The then enters mites

[Fledgling]

So I've discovered the first mites of my crabitat journey. They look like tan-ish color and are having a wonderful time crawling all over the slab of cork. What is the difference between food mites and mites that are dangerous for my crabs?

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[LadyJinglyJones]

Bad mites are parasitic and will live on your crab's bodies. Think gills, antenna & leg joints... You can't see gill mites because the gills themselves are housed in a little chamber, protected. A variety of other more visible mites exist, but rather than get into detail about them I'll link the crab mite page, which explains better than I can:

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=92530

Fun fact: mites are virtually the only parasites of land hermit crabs known to science. Not necessarily because Coenobitids don't have any internal parasites, but rather because parasitologists have this annoying habit of not studying out pets. (Sigh... as a parasite aficionado, this is very painful for me.)

Thus far almost all nematodes or wormy what-have-yous that have been found living on hermits are just what you call commensal - animals that just like to chill with a host, not parasitize them properly. Conversely, aquatic hermits are known to host some truly fabulous - like, unbelievable - parasites.

[Fledgling]

Thanks for linking the mites page. I knew I had read about them somewhere on here but I couldn't for the life of me find it. I'll have to put something fresh and yummy in the food dish, see if I can't lure any out for a better look. I've only seen them on the cork though, so I'm hoping they're ok.



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[wodesorel]

If they are food/grain/wood mites they should go crazy for banana. That's the only time I ever see mine in large groups!