Hey all! I've been raising T's for about half a year, after proving to myself I could keep the first one alive. Yesterday, I noticed a mite outbreak on my most recent purchase, an OBT and realized it was also in most of my other cages. I'm going to provide as much detail as I can below, but to summarize: should I increase moisture and add more springtails, so there's no food for the mites? or should I dry out the enclosures, let everything but the t die, and start over w/new springtails added?
I have 3 avic-types, and then a varied collection w/my other 6, so I'm having trouble figuring out how to solve this and get everyone thru it. All have springtails, and the only ones unaffected are the ones with the most.
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My primary concern with this, is that drying out all the enclosures may harm some of my species, like my slings, and rehousing everyone will be a huge chore, and traumatic to my first a. avic metallica that has been rehoused 3 times already
maybe I've messed up here, and went too crazy, getting too many spiders. I can def adjust to handle it, but I feel overwhelmed by this and like it's do or die for my lil friends.
I have springtails in all my cages, and noticed that the one with the most springtails, my p. cambridgei that was bought w/a completely saturated substrate and never added water to, was the only one I can tell is clean. Also, my incei gold, that I keep pretty dry, and my mustard baboon (same, pretty dry), appear to be clean, but i haven't inspected as closely. All 3 "clean" spiders have healthy, visible populations of springtails in there.
My 3 avic types, kept dry w/a water dish, seem to be the most effected. My first, the a. avic, has springtails & isopods, and doesn't appear bothered... but after noticing the mites, i remembered my versicolor and diversipes were walking around a ton, and grooming a ton, both also kicked off a patch of hairs but idk when that happened.
The mites seem to be mostly on the sides of the enclosures, not in the soil w/the springtails, so maybe eating avic poo on the sides? they're all kept pretty clean tho...
I looked rly closely and don't see any mites on the spiders themselves.
Last detail, the mites were brought in on my OBT i believe. it was bought from a reptile shop, and they're all over in it's container. Still tho, don't see any on it, and I looked rly hard on it. They've infected my c. lividum and nhandu chromatus sling cages as well. I also added more springtails to every enclosure yesterday...
Anyways, I'm trying to dry out the cages even further, I don't know if the mites will bother/harm my t's. Some could be baby springtails, but I looked w/a microscope and there are def mites on most. The mites look like white round things that almost appear hairy, and move slowly on the sides of the enclosure.
Thanks so much to anyone who can help! I just want to know if my t's are in danger, and how to fix it.
I have 3 avic-types, and then a varied collection w/my other 6, so I'm having trouble figuring out how to solve this and get everyone thru it. All have springtails, and the only ones unaffected are the ones with the most.
======================================
My primary concern with this, is that drying out all the enclosures may harm some of my species, like my slings, and rehousing everyone will be a huge chore, and traumatic to my first a. avic metallica that has been rehoused 3 times already
maybe I've messed up here, and went too crazy, getting too many spiders. I can def adjust to handle it, but I feel overwhelmed by this and like it's do or die for my lil friends.I have springtails in all my cages, and noticed that the one with the most springtails, my p. cambridgei that was bought w/a completely saturated substrate and never added water to, was the only one I can tell is clean. Also, my incei gold, that I keep pretty dry, and my mustard baboon (same, pretty dry), appear to be clean, but i haven't inspected as closely. All 3 "clean" spiders have healthy, visible populations of springtails in there.
My 3 avic types, kept dry w/a water dish, seem to be the most effected. My first, the a. avic, has springtails & isopods, and doesn't appear bothered... but after noticing the mites, i remembered my versicolor and diversipes were walking around a ton, and grooming a ton, both also kicked off a patch of hairs but idk when that happened.
The mites seem to be mostly on the sides of the enclosures, not in the soil w/the springtails, so maybe eating avic poo on the sides? they're all kept pretty clean tho...
I looked rly closely and don't see any mites on the spiders themselves.
Last detail, the mites were brought in on my OBT i believe. it was bought from a reptile shop, and they're all over in it's container. Still tho, don't see any on it, and I looked rly hard on it. They've infected my c. lividum and nhandu chromatus sling cages as well. I also added more springtails to every enclosure yesterday...
Anyways, I'm trying to dry out the cages even further, I don't know if the mites will bother/harm my t's. Some could be baby springtails, but I looked w/a microscope and there are def mites on most. The mites look like white round things that almost appear hairy, and move slowly on the sides of the enclosure.
Thanks so much to anyone who can help! I just want to know if my t's are in danger, and how to fix it.
