# GAL mites and worms



## ShyDragoness (Jun 18, 2017)

was absolutely heartbroken today to find mites and worms in my giant african land snails enclosure.. Pickle seems to have been hit the most.. have washed them and put them in a seperate tub, I'm worried that they came from the black beauties I received as a gift as I noticed what appeared to be a mite on one the day I got them but wasnt sure- and that 2 have died since, they were also stacked together, have washed out the snails tub thouroughly but my heart is breaking, I love my snails so much.. have bought new substrate and hide, will update when I have more.
any idea what I should do with the black beauties as now I only have hatchlings left?


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## Czech prime (Jun 19, 2017)

ShyDragoness said:


> was absolutely heartbroken today to find mites and worms in my giant african land snails enclosure.. Pickle seems to have been hit the most.. have washed them and put them in a seperate tub, I'm worried that they came from the black beauties I received as a gift as I noticed what appeared to be a mite on one the day I got them but wasnt sure- and that 2 have died since, they were also stacked together, have washed out the snails tub thouroughly but my heart is breaking, I love my snails so much.. have bought new substrate and hide, will update when I have more.
> any idea what I should do with the black beauties as now I only have hatchlings left?


Sorry to hear that :/ Are snails that affected by mites?
Are black beauties Peruphasma schultei or a snail sp.?


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## ShyDragoness (Jun 19, 2017)

Tuffz said:


> Sorry to hear that :/ Are snails that affected by mites?
> Are black beauties Peruphasma schultei or a snail sp.?


Peruvian Black Beauty Stick insects, the snails were less affected by the mites but the "larva" if thats what they were? they had little worms all over them and Pickle wasnt even coming out of its shell to eat the poor thing  put them in the new clean enclosure today with their food on a plastic lid, but if needed I will get woodlice/pill bugs to get rid of the mites once and for all, Have read mites can stress them to starvation/death


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## Salmonsaladsandwich (Jun 19, 2017)

"Larvae?" Are they slender and do they wriggle back and forth like eels, or are they stout and do they move with an "inching" motion?


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## ShyDragoness (Jun 19, 2017)

Salmonsaladsandwich said:


> "Larvae?" Are they slender and do they wriggle back and forth like eels, or are they stout and do they move with an "inching" motion?


They straight up looked like tiny white worms, havent seen any today so far.


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## ShyDragoness (Jun 19, 2017)

I beleive, but am not sure, they are something similar to this https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/tiny-worms-in-snail-enclosure.113783/


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## The Snark (Jun 19, 2017)

Possibly nematodes, though they are usually too small to get a good look at without magnification.


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## ShyDragoness (Jun 19, 2017)

Im also starting to think that the recent heat plus the food may have lured flies to lay there- have place mesh over vents now- Snails aside the Black Beauties mites seem to have cleared up but we shall see


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## Salmonsaladsandwich (Jun 20, 2017)

Your description doesn't quite sound like fly larvae, but if they are maggots of some sort I would try briefly dunking the snails in water to see if that drowns the worms.


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## ShyDragoness (Jun 20, 2017)

Salmonsaladsandwich said:


> Your description doesn't quite sound like fly larvae, but if they are maggots of some sort I would try briefly dunking the snails in water to see if that drowns the worms.


I did that initially and they seemed to come off, have given the snails several baths since


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