Are these mites ?!

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PythonMelb

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Hi guys,

I've noticed a number of these little bugs in my two enclosures and I fear that they are mites.

See attached photos - is someone able to confirm what these are? And if possible give me some info on these and how to get rid of them.

Thanks in advance.

Dave


2016-04-08 23.57.26.jpg2016-04-08 23.51.52.jpg
 
It is definitely not a mite. It is some form of insect. It appears to have biting mouthparts and in conjunction with its the general body structure this would suggest belongs to the order Orthoptera – grasshoppers and crickets. It could be an early instar cricket. Do you use crickets as food for other reptiles in your possession?

It lacks the flatened body of cockroaches (Blattodea).
 
Look like either House Cricket or Field Cricket nymphs to me. Both can be found inside houses. Definitely not Brown Crickets that are used for reptile food. FYI "instar" refers to the the period of time that they take to go through moulting during their lifetime before reaching adulthood. Some may go through 3 or 4 while others might go through as many as 10.

I've never had the problem myself but I presume that the way to get rid of them would be to just clean out and wash the enclosures.

George.
 
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Thanks all for the quick responses.

Really pleased to hear that they're not mites, that's great. Nope, I certainly don't keep crickets or any other insects for that matter - not intentionally anyhow! ;)

Thoughts on how to get rid of them? They are in both enclosures. One enclosure is mounted on top of the other.

I am assuming that I will need to remove the substrate and replace with new but in each enclosure I have a log that I wish to keep. Should I get rid of the substrate, temporarily remove place the snakes in separate containers and bomb the whole room with the enclosures left open ?

Cheers
 
Was the log you mentioned THOROUGHLY cleaned before use?
Perfect host for eggs of all sorts of insect life.
 
Absolutely 110% not mites, grasshoppers or crickets. They are early instar cockroaches (and not woodies, it's another species).

Definitely a much happier thing to have than mites, they shouldn't cause any harm at all, but they may be difficult to get rid of. Give the enclosure a good clean, keep it clean, use newspaper as substrate and keep the furnishings simple and they should at least be out of the enclosure pretty quickly.

Good luck :)
 
I was hoping to be able to say they....mite...be mites. Ahem.

But no, they're flying cockroach juves.
 
I have to agree with John (@Sdaji). My objection based on a flattened body does not really hold. It seems some species of cockies are not so flattened as early instars/nymphs compared to the adults.

Given their respective breeding habits, it would make sense to have young cockroaches in the cages but not crickets. Upon reflection there were also a few other features that didn’t quite sit right for a cricket species.

Here is a picture of a nymph of the Smoky Brown Cockroach Periplaneta fuliginosa which matches the key features shown by your critters...
Periplaneta fuliginosa nymph.jpg
 
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I think you should focus on normal hygiene rather than worrying about a few insects. An infestation could be a sign of excess humidity. I recomend1) remove reptiles2) quick clean 3) insecticide spray (no need to go crazy) 4) thorough clean 5) reptiles back.
 
Hi guys,

Thanks heaps. First and foremost, great to know that these aren't of any major concern.

Come the weekend I'll take the snakes out temporarily, throw out the current substrate and give the enclosure and the logs a really good clean as suggested.

Bluetongue1 - that's the buggers!! Spot on. I must say I am a little bit grossed out by the whole cockroach thing, but again, just pleased it's no major cause for concern.

Jamie - You may recall my first post on here a little while ago querying whether I could place a Murray Darling in the same enclosure as a Jungle Carpet Python ... :rolleyes:

Anyway, I wholeheartedly took on board the feedback on here that it was NOT a good way to go. The update to that story is that I re-thought the whole thing, cancelled the reservation I had on that particular MD, purchased a new enclosure and then ended up buying a yearling MD from a local breeder. Which, I might add, I am extremely happy with. So the top enclosure is holding the MD and the bottom enclosure is holding my 3-4 year old Jungle.

I think the more recent acquisitions i.e. the log that I bought for the MD could well have contained the cockroaches. I noticed them in the top enclosure first and then later in the lower enclosure.

Cheers
 
While it is possible that you brought some cockies in with the log, it is also possible that that you already had them in the house, as the adults are typical of other pest cockroaches in that they do fly and do enter houses. Their presence is usually given away by what looks like small and thin twisted mouse droppings found in kitchen cupboards and/or pantries. If you do have them in the house generally, then either place cockroach baits around or use a Mortein Flea Bomb (better value and more effective than their ‘Control Bombs for crawling insects’) – available from Woollies.


To kill unwanted occupants of logs or leaf litter or other furnishings from nature, give them a wash down with hose and allow excess water to drip off. Then place in a large black plastic bin liner bag, seal it as airtight as possible and then let it sit in the sun for three days. The little bit of added moisture actually helps to take up and distribute the absorbed heat, which kills off any bugs etc. Dead easy, very effective and safe.
 
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