Mites?

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Mao Senpai

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So I just picked up my leopard today the small one and I noticed he had some small little mites on it.... I think its from the mulch being too damp recently.... now just wondering what I should do about it.... should I go and change out the entire mulch with new stuff or are these tiny mites nothing to be concerned about. I could dry out the entire substrate and they would probably die off and dissapear but I wanted to know what others think. I'm pretty worried and not sure what to do at this point.
 

Yvonne G

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Is this really a debatable topic? I'll move it if you made a mistake.
 

Mao Senpai

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Oops. I had no idea where to put this. Please move it to the appropriate section =). Sorry!
 

tobibaby

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i dont think you need to worry about the mites.. you gonna get those little tiny bugs anyway since its moist and dirt so dont worry everything is cool as long as its not infested lol
 

Badgemash

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I don't know how they are for torts (and hopefully won't have to), but they can cause a lot of problems in snakes, in fact if they're not treated they can be fatal (in severe cases). Was it just one or two you saw, or are there more hiding around the skin folds?
 

Mao Senpai

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It just seemed like they were in the wet parts of the substrate. I only noticed them today since they decided to dig and sink in a little bit and it was only on the wet part of the tortoise so its not like it was all over them, just the underside where it touches the moist cypress. The tortoises seem to be happy and just fine and ignore them so... I've seen these mites before usually in really wet areas or window sills and such. :\
 

bllauben

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You can treat the substrate with a product called Knock out Gnats.

I would do a complete substrate change. Then cleanse the enclosure with a 1 to 10 bleach/water mixture. Let it dry out for 24 hours and use the Knock Out Gnats in the new substrate.

Here's some info on it:http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=129&bhcd2=1288407451

Here's where you can order it:
http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=3440&ss=knock out gnats

Use it in your plants too.

A breeder on a different forum recommended this product. I had the same issue as you do. Good luck with it!
 

pongpagong

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you can try kusuri wormer plus for tortoise tick and parasite killer..try this website petsparade.co.uk.. for more infos about the product..Im not 100% sure how effective it is but you can give it a try if you want..
 

Mao Senpai

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Now I thought back I think it was mazuri thing that attracted these bugs... I left some in there for a few hours since I had to go to work and they made a wonderful mess of it since they don't like to eat it and hmm...
 

TortieGal

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It sounds like your talking about snow fleas and they are harmless. When you lift up the water dish do you see a lot of them under it they look whitish? I wouldn't worry about them you can put a handful of pill bugs in your substrate and they will eat the snow flea eggs. I wouldn't use any pesticide.
 

Mao Senpai

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Gah, I am terrified of most bugs! :( I stirred up the substrate a little bit and... let it air'd out and they are all gone I think.... so things look ok~
 
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