mites??????

tequila · 08-21-05, 02:20 PM

this morning when i was cleaning my cresties tank i saw some little bug crawling around in the dirt. they are very small, brownish, and sort of hope but they are not fleas. i think they might be mites. has anyone ever had this problem before. i wasn't quite sure what to do so i took my crestie out and checked him over to make sure there were no bugs on him and he was perfectly fine. so i took the plants out and soaked them with water and i soaked the peatmoss in the bottom of the tank hoping to drown them. if anyone has any adivise it would be great. thanks

little_dragon_ · 08-21-05, 06:32 PM

I once had an infestation of soil mites by not changing the poting soil from a plant I bought at walmart. I removed all the dirt and rinsed the plant off and the problem was solved.

I had similar mites you are describing from a peice of corkbark I purchased at a pet store. For now on I pour boling water over any drift wood I by and let it soak.

Goodluck!

Cloudkicker · 08-21-05, 07:43 PM

Hi, they're called wood mites/lice, they have long bodies, are very small and are a greyish colour. They usually colonize in peices of wood especially cork bark are no harm to the crested. They feed on debris(dead plants, dead crickets, fecal matter etc.). I first got them 2 or 3 years ago and thought they were mites aswell, but I did a little reading up on them and they're harmless. I still recommend cleaning the tank thouroughly just incase they're something other than wood mites plus if they are given the opportunity to overpopulate they can stress out the crested. As little_dragon said, boiling water will take care of them. Hope this helps,
-Andrew-

DragnDrop · 08-21-05, 07:53 PM

Sowbugs and/or pillbugs as we call them are known as woodlice in the UK and a few other countries. I doubt that it's the bug in question since they don't hop. The can be a good food source though, their 'shell' is calcium based (they're isopods, distantly related to shrimp) and no chitin.
Hopping bugs in a brownish colour could be pinhead crickets (most likely explanation if you feed crickets). It might also be springtails, though they're more white or tan but I can see them looking 'brownish'. Neither is fatal to your cresties. You can remove the soil and clean everything out, make sure there's no organic matter rotting for the springtails to eat if it's them. Pinheads can be removed or left to grow and become food for the geckos in time.
If you could describe the bugs a bit better we could come up with a more accurate answer.

Cloudkicker · 08-21-05, 09:33 PM

I think there are several common names for these bugs and I'm pretty sure we're thinking of the same thing. I've heard them refered to as springtails before as well. I agree with Hilde, could give us a more specific description? Let us know,
-Andrew-

tequila · 08-21-05, 09:40 PM

there are no wooden items in the tank but the ones i made myself and they are sealed. when i first saw them they were crawling no i piece of poop. they definitly weren't pin heads i used to breed crix. they are hard to describe. they are very small. not anything that a crested would see as a food source. they are greyish/brownish and i only found them on a piece of poop and in one small section of the tank along the back wall. i did buy some plants from walmart and didn't change the soil.

Cloudkicker · 08-21-05, 10:19 PM

Yeah, those are the same things I had, not a big deal, do a full substrate change and clean the plant roots with warm water. That should solve your problem. Any more questions, just ask. Take care,
-Andrew-

little_dragon_ · 08-23-05, 03:29 PM

It's funny but I just noticed I have an outbreak of soil mites in one of my tanks. They seem to be eating all the waste. The enclosures due for a cleaning tomorrow anyways. But I'm pretty sure these little mites would help in a live set up.