Vinegaroon disease??

stinkingbob

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 24, 2018
Messages
8
Hi guys,

I have noticed that on different body parts of my vinegaroon, there are very small circular "eggs". These "eggs" are on the leg, some on the abdomen, some on the base of the tail and at different parts of the legs. Anyone have any idea what these could be?
 

stinkingbob

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 24, 2018
Messages
8
if theyre moving and theyre white then theyre for sure mites.
My tank did have a lot of mites in the coco fiber and I changed it with hot water. This was about 2 weeks ago. Tonight, I noticed 2 mites in the soil and I killed them. The circles dont appear to be moving. They seem to be stuck and there seem to be more appearing on my vinegaroons body. Is there any spray I can use that will not kill my vinegaroon that will get those circlar things off>?
 

chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
2,229
If they seem stuck on your vinegaroon - and are concentrated around joints or at the junctures between body segments - then it sounds like your vinegaroon may have parasitic mites. Unlike the free-roaming grain mites that scavenge on food scraps or other waste, parasitic mites will attach themselves to your vinegaroon and suck fluids from it. Too many of them can kill your pet.

Can you get pictures of them? It would help if we could see what you're describing for ourselves.

If they are mites, any sprays or chemicals you might use to remove them will also harm your vinegaroon. Your best bet to remove them would probably be a fine-tipped pair of tweezers - and a LOT of patience. Another option would be to introduce predatory mites that will feed on the other mites.
 
Last edited:

basin79

ArachnoGod
Active Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2013
Messages
5,893
Here's my female. Do you just mean the white joints or something else?

 

stinkingbob

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 24, 2018
Messages
8
If they seem stuck on your vinegaroon - and are concentrated around joints or at the junctures between body segments - then it sounds like your vinegaroon may have parasitic mites. Unlike the free-roaming grain mites that scavenge on food scraps or other waste, parasitic mites will attach themselves to your vinegaroon and suck fluids from it. Too many of them can kill your pet.

Can you get pictures of them? It would help if we could see what you're describing for ourselves.

If they are mites, any sprays or chemicals you might use to remove them will also harm your vinegaroon. Your best bet to remove them would probably be a fine-tipped pair of tweezers - and a LOT of patience. Another option would be to introduce predatory mites that will feed on the other mites.
I saw the pics of your vinegaroon and it seems like yours has coco fiber on it instead of mites. Mine look like white circular dots and I believe they are predatory mites. I have safer soap. DO you think I could dip a paper towel in safer soap and brush over the parts of my spider that have the mites?
What predatory mites do you recommend and where can I buy them.
Lastly, if the mites spread too much, can they kill my vinegaroon?
I will try to take pics. My cell phone camera seems to have a problem focusing that close on him and it comes out blurred. I will try again.
Thanks guys for all your help.
 

chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
2,229
I saw the pics of your vinegaroon and it seems like yours has coco fiber on it instead of mites. Mine look like white circular dots and I believe they are predatory mites. I have safer soap. DO you think I could dip a paper towel in safer soap and brush over the parts of my spider that have the mites?
What predatory mites do you recommend and where can I buy them.
Lastly, if the mites spread too much, can they kill my vinegaroon?
I will try to take pics. My cell phone camera seems to have a problem focusing that close on him and it comes out blurred. I will try again.
Thanks guys for all your help.
I'd be reluctant to use any insect- and arachnid-killing product on my pets, even though the label says that it's "safe" for beneficial insects. It just seems like too much risk of accidentally killing your vinegaroon.

There are a lot of different predatory mites out there. They can be purchased online and at some garden centers, as biological pest control for spider mites, fungus gnats, thrips larvae, and other small pests. Just Google "predatory mites for sale."

One species I have heard of people using to control fungus gnats or mites in their invert and reptile cages is Hypoaspis miles (apparently now renamed as Stratiolaelaps scimitus.) You can find Hypoaspis mites for sale on Amazon - as well as a number of other sites.
 

stinkingbob

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 24, 2018
Messages
8
Hi guys, I tried to take pics, but my camera does not zoom up close like that and it is blurry. Yes, they are mites and they are sticking mainly on the white parts. I bought predatory mites as suggested. I also, scraped off as many of those damn mites as I could. I almost got them all. I will do it again this week.
Thanks for all your help.
 
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