I got a new microscope and decided to take some shots of my Ephebopus cyanognathus sling, however I am now worried because I think I see some kind of mites on him. Can anyone tell me if I am right or wrong and what I should do about it? I just received this sling from Fear Not Tarantulas on the 20th
They do look like mites, but they likely aren't a concern. Probably just hitchhikers. You could put a small piece of fruit or veggie in the enclosure and they should drop off and go for that. Then just remove the fruit/veggie
As far as I'm aware, all tick species only feed on blood, not the hemolymph of other invertebrates. Certain parasitic mites would be the invert equivalent to ticks on mammals. However, parasitic mites are specialists, and the chances of getting tarantula-specific parasitic mites are rare, and would only be traced to a wild-caught tarantula that already had mites on it. Much more likely, you would find a harmless scavenger mite that is piggybacking on a larger invert until it can find a spot with more resources to drop off and make a home for itself.
I will personally guarantee they are just your average hitchhiker mites, they are on almost every WC invertebrate i have. If you really do want them gone, wait for a molt and they often get confused and take a while to relocate their host. However, they are probably handy to actually have around, cleaning up dead food remains and similar.
I actually rely on these alot for my Aussie T's as their setups arent ideal for springtails, but these more hardy mites seem to do a pretty neat job of keeping things clean
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