As you know, I set up a new outdoor enclosure last weekend. I dumped in a bunch of nightcrawlers, many of which did not burrow in the dirt & died on the surface (weird!). Several took up residence under the water dish. Yesterday I lifted the dish (as i do everyday to change the water) & found the nightcrawlers literally disintigrated! They were nothing but pale colored mush!

I immediately removed the turts from this enclosure & plan to dump it & replace the substrate, but I need some suggestions about what may have caused this. I used Topsoil from Home Depot. The label said it "may contain: local topsoil, peat, ash, compost, sand" & it had a slight manure-ey smell to it. What should I be using instead?

The turtles seem fine & are eating & active as usual. Whew!
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Robins Critters
1.0 Corn snake Jack Skellington
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.0 South American Boa Elvis
0.1 Western Hognose Addy the Adder
1.0 Tricolor Hognose Yoshi
1.3 Leopard Geckos Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.2 Crested Geckos Fox, Peek & Boo
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo
1.1 Eastern Box Turtles Squirtle II & Yurtle II
0.1 Pacman Frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
0.2 Tiger Salamanders Tiger & Sally
1.1.3 Firebelly Newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 Cats Gus & Mena

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