AGB mites?

[Cazador]

I just noticed these small, fast moving mites on my A. gigas. Are these the mites they naturally carry, or should I be worried? Most are white but I saw some reddish ones as well.

The pede has been tightly curled all day, although she was walking around normally as recently as yesterday. I haven't checked her roommate because he's eating some cucumbers right now.

 

[Cazador]

Minor update: the pede isn't curled up anymore, seems to be acting normally.

 

[Greasylake]

Mites generally aren't an issue. The fact that the ones you have here are motile tells me they're detrivores and not parasitic. They are most likely going to thrive in any millipede enclosures you have as the substrates would be perfect for them. If they start to get out of hand you can rehouse the millipedes and toss the old substrate. Usually the standard order to get rid of mites is to dry out the enclosure but I don't think that's an option with millipedes, it's my understanding that they need a fair amount of moisture to survive.

 

[Cazador]

So, update: I've noticed a lot more of these mites on my pedes. They seem to be more around their head, and my pedes seem to be constantly grooming their front legs to get them off. This seems bad, is there any way to get rid of them? I've heard of people using springtails as tank janitors but I need to research those more, would they help at all? I see the same mites in the substrate as well.

Help! I'm really worried and I don't want my big guys to get hurt.

 

[SFA]

So, update: I've noticed a lot more of these mites on my pedes. They seem to be more around their head, and my pedes seem to be constantly grooming their front legs to get them off. This seems bad, is there any way to get rid of them? I've heard of people using springtails as tank janitors but I need to research those more, would they help at all? I see the same mites in the substrate as well.

Help! I'm really worried and I don't want my big guys to get hurt.

I’ve had more than I’m comfortable on some of mine lately. What I’ve done is take the millipede, hold it over the sink, and spray it with a pressurized misting bottle. You could also run them directly under the sink as long as the water isn’t too cold or hot. The millipedes do not seem to mind this in the slightest, and the mites just go down the drain.