need some guidance about millipede mites!!

[teeks]

on my florida ivory millipede, there are very tiny white/yellowish mites on her. itd be really hard to get a picture because of how small they are. i do not think theyre parasitic, as they move about her body. but i think it might be annoying her. does anyone know if these mites can spread? i don't want to have to purge them because i think theyre beneficial to her, but i have cats, tarantulas, and snakes. i also don't want these mites spreading on me lol! im very new to owning millipedes.

 

[teeks]

sorry for the dogwater quality i had to zoom in all the way but heres what they look like. theyre all about the tank, too. they scutter quite quickly.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

The only beneficial mites to millipedes that I know of are the ones on wild caught Archispirostreptus gigas the Giant African Millipede.

Sounds like grain mites by the color you mentioned and yes they spread fast and will infest your other animal enclosures if they have moisture, food remains and feces.

A mite infestation requires action. See if you can find a source. What do you feed your tarantulas? Do you keep superworms and if you do are they kept in oats or bran for substrate?

 

[teeks]

The only beneficial mites to millipedes that I know of are the ones on wild caught Archispirostreptus gigas the Giant African Millipede.

Sounds like grain mites by the color you mentioned and yes they spread fast and will infest your other animal enclosures if they have moisture, food remains and feces.

A mite infestation requires action. See if you can find a source. What do you feed your tarantulas? Do you keep superworms and if you do are they kept in oats or bran for substrate?

my tarantulas are in the enclosure next to them and have been. sorry i am freaking out! how do i cleanse my tarantulas and millipedes ive seen suggestions of corn starch but theyre just so little i dont even know if itd work

 

[Arachnophobphile]

my tarantulas are in the enclosure next to them and have been. sorry i am freaking out! how do i cleanse my tarantulas and millipedes ive seen suggestions of corn starch but theyre just so little i dont even know if itd work

Grain mites are easy to deal with once you find the source. The hardest part is finding the source when it goes from some mites to an infestation.

Majority of infestations of grain mites usually stem from a source such as feeders. Example would be superworms kept on bran or oatmeal and it's not regularly changed out at least once a week.

Once you have an infestation in your animal's enclosures you have to be proactive. You can rehouse all animals that have infested enclosures into new ones with dry substrate, no moisture with a full waterdish. Then they need to be put in a completely different area of the home.

This will be for everything you have minus the Millipede/s. Put the infected enclosures outside to be cleaned. Completely wipe down everything in the infested room.

With the new enclosures put a piece of fruit close to the waterdish. Eventually grain mites will leave your tarantula for example to be baited into the waterdish ideally and drown. The piece of fruit will also bait them which you need to throw out. Do not throw it in the trash in the home dispose of it outside.

This is a process that can take months so have patience. It's also based on if you find the source or not. You noticed them on your Millipede so it's possible these are not grain mites but some beneficial mites to it.

If that is the case then I do not know what threat they pose to your tarantulas. If they are grain mites you can relax as they do not kill tarantulas.

There is a plethora of info on Arachnoboards on mites. Use the search feature and start reading. Unfortunately not much is known about mites they are less studied than tarantulas. Mites are arachnids and considered the next evolutionary step up.

More is known in how to combat them in the exotic animal trade. So researching is essential.

 

[teeks]

Grain mites are easy to deal with once you find the source. The hardest part is finding the source when it goes from some mites to an infestation.

Majority of infestations of grain mites usually stem from a source such as feeders. Example would be superworms kept on bran or oatmeal and it's not regularly changed out at least once a week.

Once you have an infestation in your animal's enclosures you have to be proactive. You can rehouse all animals that have infested enclosures into new ones with dry substrate, no moisture with a full waterdish. Then they need to be put in a completely different area of the home.

This will be for everything you have minus the Millipede/s. Put the infected enclosures outside to be cleaned. Completely wipe down everything in the infested room.

With the new enclosures put a piece of fruit close to the waterdish. Eventually grain mites will leave your tarantula for example to be baited into the waterdish ideally and drown. The piece of fruit will also bait them which you need to throw out. Do not throw it in the trash in the home dispose of it outside.

This is a process that can take months so have patience. It's also based on if you find the source or not. You noticed them on your Millipede so it's possible these are not grain mites but some beneficial mites to it.

If that is the case then I do not know what threat they pose to your tarantulas. If they are grain mites you can relax as they do not kill tarantulas.

There is a plethora of info on Arachnoboards on mites. Use the search feature and start reading. Unfortunately not much is known about mites they are less studied than tarantulas. Mites are arachnids and considered the next evolutionary step up.

More is known in how to combat them in the exotic animal trade. So researching is essential.

okay, i do think theyre grain mites. currently im in the process of washing down everything, and giving them a new. theyre in a smaller, temporary enclosure. theyre both very stressed and i wish i could make things easier for them ...theres only two of them, do you think i should separate them incase anything happens or would that make it worse..?

 

[Arachnophobphile]

okay, i do think theyre grain mites. currently im in the process of washing down everything, and giving them a new. theyre in a smaller, temporary enclosure. theyre both very stressed and i wish i could make things easier for them ...theres only two of them, do you think i should separate them incase anything happens or would that make it worse..?

So you only have two tarantulas? Am I understanding that right? If so then it's alot easier to deal with.

The millipedes need to be kept separate from the tarantulas like in separate areas of the home.

Close up, non- blurry photos of your tarantulas and the mites will help a lot.

 

[teeks]

i don't know if i can get a good picture of my t's but i do have pictures of the mites. lied no i dont. but theyre very very tiny, little white mites and they move quite fast. and i only have 2 of them yes. i dont think the mites got to them thankfully, but i will still try to relocate.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

i don't know if i can get a good picture of my t's but i do have pictures of the mites. lied no i dont. but theyre very very tiny, little white mites and they move quite fast. and i only have 2 of them yes. i dont think the mites got to them thankfully, but i will still try to relocate.

Do you know if your millipedes are captive bred or wild caught? This could be a deciding factor

If they are captive bred then more than likely it's just grain mites. Grain mites = easy to deal with.

Parasitic mites are rare and usually are associated with wild caught animals like invertebrates. Dealing with those is on a whole other level.

Most likely due to the millipede's enclosure in how it is setup with more moisture and decaying matter it can become a mite hotel. If they are captive bred then my bet is on they are grain mites.

 

[teeks]

Do you know if your millipedes are captive bred or wild caught? This could be a deciding factor

If they are captive bred then more than likely it's just grain mites. Grain mites = easy to deal with.

Parasitic mites are rare and usually are associated with wild caught animals like invertebrates. Dealing with those is on a whole other level.

Most likely due to the millipede's enclosure in how it is setup with more moisture and decaying matter it can become a mite hotel. If they are captive bred then my bet is on they are grain mites.

captive bred! but how would i deal with the grain mites if they started to spread outside of the tank to other enclosures?? im worried theyre everywhere now

 

[Arachnophobphile]

captive bred! but how would i deal with the grain mites if they started to spread outside of the tank to other enclosures?? im worried theyre everywhere now

I laid out the steps to take. You will not solve it in a couple of days.

When I had a mite infestation years ago it was a constant battle. It went on for months until I found the source. Superworms which can be kept for months on end and I used oats for substrate. It never dawned on me to change out the oats and clean the container or just transfer with fresh sub to a new container, what a nightmare

You must understand mites are always present. Even with a tidy enclosure mites find their way in. A well kept enclosure you will find mites in the waterdish but not an infestation. Simply dump and rinse the waterdish and refill.

Signs of an infestation is when you see hundreds of them in the enclosure and they are hitching a ride on your tarantula.