How to get rid of mites?

[Lorgakor]

Where did you get your setup?

Hi Cameron, basically it is just aquarium tanks on my bookshelf. I bought the tanks at various pet stores, and the screen lids at a local pet store also. The small tupperwares are just Gladware from my local grocery store. The log hide in the T. blondi tank is also from a pet store, as are the plastic plants. The terra cotta pots are from a local gardening store, as is the peat moss and vermiculite. The coconut coir is again from the local pet store.
Hope that helps.

 

[Lorgakor]

Interesting ... The only places I've ever seen red mites have been on rotting timbers of old buildings & a couple times on a wood pile... I bet they were after the substrate.

That is possible, I never did see any of the mites on the spiders themselves, just crawling around on the outside of the tanks/vials, and around the water dish in the T. blondi tank. The first thing I thought when I saw them was that they looked like spider mites, the ones you find on house plants.

 

[Henry Kane]

Congrats on beating the little bastards! I personally have never used coconut substrate but I know many hobbyists swear by it so you should be a-ok as far as that goes.
Only things to consider at this point is what you already mentioned, remove whatever prey remains you can. Also, keep in mind that humidity is very overrated most of the time. There is really no need for a constantly damp substrate as long as fresh water is available in a dish all the time. Allowing the substrate to remain dry will greatly help prevent future infestations. If you insist on misting (which is ok too) just do so occasionally. Allow a cycle of moisture/evaporation as opposed to constant moisture content in the substrate.

Take care.

Gary

 

[Lorgakor]

Thanks BileDrunk! I actually keep all of my cages bone dry with a waterdish. That is one of the reasons I was surprised by the mites. The only containers that I mist are the little slings who are too small for a water dish. Only rarely do I even overflow the waterdishes, though they probably spill more than I think! The cages are more damp now than usual because it is new substrate.

 

[Henry Kane]

Thanks BileDrunk! I actually keep all of my cages bone dry with a waterdish. That is one of the reasons I was surprised by the mites. The only containers that I mist are the little slings who are too small for a water dish. Only rarely do I even overflow the waterdishes, though they probably spill more than I think! The cages are more damp now than usual because it is new substrate.

Yeah, that's the way to go in my opinion. It is surprising that you got the mites under those conditions but I bet mites don't exactly follow the enclosure infesting rules like scripture.

Take care.

Gary

 

[MysticKigh]

Heh, I'm dealing with my first-ever bout with Spider Mites, and I am hoping that they are easier to combat than reptile mites, as those seem to come back on me every 6-8 months.

Since they took black knight off the market the best thing I've found is "Reptile Relief" Won't swear that I follow the directions explicitly, but have wiped out mite cases that were resistant even to the crap the vet sells you. I've treated infested WCs, pet store stock (we've a friend that owns a pet store) and two of her personal snakes that were being treated by the vet to no avail. Her albino burmese were so infested that their eyes had become discolored. It took appx 1 week to turn them around completely
:jumping off the soap box and calling reptile relief to see if I can get a percentage for all the refers LOL: