Beetle Larva and Mites in enclosure...advice please

[PeteParker240]

Hey all,

I looked in my Chromatopelma Cyaneopubescens (About 1.5 inches now) enclosure and noticed white things in the water dish. When I took it out they were moving so I assume that they were mites. I dumped them and cleaned the dish. Care suggests that they (GBBs) can get by with some water on their web from time to time so I did not put the dish back. I did not see any on the substrate but I know if I saw them that there are still some there right?

But was the least of my concerns this weekend. I was feeding my T's yesterday and noticed about 2 inches down in the substrate a beetle larva!! I fed him little meal worms when he was small and crushed the heads as I was told they scavenge when they are still small. Apparently the worm was not dead and buried itself...luckily right next to the side of the enclosure so I was able to see it. I dug down (destroying my little guys webbing setup in the process, felt bad) and got the larva out with tongs.

Given these situations should I dump this substrate and give him a fresh start or will he be okay?

 

[Theneil]

Better safe than sorry in my opinion. If you aren't sure there are no more mealies then i would rehouse.

 

[PeteParker240]

Better safe than sorry in my opinion. If you aren't sure there are no more mealies then i would rehouse.

Yeah..I'm thinking that is best. I have only had my T's for 3 months. I feed them worms because I read crickets carry mite. One time there were no worms so I got small crickets. Then these little guys show up. I got a bigger enclosure than he needed because I didn't want to mess with the enclosure until he got over 2 inches...oh well...transfer practice it is, lol.

 

[Theneil]

Search the boards recent threads about mites. most of them will have a link somewhere explaining why mites are not really a concern. i have used crickets many times with many spiders as well as many other keepers here and this is the first i have heard of crickets specifically being 'carriers' however i have seen (sparingly) posts of specific colonies of crickets, mealworms , and roaches having mite 'outbreaks'.

Use youtube to find some different rehousing methods

 

[dangerforceidle]

Here's the link: http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/spiders-inverts/388524-guide-mites.html

TLDR: Mites are of little consequence, only becoming an annoyance during a massive population explosion. Otherwise they are harmless and will act as a clean-up crew while there is enough moisture present to sustain them.

 

[PidderPeets]

As already stated, mites are rarely ever a concern. They're almost always grain mites that just eat any waste left over in your tarantula's home. But I'm going to go a step further than the others and state that they're essentially unavoidable. Mites are literally everywhere, and eliminating the ones that are currently in there will just make room for others.

So it's just a simple matter of keeping their populations in check. Remove any excess food scraps you can from the enclosure so they have less to feed on. If you do see sudden booms in their populations, put a piece of food in the enclosure to attract them (preferably something that won't also attract the spider), and then just remove it when the mites swarm it. Repeat until the population is more reasonable.

There's a stigma associated with mites that they're always bad and need to be eliminated immediately or all hell will break loose, but that's simply not the case. They're often too small for your tarantula to even notice them, and they most definitely aren't going after your tarantula. I think of it this way: if your tarantula doesn't seem to care about the mites, why should you?

The mealworm on the other hand, can certainly be a threat to your tarantula, especially before, during, and after a molt. If it wasn't for the mealworm, I'd say leave the enclosure as is. But I'd be much more hesitant with a stray mealworm, as they actually do pose a threat to your T. But even the superworms I use don't seem capable of chewing through thick webbing, so I'm wondering if it might actually be safe. I think ultimately I'd still remove it to be safe though.

 

[LurkingUnderground]

Here's the link: http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/spiders-inverts/388524-guide-mites.html

TLDR: Mites are of little consequence, only becoming an annoyance during a massive population explosion. Otherwise they are harmless and will act as a clean-up crew while there is enough moisture present to sustain them.

Would it be beneficial to grab some Rolly pollies/woodlice/pillbugs for my slings?

 

[boina]

Would it be beneficial to grab some Rolly pollies/woodlice/pillbugs for my slings?

No. They'll eat the slings. Get springtails instead.

 

[FrDoc]

I had the unfortunate experience of losing a scorpling to a mini-meal worm that grew to almost super worm size unbeknownst to me. I crushed the head, but obviously not well enough and put it in with the specimen and when I went to check later, not seeing the worm, I assumed it was eaten. Approximately a month later I was checking the collection, didn’t see the scorpling and investigated the enclosure to find no scorpling, but a very large worm under its hide. The scorpling must have gone out fighting becaus the worm was more than close to death, unfortunately not before the damage was done. Henceforth, all the wee ones get parts of worms. Learn from others mistakes.

 

[PeteParker240]

Thanks all for the responses. I went ahead and rehoused my GBB (Should have recorded my 1.5 inch spider making me jump, lol...it is my first rehouse). But it was a good experience as I need to be more comfortable with this little guys readiness to bolt...he is a runner! Can't imagine trying that for the first time at 3+ inches.

As always you guys rock!!! Love this community.