So recently I have begun to notice some tiny white mites crawling around in my anole tank. I haven't noticed them in any of my other reptile tanks. They don't bother the lizards, just crawl around in the substrate. This substrate was topsoil taken from our yard, mixed in with wood chips. I had live plants potted in the tank, but they have since died. The tank is humid, so is this a reason why I only see them in the anole tank, as opposed to my ball python's tank, which is drier? Would it be safe to assume these are just soil mites that help with decomposition? If you want a better idea of what they look like here's a link to a youtube video which depicts the same creatures: ]YouTube - 11 This is new for me, I haven't had these in any of my reptile enclosures before.
Ugh I hate mites! and they are so hard to get rid of... I personally would empty the tank and spray it down with cleaning solution and put your anole in a bare minimum tank for a week or so to make sure he isn't carrying any. Then start your tank over with new soil mixture that you baked in the oven before putting it in the tank. I would take a look at this link for advice on how to get rid of them.
See that's the thing, I'm pretty sure they are not parasitic. When I do see then they seem to be around droppings or food I may have missed. Only in the humid tanks as well, not dryer ones like my python's.
Ok so update, I went to a local pet store and talked to a friend there. He said they had the exact same problem in some of their tanks, and not surprisingly all in tanks that have to be humid. He says that the white mites are actually decomposers, and shouldn't bother my lizards much. BUT, he also said that if they get out of hand, treat them the same as you would a parasitic mite (disinfect, etc, as was mentioned on an earlier post). He said they've had the problem several times, it just depends on what soil you are using. I guess this is a good excuse to get a bigger tank for a bigger reptile collection eh?
Heh, yup! That's a very good excuse I remember having the ground mites in one of my cresteds tanks but I feel like once they were prevelant enough so you could see them... then it was a problem. I really only noticed because my crestie wasn't going down to the cage floor to eat anymore - as soon as I put his food on a ledge instead he would eat. So it was a problem for my crested so I changed it out, I guess if they aren't bothering your anole and there aren't any on him then they could be ok...
I washed everything in a hydrogen peroxide/water solution and then baked it in the oven, then put it in the new tank.
