You may not like the idea, but I always used Hotshot No Pest Strips to get rid of unwanted insects, etc. Just hang one over the tortoise's enclosure or cut a piece of it off and put it in a tightly sealed container with holes in it (to allow the vapor to get out), and put that container right in the enclosure with the tortoise. Use of these strips never harmed my tortoises in any way.
Couldn't find anything with the same ingredient, turns out that ingredient has been banned here in the EU since the 90s.
Sorry to hear that. I don't have any other ideas which will kill the bugs outright like the strips, but you might also try Goldsticks which are long tubes coated with adhesive/glue which traps flies and other bugs if they land on the stick. They come with a smelly "attractant" which is put in a little cup hung under the stick.
www.truevalue.com
Get some reptile spray that kills mites, spray directly on tortoise, do not spray in areas mites could be hiding. If your tortoise left food on the ground of your enclosure, clean it up, and make sure you clean the enclosure at least every week if you don’t have a clean up crew in there. Yes, they do bother your tortoise.
Id run anything by on here first before spraying the tortoise @The_Four_Toed_Edward just to be safe
Look at one under a microscope or magnifying glass and count the legs. 8 legs could be a mite, as they are a type of arachnid. 6 legs is an insect and most likely a harmless detrivore.
Next time I see one I will try to look at it under my siblings children's microscope. I thought that it would be mites since their legs seem to be coming from the front of the bug, like a tick or a mite. But they are so small I can't say for sure how many legs they have.
The picture is blurry, but I'm pretty sure I am counting 8 legs there.
It does look like a tick to me. Have you found any attached to yourself or your tortoise? If so, they would most likely be engorged with blood shortly after becoming attached.
Most ticks and mites are very host specific. It may be that a batch of them hatched outside and are looking for the appropriate host. Whether or not you or your tortoise can be an appropriate host for this species of mite or tick, I do not know.
Haven't seen any attached to me or my tortoise, but I have had some previous years, plus I saw two adults in our garden earlier this year. I also know that the neighbors dog has had some.
Saw one attached on myself today.
Those ticks might not be "programmed" to attach themselves to a tortoise. They may only be interested in warm-blooded hosts. If any do attach to the tortoise, you can just pick them off, the same as what you would do for yourself.
