Dust!

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Sian
Posts: 19
Joined: 25 Apr 2017, 18:04

Dust!

Post by Sian » 25 Apr 2017, 20:41

I'm thinking there is no magic answer to this, but my Husband is despairing of the dust levels in our living room where Jack lives. He came to us on a pellet substrate which he had for a couple of years with his previous owners & seemed low dust but not very natural or comfortable so I dutifully changed to sand/soil mix as per TTT forum advice. Cue happy tort but epic dust & gritty floors despite spraying. I changed him to a proprietary substrate (Repti something I think) which he likes, & is a bit less dusty, but after a soul destroying deep clean over Xmas, regular spraying & dusting, levels are rising again & Hubby worrying about the long term health of our lungs & soft furnishings!!! Jack loves to scrabble & climb which raises even more dust.... you get the picture. Any suggestions other than spray more & clean more 😔

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lin
Posts: 1034
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:27

Re: Dust!

Post by lin » 25 Apr 2017, 21:03

Hi Sian.
I have no idea how you can combat the dust problem. In all my years of keeping tortoises I have never experienced that much dust that a quick flick over with a duster would not suffice. I think you are doing the best you can by spraying and keeping it slightly moist.
Hopefully someone else will come on and let you know their secrets.

Lin

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Dust!

Post by Nina » 25 Apr 2017, 22:33

Hi Sian,

Aww, your poor hubby -- we don't want him to come down with lung problems, so we need to get to the bottom of this. First some questions:
I've seen your lovely photo in the other thread of Jack having a snooze, and I can see a bit of his enclosure, but not all of it. I'm assuming it's a tortoise table with some sort of glass at the front, but is it a vivarium (with a top) or an open table?

Your substrate looks like a perfectly fine mixture, but I don't understand why so much dust is going everywhere. How deep is your substrate? The deeper it is the easier it will be for you to keep it from getting too dusty, because it will hold the moisture for longer.

I used to spray my substrate, but I found that it dried out in an hour or so with the heat lamps, so what I do now is to pour some water on it, and mix that all up all through the substrate . The trick is to pour only enough water on it so that when everything is all mixed up the substrate is only very slightly damp -- and not wet at all. And I usually leave one area (sometimes the sleeping area) completely dry so that they have a choice. I try and keep my substrate 3 or 4 inches deep. It's nice for the tortoise as he can dig in and cover himself if he wants to, but also it doesn't get dusty as fast again because there is more bulk. The important thing is that the soil is not wet -- just slightly damp, so that if you take a handful and squeeze it, it will clump together a bit, but in no way feel wet. Try that and see if it helps at all -- and let us know how you get on.

LOL -- Lin says that in an emergency you can get pairs of old tights and the family can wear them on your heads to prevent you from inhaling all the dust, I think that's a bit extreme, don't you?
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site ... f=11&p=353# :roll:

Nina

Sian
Posts: 19
Joined: 25 Apr 2017, 18:04

Re: Dust!

Post by Sian » 26 Apr 2017, 21:24

Loving the tights image!! I think some of the problem is just that we don't clean every day 😱 - I'm sure if we could stop it building up, that would help. Jack is in a table not a viv, but it does have a glass front. I'd like to change that to solid at some point as I think he can see out & gets frustrated that he can't get through. He particularly likes to try to climb the walls esp the front, and this seems to cause the most dust. I've checked temps and he's got the recommended hot & cool areas so I don't think he's hot, he just likes to wander. As the weather improves he can spend more & more time outside, giving us a chance to clean properly & hubby has suggested we make him a sort of patio without substrate across the front of the table which also might help... failing that, I might have to look at getting rid of him...Hubby of course, not Jack 😜

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Dust!

Post by Nina » 26 Apr 2017, 22:09

Ha, ha -- Sian I hope your hubby hasn't read that last sentence! Well you are talking to the least houseproud person I know. Cleaning every day? -- never entered my mind! Once a week or fortnight if I'm feeling industrious. I just don't understand why the dust is spreading everywhere outside the table. Have you tried a deeper substrate and pouring the water instead of spraying (as I recommended in my previous email)?

Yes, I think you do need to cover up that glass, as if a tortoise can see through something he thinks he can get through it, which is frustrating. However, they do like to try to climb walls that they can't see through too, so his climbing efforts might not stop. You can just put a thin board up against the inside of the glass, to just above his head. Or you could put some paper on the outside, but that would still leave glass exposed on the inside and he might see his reflection in it, which can bring problems too -- but you could try it.

Being outdoors will help a lot (but of course at the moment it is sooooo cold! The other thing you could do, if you have room, is to remove the glass and add an extension onto that table, to make it bigger and give him more room for exploration (won't help the dust but might stop him trying to climb out (not guaranteed though). The more room the better for a tortoise. Does he have plants, rocks and things to help break up the sightlines in his table (so that he can't see from one end to the other in a straight line)? That helps keep them interested and less likely to climb too.

None of that last bit helps the dust thing though. Hopefully someone else will have a more creative idea.

Nina

Sian
Posts: 19
Joined: 25 Apr 2017, 18:04

Re: Dust!

Post by Sian » 29 Apr 2017, 19:08

Thanks Nina - not had time to try suggestions yet as Jack & I are having a weekend together in the IoW (Jack is a very lucky tortoise & has a Holiday Table!). I think I have some more substrate in the garage so will add more - it's only about 1.5-2 inches deep as Jack really doesn't dig. I will have a go at blocking the glass too (selfish of me not already but I like being able to see him 🙄). He has rock, plants & even his own teddy so plenty to break up the space & provide climbing obstacles which he loves. Hubby is also looking at maybe adding a small overhanging lip to the front edge which may deflect the dust as well. S

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Dust!

Post by Nina » 29 Apr 2017, 19:20

Ooh, Jack is a lucky tortoise --= a holiday table (very posh)! I'll bet you get more sunshine on the IoW than we've had in Oxford today -- cold, grey and miserable until about 4.30 p.m.
I think Jack's table sounds really good, with lots of interest for him, and what a great idea about the lip -- I do hope that helps!
Let us know how you get on (and have a great Bank Holiday weekend).

Nina

Sian wrote:
> Thanks Nina - not had time to try suggestions yet as Jack & I are
> having a weekend together in the IoW (Jack is a very lucky tortoise &
> has a Holiday Table!). I think I have some more substrate in the garage so
> will add more - it's only about 1.5-2 inches deep as Jack really doesn't
> dig. I will have a go at blocking the glass too (selfish of me not already
> but I like being able to see him 🙄). He has rock, plants & even his own
> teddy so plenty to break up the space & provide climbing obstacles
> which he loves. Hubby is also looking at maybe adding a small overhanging
> lip to the front edge which may deflect the dust as well. S

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