Mites

[AmberDawnDays]

I noticed a couple weeks ago that my B. Hamorii aka "specimen 0" had two mites in its enclosure that I could see, so I knew there had to be more. I had just purchased the sling about a month prior from an expo, so it hadn't been in my care long when I noticed the mites. I keep it dry, other than a small tattoo ink well for a water dish that I overflow a little when filling it. Anyways, when I noticed the mites, I gave it a brand new enclosure with everything inside of it new.

Just last night when feeding my Ts, I noticed that all my Ts that are on the same shelf where specimen 0 was before isolation have mites now. Then I went and looked at specimen 0 and I would say that enclosure is currently infested with mites even though I already switched the entire enclosure out.

About 70% of my collection is on that shelf. The only ones not on that shelf are my A. Avic, B. Vagans, G. Pulchripes, P Cancerides slings, and N. Columbia small slings because they are the biggest or newest in my collection.

So how do I get rid of the mites? I think I must have brought them home from the expo. What do I do. Specimen 0 is crawling with them. It's only been a few weeks since I changed out the entire enclosure. I'm afraid of spreading it to more Ts. I'm afraid of killing Ts. I really don't even know how to handle this. Any help is much appreciated.

 

[sasker]

Mites are not as dangerous as you might think. They actually clean the tank and can only become a real problem if they overcrowd your tarantula. Although they may not harm your spider by biting it, I think they are probably a nuisance to your tarantula. I had an outbreak in my assassin bug enclosure and the poor things were scratching and vibrating their wings like a dog with flees. I don't like mites, no matter how beneficial they are.

One way to get rid of them is to let your tank dry out (if your spider can handle that, such as your B. hamorii). Mites need moisture and they all congregate on the surface of the water bowl (or drown, I did not check for life signs). Refreshing the water dish daily should take care of most of the problems.

You can also keep springtails in the tanks of spiders that require more moist. They compete with the mites and should keep an outbreak under control. I never experienced a recovery of an mite invested tank myself by introducing springtails as I have those in my tanks anyway as a precaution. But in theory it should work.

Also, remove all boluses and uneaten prey items. Mites love them and not keeping the enclosures clean is the main ingredient of a mite infestation.

I hope this helps. Success!

 

[AmberDawnDays]

@sasker Thank you so much for your help. I always remove previous boluses whenever I feed. Is this often enough? Should I be going in the next day to remove them?

I thought mites could kill Ts, so I worried. I have several very small slings. I don't need to worry for them? Where is the best place to get springtails? Should I change out all of their enclosures?

 

[sasker]

Predatory mites can kill, but they are rare. The mites that you commonly see are quite harmless. They can come from anywhere. It is my understanding that their eggs can be blown in by the wind.

Should I be going in the next day to remove them?

In case of a mite investation: yes. Take them out as soon as you see them. Do not let the mites get the chance to eat and reproduce. Usually removing boluses is an ongoing maintenance operation and you do not need to wait until the next feeding. If you feed weekly, it means the bolus can lie in the tank, rotting, molding, attracting mites for a week. IMO that's too long and probably the reason why the mites are so numerous. I also try to avoid doing any maintenance when I feed. If the spiders are hungry and attack your tongs (like my B. hamorii ) they sometimes ignore prey that is offered to them right after that.

I have no idea where one would buy springtails in the US. Local pet shops that have exotic pets, I guess. In Europe, you can also buy them online. It's worth to look for online shops that sell equipment for keeping poison dart frogs because tropical springtails are used to feed these small frogs.

 

[AmberDawnDays]

Usually removing boluses is an ongoing maintenance operation and you do not need to wait until the next feeding. If you feed weekly, it means the bolus can lie in the tank, rotting, molding, attracting mites for a week. IMO that's too long and probably the reason why the mites are so numerous.

I had been checking in on my Ts more frequently than I have lately. I've had some medical issues and then had an unscheduled surgical procedure this past week. Leading up to this was not fun, but I should be feeling better now and able to give all my Ts more attention again. Before this I was feeding my slings twice a week and checking them daily to record molting and I would remove boluses when I saw them because I checked daily. This outbreak probably happened because I've been so unable to function, but it's no excuse. I'm glad to know it won't kill my Ts and I'll work on getting things under control. Only specimen 0 is infested. The other Ts on that shelf just have a few mites here and there. I'll try to find some springtails too.

