Substrate Problems

[Frostbyte]

I bought this shredded bark/soil at a Jacks Pet Store. I forget the actual name. But I use this stuff for my Curly Hair , My Green Bottle , Red Knee and a small Tri-Color Scorp. Ive noticed after a week I get small white things floating in the water dishes . ' I do try to change water 2x a week and even sooner if I see the white things. This stuff if supposed to be sterile ( the soil / bark ) . Is this normal ? Could it be parasites ? I would think ANY soil mulch , bark , whatever from a plant store would contain mites .

 

[luther]

Some tarantulas just LOVE to poop in their water dish. My B.vagans always does it there, pretty much daily. Tarantula poop in the water dish looks like the white bits you describe. Sounds to me like you got yourself an aquatic pooper

 

[Code Monkey]

Without seeing it, it could be T crap, but it could also be some kind of mites. That's why I prefer some sort of peat mix as it discourages mites. If you're keeping the tank dry, any mites are going to wind up in the water dish. Unless the number are really out of control (e.g. you have a light coating of them on the sides of the cage) or you are finding them on the tarantulas I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[SpiderTwin]

If they are mites and they are in the water dish, you should be able to see them move. Take a close look, they will look to be swimming.

The ones I've seen are scavenger mites and don't really pose a threat to the T. Dry the subsrate out and keep the water dish fresh and they should go away.

If you think the new substrate is where the mites came from, you can put it in the microwave to kill anything in it before you use any more of it.