M. balfouri mites

[babykaiju]

Hi! This is my first time ever dealing with an issue like this, so I'd appreciate any and all insight.

I took a photo of my M. balfouri today and noticed what I think/assume are mites - tiny white dots around the chelicerae. Upon further inspection, I didn't find any on any other parts like joints, and none of the rest of my collection are affected. This is the only tarantula of the 15 I currently have that came from a local reptile store and didn't get an immediate rehouse.

From a cursory Google/Reddit dive, it seems like the best course of action is to try to lure the mites away with another food source, change substrate/enclosure, and hope it molts soon. Is there anything I'm missing?

Thanks for your input!

 

[A guy]

Since it's an M.balfouri , it's naturally dry environments in its enclosure should already be enough to eradicate mites.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

Hi! This is my first time ever dealing with an issue like this, so I'd appreciate any and all insight.

I took a photo of my M. balfouri today and noticed what I think/assume are mites - tiny white dots around the chelicerae. Upon further inspection, I didn't find any on any other parts like joints, and none of the rest of my collection are affected. This is the only tarantula of the 15 I currently have that came from a local reptile store and didn't get an immediate rehouse.

From a cursory Google/Reddit dive, it seems like the best course of action is to try to lure the mites away with another food source, change substrate/enclosure, and hope it molts soon. Is there anything I'm missing?

Thanks for your input!

Let the enclosure completely dry out. I have a communal and it has a couple of water dishes that get topped up that's it, so really not much for mites to survive in.

 

[jennywallace]

I've only ever had to deal with mites once fortunately, but did it by changing the water bowl twice a day as the mites get attracted to the water bowl in a dry enclosure. As others have said, this is a dry substrate species so should work.

 

[viper69]

Those are not grain mites. Those are parasitic mites.

Good luck, any chemical that kills mites usually kills Ts.

 

[Brewser]

I revile parasites with contempt and truly abhor them especially when attacking / attaching in large numbers.
Hopefully You will gain the knowledge needed to eradicate them soon.
Good Luck & Best Wishes,
Vile Creatures.

 

[TheraMygale]

You will need to quarantine this tarantula in case those are the bad kind of mites.

you could always try to catch cup it in the smallest container you can. Using a coton swab with some alcohol, and dabbing it on some of the mites to see if they will dislodge them. There are some threads here and there on the board.

maybe find predatory mites. Sometimes
they have these in specialized garden stores and online.

if i find something really relevant, i will include it here.

Mite treatment

Mite treatment for tarantulas On 20.06.2020 we got a Tapinauchenius violeceus from a friend which had an extremely strong mite infestation (Pic 1). We were asked if there was a possibility to free the animal from its mites, mostly members of the genus Tyrophagus (Pic 12 - 14), because other

www.theraphosidresearchteam.com

the pictures are useful to compare with your mites.

how long have you had it? I would return that tarantula. If they are the bad mites.


if you put a piece of mushroom near tarantula, and mites come off and go to it, then its grain mites.

Mites on a sling, help please.

Based on what, exactly? They're latched onto the tarantula. Predatory mites latch onto tarantulas, the typical average grain mite or humidity driven mite will not attach themselves to a spider to that extent. At most, the normal grain mite or other mite will hitch a ride or crawl around on a...

arachnoboards.com

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Since it's an M.balfouri , it's naturally dry environments in its enclosure should already be enough to eradicate mites.

Not necessarily in this case. The base of the chelicerae is prime real estate for mites which would be combating dry environments because the location puts them in direct contact with food and water when the tarantula eats and/ or drinks. If the caging stays too dry for too long, the tarantula would naturally need to drink more frequently than if the soil used as a substrate is damp. Given the location shown in the picture, careful examination of the oral cavity behind the fangs needs to be performed if possible since that area too would provide the mites with some shelter from a dry environment.

The mites in the picture are scavengers that found the best possible location to live. All documented cases of parasitic mites in the arachnids (including the tarantulas and other spiders) show that they attach their mouthparts to the softer cuticle of the joints and are red in color. Kind of like a tiny red tick.

 

[Kada]

Was going to reply here, but I feel the topic is worthy of an ongoing in depth conversation in its own right, not a speciofc one off issue, so made a thread to start brainstorming. The first post though is aimed at your balfouri mites

Parasites, Pests & Diseases: Causes, discussions and possible solutions

I thought a discussion on parasite solutions might be warranted as the invert pet industry seems rather introverted and lots of things remain unknown nor tested...and often without meaningful financial scale. Loads of people that keep invertebrates as pets, breed them for work or otherwise are...

arachnoboards.com

 

[TheraMygale]

Not necessarily in this case. The base of the chelicerae is prime real estate for mites which would be combating dry environments because the location puts them in direct contact with food and water when the tarantula eats and/ or drinks. If the caging stays too dry for too long, the tarantula would naturally need to drink more frequently than if the soil used as a substrate is damp. Given the location shown in the picture, careful examination of the oral cavity behind the fangs needs to be performed if possible since that area too would provide the mites with some shelter from a dry environment.

The mites in the picture are scavengers that found the best possible location to live. All documented cases of parasitic mites in the arachnids (including the tarantulas and other spiders) show that they attach their mouthparts to the softer cuticle of the joints and are red in color. Kind of like a tiny red tick.

so the red is the only thing that would determine the fact it is parasitic?

like this:




every other mite, brown or white, would be a saprophytic?