 

[sasker]

Don't beat yourself up because of the mites. They pop up in any collection from time to time. If they are all slings, I think you can do without the springtails. How badly is your B. hamorii infested with mites? Could you post a picture? If you think it is really bad, you can rehouse it again.

 

[MWAInverts]

The non predatory mites will only become a huge problem if the T enclousure is overly humid, stagnant basically, and there’s a lot of old organic material around. Removing those variables will destroy the mites indefinitely.

 

[AmberDawnDays]

How badly is your B. hamorii infested with mites? Could you post a picture? If you think it is really bad, you can rehouse it again.

I will post a pic a little later. I do think it may need another rehousing.

The non predatory mites will only become a huge problem if the T enclousure is overly humid, stagnant basically, and there’s a lot of old organic material around. Removing those variables will destroy the mites indefinitely.

Well I don't think any of these scenarios are going on, honestly. The only one I feel like is infested is the original one, my B. Hamorii sling, but maybe it isn't even infested by infestation standards whatever those may be. I will post pics later tonight, but I am not home right now.

 

[AmberDawnDays]

Here are some pictures of the B. Hamorii sling's enclosure.

 

[sasker]

Hmm...I don't see any mites, though. I guess the infestation is not so severe.

This is what a severe mite infestation looks like. I just plucked it from the Internet so it is not a picture of mine:

 

[Poec54]

I've had many tarantulas over the decades, including a large number of wild caught, and can count on one hand the number of times I've seen mites on a tarantula. They obviously aren't a major problem in the wild, and in captivity a decent set up with regular removal of boluses and dead prey will keep their numbers to a minimum. Most of my species are tropical and on moist substrate, there's no need to have drier cages than the spider needs, just to control mites (in spite of what the TKG advises: keeping tarantulas as dry as you possibly can to control mites. Just not true). If you have a mite problem, either the cage needs more cross ventilation, regular bolus removal, or both. Mites usually come in on the prey, especially crickets. Cricket breeders can't stop them, because whatever kills mites kills crickets. It's easily remedied & nothing to lose sleep over.

 

[boina]

Mites usually come in on the prey, especially crickets.

That's an old myth but only half true. While mites can come in with the crickets, ususally mite eggs just come in with the air. Eggs are microscopically small and are spread by air. Scavenging mites are everywhere, in the soil in your yard or in your flower pots, even if you don't see them. They can get on the tarantula by accident, but usually they are just on the substrate. They eat decaying matter - any decaying matter, not just boli - and are actually helpful for cleaning up. They do the same job as springtails but somehow got a very bad and very undeserved rep. In contrast to springtails they can get out of hand, in very rare circumstances, and become a nuisance, but that's impossible in a dryer enclosure, so I somehow doubt that OP and I have the same definition of infestation.

If you have a mite problem, either the cage needs more cross ventilation, regular bolus removal, or both.

A mite infestation has absolutely nothing to do with ventilation - on the contrary. Mites get in better with more ventilation.

And here is this again - a guide to mites written by a zoologist who actually works about mites.

 

[zxneon]

there are two types of mites - parasitic and scavenger .
Parasitic will be ON spider those are bad ones .
Scavengers are good - thy eat mold , food remains and poop .
I did have scavengers on my T.ockerti fresh exuvia . Just removed it and most mites was gone . Only few was left in wet spot eating poop .
If you want to decrease them just lure them with some food item and scoop out .

 

[AmberDawnDays]

You can't really see them in my picture because they are so small and my camera is crappy, but they are there. I said there was an infestation of the B. Hamorii enclosure because the mites were on the inside and outside of the enclosure and I thought they were quite numerous in numbers.

When I started this post, I didn't know there were scavenging and parasitic mites. I thought all mites were parasites to tarantulas, so I was worried for my Ts. I will take care to remove boluses in a more timely manor and to refresh water dishes daily.