fast!

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/cave-tortoise-mind-blown.111953/#post-1048921

I saw that actually a while ago, it is pretty awesome. Saddly however I am using a vivarium for now, and space does not permit that. I told my Mum who has a couple of Hermanns, and she is dropping off her old hide which looks pretty decent. May still make one out of rocks just to add a more natural feel to the environment.

Thanks for the brilliant suggestions on the substrate, another mission for tomorrow. Will try freezing and nuking, nasty germy bugs.

 

[TortsNTurtles]

I'm not familiar with that, I'll have to look it up. The log I bought it didn't smell. I put a couple of the real ones outside.

I might of got one that was just made or defective. They might not normally smell.

 

[TortsNTurtles]

I looked it up, I actually do have one of those. But my tortoise outgrew it. But it did work well.

Was it this one? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GVDU41K/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[Jacqui]

I'm not familiar with that, I'll have to look it up. The log I bought it didn't smell. I put a couple of the real ones outside.

Neither did mine.

 

[mike taylor]

I use pvc pipe cut in half .

 

[leigti]

Was it this one? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GVDU41K/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Yes

 

[TortsNTurtles]

I use pvc pipe cut in half .

That is a great idea thanks!