Ecco Earth smells

[vancwa]

I have one enclosure in which the Ecco Earth smells funny. Dank? It has never been wet as the home is occupied by a MM H. pulchripes. The remaining sub has been used for other containers and does not smell. I only fill the water dish to the top with minimal overflow. The dish is not webbed.

 

[SamanthaMarikian]

Are you sure its the eco earth that smells bad? Like a funky moldy smell or like a dead rotting feeder or something?

 

[Feral]

If something suddenly starts to smell bad in an enclosure, then some organism is doing something to produce that smell. Could be bacteria breaking down organics, or fungus growing, or something else.

We know an enclosure should just smell like good dirt. But when you say "dank", like a musty smell, it makes me think that it is some form of fungus, which includes mold and mildew among other fungi. So keeping it dry in there, including substrate and wood and any organics, is a good thing, like you said. And it's good you're looking out for moisture wicking from the water dish via any webbing, great. But sometimes just the humidity of the environment (your home) will be enough moisture for some fungi in some situations, especially once they get a foothold. So increasing the airflow by as much as possible is always a good idea. Being on top of spot-cleaning leftovers and boli is always a must, for everyone. But in this case, with a noticeable odor, that might not be enough... you may possibly want to add a (safe) competing organism or fungivore, but I think it'd be better to change the materials completely/deep clean. I know fungus isn't usually a problem, and you can just scoop it out as you see it, but if you've got enough of it (whatever it is) to actually produce a noticeable smell, then... that worries me. So whether you can see the offending beast or not, in my opinion it's bad enough to warrant intervention. It's not like you're seeing anything to just scoop out. For me, I'd chose a complete overhaul, clean, and replace materials.

Whatever you do, good luck!

 

[viper69]

Ok

 

[Nightstalker47]

How well ventilated is the enclosure? Its normal for coco fiber to have a distinct smell when re-hydrated, in dry form however there shouldn't be a strong smell.

Look around the enclosure and sift through the sub, maybe theres a rotting feeder buried in there somewhere. Either way, you should post some pics so we can better help you.

 

[Feral]

Also, I just thought, check the water bowl. If a fair amount of feces sits in there too long, it can smell bad as it breaks down. Not really a "musty" smell, it's a different smell than that, but still a bad smell and worth looking into.

 

[Colorado Ts]

I have one enclosure in which the Ecco Earth smells funny. Dank? It has never been wet as the home is occupied by a MM H. pulchripes. The remaining sub has been used for other containers and does not smell. I only fill the water dish to the top with minimal overflow. The dish is not webbed.

Is the smell a sulfur rotten egg type of smell, or is it a musty rotten trashcan type of smell?

 

[vancwa]

Dank wasn't the right word and not a rotting smell. Fresh bark chips have a smell as does compost. Vent holes are on both sides. He ate 2 crickets after molting.

 

[Nightstalker47]

Dank wasn't the right word and not a rotting smell. Fresh bark chips have a smell as does compost. Vent holes are on both sides. He ate 2 crickets after molting. View attachment 325789 View attachment 325790

Everything looks good to me.

 

[Colorado Ts]

Earthy compost smell indicates active microbial decomposition and is healthy.