Tiny red bugs on flavo carapace???

CharlieM

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Any idea what these are or if they are harmful???
 

Itort

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They look to me like plant mites.
 

CharlieM

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From what I've read they eat fungus and decaying organic matter in the soil and are highly beneficial. I hope the are not eating the keratin.
 

Turtlepete

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From what I've read they eat fungus and decaying organic matter in the soil and are highly beneficial. I hope the are not eating the keratin.

This is purely theoretical, but my only guess is that they could be beneficial to the turtle itself. You mention eating fungus….The type of shell rot we see IS a form of fungus, right? So perhaps they will eat potentially harmful microbes on the shell. In the wild, tons of mosses and such grow on tortoises naturally. Perhaps there are bugs as well, maybe it serves a purpose. I don't think they pose any threat to the keratin. I could be wrong.
 

Itort

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This is purely theoretical, but my only guess is that they could be beneficial to the turtle itself. You mention eating fungus….The type of shell rot we see IS a form of fungus, right? So perhaps they will eat potentially harmful microbes on the shell. In the wild, tons of mosses and such grow on tortoises naturally. Perhaps there are bugs as well, maybe it serves a purpose. I don't think they pose any threat to the keratin. I could be wrong.
I think you have a good point there. Kind of like cowbirds and cattle.
 

HLogic

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Almost certainly mites. I've not seen them congregate on tortoises before but a little mild soapy water sprayed over them will almost certainly rid the tort of the 'infestation'. You can also use diluted flea/tick shampoo made for cats & dogs - 1 tbsp per gallon should do the trick. You can also spray that in the enclosure to eliminate recurrences. I've used this method to eliminate ticks to which certain species of torts were subject.
 

Moozillion

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Wow: I just googled "tortoise mites."
If they're mites, they're eating your turtle's blood, just like ticks do. They're just a different insect. Apparently a bad infestation can make your turtle anemic. :(
They need to GO!

I learned something new!!!
 

jaizei

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Wow: I just googled "tortoise mites."
If they're mites, they're eating your turtle's blood, just like ticks do. They're just a different insect.:(
I learned something new!!!

Not all mites feed on blood. The ones in the picture I posted are sometimes found in worm bins and feed on fungus, etc.
 

jaizei

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This is purely theoretical, but my only guess is that they could be beneficial to the turtle itself. You mention eating fungus….The type of shell rot we see IS a form of fungus, right? So perhaps they will eat potentially harmful microbes on the shell. In the wild, tons of mosses and such grow on tortoises naturally. Perhaps there are bugs as well, maybe it serves a purpose. I don't think they pose any threat to the keratin. I could be wrong.

This is an interesting idea.
 

Eric Zukowski

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Does not look good I would clean them off and replace all substrate in setup with clean store bought substrate maybe get some reptile mite spray. Are the bugs only on the shell?
 

teresaf

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I see little white balls in the soil under the tortoise( ok, go ahead and laugh ). According to some of the substrate threads I've read on here I don't think those are good for a tortoise if they eat it.
 

teresaf

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Also, I'm not a fan of leaving whatever those things are on the shell. Keep the tortoise clean and healthy and it won't need beneficial bugs. ewwww...
 

turtlemanfla88

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Hey guys I never had them on my animals outside in FLA ,but I get them in my African Nightcrawlers under my kids rabbits sometimes then i just spray the bedding down with water heavy and they go away.
 

Angel Carrion

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Their tick eggs,remove all of them as soon as possible then burn them in an open flame. DONT LET THOSE TICK EGGS HATCH!!! Tick babies = disaster for ur back yard and turtles, watch out! Ticks carry lime disease!
........they're not tick eggs. They're mites. Also, only deer ticks carry Lyme disease, not mites. I'm acutely aware of this, as I myself have Lyme disease.
 

Eric Phillips

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They are Clover Mites eggs. They are harmless, more of a nuisance. They feed off of grasses, clovers, and plants. Definitely remove the eggs off the shell unless you want more Clover Mites in the enclosure.
 

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