Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi - I posted this to the cham forum (keep a veiled) AND the health forum with no replies but weekends can be slow so I figured I would check with this forum, too - thanks

post:

so much for my successful superworm rearing! I noticed zillions of mites all over my super tank. inside, outside, on stuff nearby - I am freaking out. I am washing everything, stuck the supers in the fridge - no, I don't care if they die - but am worried about them getting into Luna's cage. they are no where near her but I have been feeding her supers and wondered if any of them remain in her cage can they be a problem for her??? I have no idea how long they have been here b/c they look like dust. UGH - what a ------- mess. It has been very humid here this past week and I am guessing this had something to do with it. Oh, also they were all over the clawed frog tank, which I am cleaning, too. They seem to be attracted to water so will they eventually die off with out it? I am most concerned about them getting into my cham cage which is across the room, though I don;t know if they are the type that can hurt her.

They are whitish-gray in color., Any experience appreciated and any additional advice for cleaning, too.

thanks,
lele
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0.1 veiled - Luna
0.2 house geckos - Gaia & Tia (MIA
0.2 felines - Kyndra and Líta

These are most likely grain mites their population explosion is usually proportional to the humidity level increasing. To keep them in-check, you can clean everything, but it will probably not completely erradicate them. To keep their population down, de-humidify the room with adequate ventillation, fans & de-humidifiers. These type of mites will not usually harm herps or prey insects unless there are so many(grain mites) that the animals cannot breathe or eat their own food. There is more info on the net by searching for "grain mites".