ugh, mites.

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TortoiseNoHare

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i cant seem to get mites to stay out of my freaking enclosure! I find myself cleaning out the enclosure and spraying it down and the whole shabang way more than necessary. Does anyone have any tricks of the trade with this? My substrate is made up of a bottom layer of coco coir and a thin top layer of cypress mulch. Occasionally there is light moss up and over his hide to keep it nice and dark. The heat is regularly maintained and the substrate stays damp but never too wet. I've tried baking the substrate and everything, but a week later they are back :( I only ever see a couple tiny white ones. maybe one or two, but i immediately freak out.

Thank Guys!
Ally
 

Creedence

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Are they springtails? If you don't mind adding another bug (sounds counterproductive, I know) to get rid of them, pillbugs/rolly pollies do the trick for me. Little springtails bother me and freak me out, but I think pillpugs are cute and I never see them in my indoor enclosure.
 

TortoiseNoHare

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Creedence said:
Are they springtails? If you don't mind adding another bug (sounds counterproductive, I know) to get rid of them, pillbugs/rolly pollies do the trick for me. Little springtails bother me and freak me out, but I think pillpugs are cute and I never see them in my indoor enclosure.

They are almost impossible to see. They are tiny tiny tiny and white. Does this sound like them? I definitely wouldn't mind adding another bug if it helps get rid of these pesty things. I feel like they are bothering him! (even if maybe he doesnt notice)
 

MikeCow1

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Sounds like wood mites. Which won't bother the tort. I've been having problems with them coming in on the coir, I think. This time I'm trying freezing the bricks of coir for a few days and see how that goes. Going to try baking the wooden hide for a while too as I hear they can get inside the wood
 

EricIvins

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Why are you trying to get rid of them? They are an integral part of a bioactive substrate.......
 

MasterOogway

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Is your enclosure high in humidity? I had white mites over take my enclosure very fast.These mites love humidity. I think mine came from the organic soil. I looked at them under the micro scope to make sure they were springtails as that us what I chalked them up to be. They were not springtails :( They did begin to bite Master Oogway. He began scratching and would wake up like something bit him which led me to pull out the microscope. They were crawling on him. This happened fast . So if this sounds like the same story let me know & I can send you a link to the mite it could possibly be along with how I got rid of them in my bio active substrate.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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To help break the cycle of insects coming into your enclosure on your substrate, after freezing, let it warm to room temps for about 36-48 hrs. Then put back in the freezer for a couple/three days.
The first freeze acts like winter.
The warm up acts like spring thaw encouraging hatching of the larva.
The second freeze kills the soft bodied larva.
Hope this helps.
 

MasterOogway

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Cowboy_Ken said:
To help break the cycle of insects coming into your enclosure on your substrate, after freezing, let it warm to room temps for about 36-48 hrs. Then put back in the freezer for a couple/three days.
The first freeze acts like winter.
The warm up acts like spring thaw encouraging hatching of the larva.
The second freeze kills the soft bodied larva.
Hope this helps.

That is what I did wrong I only froze everything once. Thanks!
 

EricIvins

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MasterOogway said:
Is your enclosure high in humidity? I had white mites over take my enclosure very fast.These mites love humidity. I think mine came from the organic soil. I looked at them under the micro scope to make sure they were springtails as that us what I chalked them up to be. They were not springtails :( They did begin to bite Master Oogway. He began scratching and would wake up like something bit him which led me to pull out the microscope. They were crawling on him. This happened fast . So if this sounds like the same story let me know & I can send you a link to the mite it could possibly be along with how I got rid of them in my bio active substrate.


They don't "bite" Tortoises. They feed on detritus, which is why they are a necessary part of a bioactive substrate. Of course they are going to crawl on the animal(s). Every micro-organism will, but this doesn't harm the tortoise in any way, shape, or form.......
 

MasterOogway

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EricIvins said:
They don't "bite" Tortoises. They feed on detritus, which is why they are a necessary part of a bioactive substrate. Of course they are going to crawl on the animal(s). Every micro-organism will, but this doesn't harm the tortoise in any way, shape, or form.......

They overtook the tank which was the problem . Pill bugs are keeping them in normal numbers and they are no longer crawling all over my tort. I only added earthworms to my bio active subtrate and learned the hard way pill bugs are my friends as they keep the top clean while the earthworms work on the underground. The earthworms ate orotund the mites were the pill bugs are eating them. The mites are helpful it seems In the mold mildew department so I agree I don't want to be rid of them but there needs to be a balance that the pill bugs have helped with . I did have to kill a majority of the overpopulation with the mites and start over adding the pill bugs . Just my experience they may be a total different type of mite there are many in the world good & bad.
 

Yvonne G

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***Please excuse a slight foray into the "off topic" realm***

Masteroogway: I'd love it if you'd start a new thread in the "other pet" category and show us some pictures of your donkey, mule and pony.
 

african cake queen

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emysemys said:
***Please excuse a slight foray into the "off topic" realm***

Masteroogway: I'd love it if you'd start a new thread in the "other pet" category and show us some pictures of your donkey, mule and pony.

sorry, oh, me too!
 

theelectraco

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They sound like they could just be springtails, but they could be mites. Sometimes I get springtails in my cage. I bake the bedding to get rid of them if I think there are too many.
 

TortoiseNoHare

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I've been looking into getting some pill bugs and worms! If they are an important part of the enviroment, I dont mind having them around. I just didnt know what they were yet!
 

MasterOogway

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TortoiseNoHare said:
I've been looking into getting some pill bugs and worms! If they are an important part of the enviroment, I dont mind having them around. I just didnt know what they were yet!

Hoping they are just a few good mites. Everytime I think of them i get itchy :/ The pill bugs & worms are cool to watch. My night crawlers come up at night and there are pills bugs working away.I would of never thought of it myself. Its another great piece of info. I learned from the forum. :D
 

Youngguns

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Sorry to revive an old(ish) thread, but does anyone have any pictures of these mites? I happen to have a mite problem myself, very small, hard to see white bugs. I'm worried for Barley & Hops.
 

luvpetz27

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Yep, my enclosures get them. Mine are springtails and will not harm anything. If they get way out of hand I empty out the enclosures. They love moisture!! I have seen them in water bowls too. If you have the same, they wont bother your tortoises. I hope this helps! :)
 

Youngguns

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From looking at wikipedia and google images, I'm not sure if the mites are springtails. The bugs in my enclosure are extremely small, like a grain of salt or smaller.
 
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