Do I have good mites or bad mites help please

robc

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A few minutes ago I was looking in my haitian browns den and noticed some small (size of a pin head) white bugs probaly mites crawling around...are these good mites (predatory mites) or bad mites suggestions/help please thank-you.
 

Rain_Flower

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I heard that if you can see them and they're moving, that they aren't the bad ones. I could be wrong though.... I'm sure someone here will know for sure.
 

fartkowski

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One thing to look for is if they are on the T itself.
Especially look around the eyes and joints.
I will get these the odd time and have never seen any on my T's.
Also as long as there is not a huge infestation you should be ok with just drying out the tank.
 

seanrc

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how moist is your substrate? do you thorw multiple crickets in at a time? one time i thought i had might but upon closer inspection they were BABY CRICKETS! there white right? i looked it up and crickets lay there eggs in moist/humid loctions for example i was using PEAT MOSS... so there not the bad kind if this is what it is.. i hope this helps!!
 

robc

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how moist is your substrate? do you thorw multiple crickets in at a time? one time i thought i had might but upon closer inspection they were BABY CRICKETS! there white right? i looked it up and crickets lay there eggs in moist/humid loctions for example i was using PEAT MOSS... so there not the bad kind if this is what it is.. i hope this helps!!
Yeah they are white, they are only in the den where it is moist...other than that I dont see themm. I do put multiple crickets in there but they dont last more than a minute...the haitian eats them very fast
 

Cocoa-Jin

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you'll know for sure if they are crickets if they seem especially attracted to the water dish. Every morning you'll find a few drowned white specks in the water...crickets are like the Lemminings of the invertabrate world.
 

arachnophoria

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Sounds like grain mites.These little,white specks abound in roach bins and fruitfly cultures alike.They are harmless to Ts and sometimes that reduce the production of fruitfly cultures,but otherwise are a seldom seen,unavoidable,but safe resident of most enclosures.I see them in swarms,when I wet the roach substrate...drying only kills them temporarily btw.They either lay eggs that survive the drying and then hatch,when mosture is around or estevate.I had them in my C.gracilis enclosure also...no problems there.:)
 

ian robbins

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What is a negligible amount of mites?

How many have actually seen a T dead from Mites? What is a negligible amount/type of of mites?
It makes sense to me if they aren't on the T they probably aren't parasitic if kept under control.
Just keep it dry except a water dish, and make sure to take out the water dish and give it a good wash and dry once and while, that is what works for me and I keep about 20.
 

funnylori

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I have seen a T that died from mites, I've seen a few of them. The mites are different than the ones that move around. I want to disagree with arachnophoria, and say that grain mites are bad for tarantulas.

The good mites are running around - a lot. They are small, barely visible, typically white/yellowish. They are generally known as predatory mites.

Bad mites are slow moving, bigger, white, and cluster around the mouth, joints, and eyes. Sometimes this is a feeding response to a tarantula that has already been sick, so it may be too late.

Other bad mites are tiny, you can't see them until it is too late, you won't see them unless you have a high power camera and catch them in a photo, or once they've multiplied and come out in a gooey mass from your tarantula's mouth.
 

robc

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I have seen a T that died from mites, I've seen a few of them. The mites are different than the ones that move around. I want to disagree with arachnophoria, and say that grain mites are bad for tarantulas.

The good mites are running around - a lot. They are small, barely visible, typically white/yellowish. They are generally known as predatory mites.

Bad mites are slow moving, bigger, white, and cluster around the mouth, joints, and eyes. Sometimes this is a feeding response to a tarantula that has already been sick, so it may be too late.

Other bad mites are tiny, you can't see them until it is too late, you won't see them unless you have a high power camera and catch them in a photo, or once they've multiplied and come out in a gooey mass from your tarantula's mouth.
The mites I am seeing I can see with a regular flash light and are white and are moving around a lot....they are only in one section, I have a cave dug out for my hatian and it is more moist in this area...I did see a cricket messing around in there. I clean all scraps out of my tank daily...my hatian is doing good eating every chance..moving around and is very active. Is my hatian brown in danger?....should I remove some of the substrate in this area?.
 

funnylori

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You can take out some of the soil, but it isn't necessary. It sounds like the mites are just a clean up crew getting the parts you missed and the tarantula left. Your tarantula shouldn't be in any danger. Because this area is pretty moist, it is keeping the mites alive. Let it dry out a bit more and they'll be knocked down a bit.
 

robc

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You can take out some of the soil, but it isn't necessary. It sounds like the mites are just a clean up crew getting the parts you missed and the tarantula left. Your tarantula shouldn't be in any danger. Because this area is pretty moist, it is keeping the mites alive. Let it dry out a bit more and they'll be knocked down a bit.
I hope so..I would be very upset if something happened to my hatian..this has me very worried...but your answer is just what I wanted to hear..I can tell you this, there are no mites on her anywhere. I have heard that roly polies help with mites..I through in about 15 of them and they are in her den now, but the hatian keeps attacking them. I dont know if she is eating them but she is attacking them.
 
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