Mites? Help!

ZombieGal

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
38
I opened my T's enclosure and saw a little white thing move then dissapear into the dirt, i started at the substrate some more and didn't see anymore appear, but i still changed the substrate and cleaned the enclosure just in case. This was about a week ago. Today, i see another one just for a split seecond....
This is happening in all my T's enclosures. What should i do? Is it harmful to my T's?
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
280
Take everything out, sterilize the crap out of the cage decorations. Disinfect the cage itself, get a new bag of substrate. Yes, mites are harmful to T's
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
280
Try keeping an eye on uneaten prey left over that the T never ate, that is one of the causes of parasite invasion.
 

ZombieGal

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
38
Okay, i'll go buy a new bag of substrate tomorrow.
Also, i have a little t. cupreus that seems to be a master at escaping and hiding.
How should i go about getting him out of the enclosure?? He's either all wrapped up in his web, or hiding in his burrow.
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
280
hmm. that's always a challenge. When I had to transfer my P. murinus I had to cut the web open, force her out into the open, picked her up with a spoon while holding the cage under so she wouldn't hit the floor. then placed her in the new tank. But you could always just do the same thing except just put him in a plastic container with a lid.
 

ZombieGal

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
38
Hah, i'll see what i can do.
I can't make it to go to the pet store until the day after tomorrow, i work all tomorow and won't have time to go.
I just looked in my bag of substrate and sifted through it, i didn't find any sort of bug or mites.
Should i just clean out the enclosure and put this in it, until i'm able to get a new bag?
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
280
If there's a walmart near you, go to the garden center and pick up a bag of peat moss, It'll be a little humid but always dries out in a couple days.. That's what I use and haven't had any issues.
 

ZombieGal

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
38
I'm thinking about just moving my b.boehmei into a larger container, instead of just putting him back in his old one.
He is about 1" big, and the container is about 6in by 2in.
Is this too big?
 

ZombieGal

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
38
Okay, i'm just hoping it isn't too big, but atleast he'll have more space to burrow.
What i currently have is a "jungle mix" (fir and sphagnum peat moss)
When i first bought my b. boehmei, the guy reccomended to buy it.

I'm thinking the mites came from the crickets, because they are pre killed. Is it safer to just order pinheads online? I normally buy small crickets from the store and cut it up.
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
280
pre-killed? hmm.. It's always best to stick with live prey lol. as far as ordering them online.. keeping a cricket colony can be a pain. I've tried it a few times and when one dies, they all die. The smell isn't the greatest either.
 

ZombieGal

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
38
Well, the smallest crickets i can get are about the same size, maybe a TINY bit smaller than my g.pulchripes and t.cupreus, so i don't know if they'd be able to eat them if it wasn't pre-killed.
 

ZombieGal

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
38
The ones that are like 1/8 big or 2/8 big? What size is best for a T about 3/4 of an inch?
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
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Feb 12, 2008
Messages
280
One thing I've always gone by is "just as long as the prey is no larger than the T's body size"
 

ZombieGal

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 8, 2010
Messages
38
Oh, okay. I'll just have to get some pinheads.
So you don't think the 6 x 2.5ish container is too big for a 1" sling?
 

whitewolf

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
615
There are a ton of threads on this subject and just as many species of mites. The general advice is white mites aren't that big an issue, well these anyway. Red mites are. But don't panic over color too much. Your looking for them to be attached and red as a general rule of thumb. The white mites are basically a clean up crew feeding on rotting and dead material common in all households and soil. Red mites are generally your predatory mites you'll find on inverts. There are also what appear to look like mites you'll find in water bowls this jump but don't panic those are spring tails and safe. This is one of the first things I learned here. I see them in a few of my tanks off and on and don't panic anymore. If I suspect someone is a potential pest go look them up and if I have to throw them under a scope and attempt to find out what the possibilities are. If they were on the animals it would mean war but I have never had one contaminated with harmful mites yet... well aside from one rat that contaminated the entire rat rack. However, that was a specific to rodent and mammal mite, wouldn't hurt the inverts or reptiles. Just broke the rat rack down and scrubbed/ treated everything.

If the white mites become annoying you can simply clean the enclosures out, throw out the bad, and replace with fresh. If you want to go into panic mode then clean everything with 10% bleach, dry and air it out, quarantine everything, and bake your substrate. Yes they will be in peat and everything else that is decomposing material. Just pick out uneaten pray and allow them to dry between misting to keep their numbers down.

Hope this helps. There is no one specific thread I can refer you to just pick threw and pick it up as you go little by little. Each has good info in them.

One of many good ones: http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=191609&highlight=mites and about a 1000 others http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/search.php?searchid=2680672

Mite info: http://www.arc.agric.za/home.asp?pid=1714

Predatory mite pictures: http://ispot.org.uk/node/17778 & http://sites.google.com/site/opilionesuk/
 

Bill S

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 2, 2006
Messages
1,418
Red mites are generally your predatory mites you'll find on inverts.
I suspect it was just a typo - but parasitic mites are the ones you want to avoid having on your tarantulas. Predatory mites are beneficial and some people use predatory mites as a means of controlling parasitic mites. Predatory mites prey on things there own size or smaller - which generally excludes tarantulas.
 
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