How do mites get in a T enclosure anyway??? I am really careful, but a couple weeks ago i had some in with my Chilean Red. Taken care of and none with the others. Are they naturally in the substrate or what? I use a mixture of peat/gardening soil (more peat). I know that if kept overly damp there is more likelihood of this. Also if it is not as well ventilated? Bluh. Damn things. I like them even less than crickets.
Ugh,mites
- Thread starter Maggie
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They could have been in the potting soil, maybe your crickets introduced them, or they naturally migrated there and began to breed.
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I, too, have been having a bit of a problem in that area, so I did a little experiment.
I put some peat moss in an empty T enclosure & have been keeping it as if I had a T in it........you know........water dish & some misting.........& I had one where I only kept a water dish........Ohhhh....and also kept it away from the other enclosures because I did not want cross contamination.....so I placed these two in a different room.................guess what?...............after a week of this.........yup......had the little buggers in that also.
Now.......in these enclosures there had been NO spiders & NO crickets...........only the substrate, which was Schultz Peat Moss & I guess it must be inherent in the peat.........these where little white things which moved kinda fast.......so am not all that sure that they were mites. Most likely not.
At least I know, it's not because of incorrect husbandry, but rather because it is already a given in the substrate. As long as it is not out of control..........then it should not hurt the T.
I have been watching some of those little white buggers & they do not seem to go on the T.......just seem to run around on the sides of the enclosure & near the water dish.
I put some peat moss in an empty T enclosure & have been keeping it as if I had a T in it........you know........water dish & some misting.........& I had one where I only kept a water dish........Ohhhh....and also kept it away from the other enclosures because I did not want cross contamination.....so I placed these two in a different room.................guess what?...............after a week of this.........yup......had the little buggers in that also.
Now.......in these enclosures there had been NO spiders & NO crickets...........only the substrate, which was Schultz Peat Moss & I guess it must be inherent in the peat.........these where little white things which moved kinda fast.......so am not all that sure that they were mites. Most likely not.
At least I know, it's not because of incorrect husbandry, but rather because it is already a given in the substrate. As long as it is not out of control..........then it should not hurt the T.
I have been watching some of those little white buggers & they do not seem to go on the T.......just seem to run around on the sides of the enclosure & near the water dish.
Those are exactly what i was talking about! And so many. I have heard people say that mites are reddish but these definitely are not. Unless there is more than one kind that infests enclosures?
The idea of an experiment is a good one, with me this tank was maybe a little damper than the others.
As far as crickets being the cause, i rarely feed crickets, and never to this particular T. Mostly spikes and roaches. If they could bring something in i dont know.
However it was very interesting that Beth Tex's project involved just peat and water with the same results.
So. If they arent mites what ARE they??:?
The idea of an experiment is a good one, with me this tank was maybe a little damper than the others.
As far as crickets being the cause, i rarely feed crickets, and never to this particular T. Mostly spikes and roaches. If they could bring something in i dont know.
However it was very interesting that Beth Tex's project involved just peat and water with the same results.
So. If they arent mites what ARE they??:?
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I don't know their sceintific name but I've heard them referred to as "book lice". They are scavengers, not parasites which is better than mites but they multiply and spread very fast. Eventually, in numbers they will pose a threat to yout T's health.
Atrax
Atrax
In numbers i have no doubt that they would be a threat. I wonder if they thrive in dampness the same way mites do, or is it that doesnt make a difference?
Thanks to the people that helped clear this up for me, lol, goes to show that not everything is what it seems!:8o ...
Thanks to the people that helped clear this up for me, lol, goes to show that not everything is what it seems!:8o ...
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My H.lividum died from them... It is very sad.
It IS sad. Was it from the mites or the book lice? I might have misunderstood.
The only reason for the was, DAMN, just when i think i might know a little something, someone shows me different. Its okay, one more thing that i didnt have knowledge about yesterday!
As i said, this particular incident happened a couple weeks ago, i still dont know if they thrived more because of moisture though i tend to believe that had something to do with it.
The only reason for the
was, DAMN, just when i think i might know a little something, someone shows me different. Its okay, one more thing that i didnt have knowledge about yesterday!As i said, this particular incident happened a couple weeks ago, i still dont know if they thrived more because of moisture though i tend to believe that had something to do with it.
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Originally posted by Beth-Tex
I, too, have been having a bit of a problem in that area, so I did a little experiment.
I put some peat moss in an empty T enclosure & have been keeping it as if I had a T in it........you know........water dish & some misting.........& I had one where I only kept a water dish........Ohhhh....and also kept it away from the other enclosures because I did not want cross contamination.....so I placed these two in a different room.................guess what?...............after a week of this.........yup......had the little buggers in that also.
Now.......in these enclosures there had been NO spiders & NO crickets...........only the substrate, which was Schultz Peat Moss & I guess it must be inherent in the peat.........these where little white things which moved kinda fast.......so am not all that sure that they were mites. Most likely not.
try baking the substrate first then doing your experiment and see if you get the same outcome.
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What I have done so far is to change out the spiders & keep them a bit on the drier side with just a water dish. This seems to keep down the numbers of those little white pests. I check on them every night with the lights turned off & use a flashlight. Seems to show up the pests better that way.
I don't like the idea either of an out & out infestation & am keeping it under control.
I am lucky in that most of my spiders are dry tolerant except for the Avics......but they don't actually need much substrate & I have not noticed the problem in their enclosures.
As far as baking the substrate.....well......the odor is not very pleasant ,(from what I've been told from reliable sources) therefore that is not an option as my roommate would not appreciate this at all. We have discussed that option & it has been vetoed.
I'm also experimenting with buying different kinds of potting soil to see which will do the best. This costs a bit but at the same time, if I can't use it for the spiders, then I can just toss the stuff out into the garden.=D
I will say that before moving to Texas, I did not have this problem in Calif. Possibly the weather & humidity affects pest problems & the pests flourish better here.
I don't like the idea either of an out & out infestation & am keeping it under control.
I am lucky in that most of my spiders are dry tolerant except for the Avics......but they don't actually need much substrate & I have not noticed the problem in their enclosures.
As far as baking the substrate.....well......the odor is not very pleasant ,(from what I've been told from reliable sources) therefore that is not an option as my roommate would not appreciate this at all.
We have discussed that option & it has been vetoed.I'm also experimenting with buying different kinds of potting soil to see which will do the best. This costs a bit but at the same time, if I can't use it for the spiders, then I can just toss the stuff out into the garden.=D
I will say that before moving to Texas, I did not have this problem in Calif. Possibly the weather & humidity affects pest problems & the pests flourish better here.
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