Adoptees dying & mites**

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 3:26 pm

So this month has been rather poopy for my hermit crabs, and its only half way thru the month *ugh Hopefully someone here has had the same, or similar things happen to them and can help me out or give me some ideas.

I adpoted 4 pps in Feb and 10 pps in April (my new 7 are doing fine and havent been introduced to the main tanks yet). As of a month ago, which was also my mite problem #2 I have lost 2/4, 6/10. I have also lost three pps that I have had for at least a year and a half.

Today, I noticed again that I have mites (for the 3rd time in 3 months--as they were brought in by the first 4 adoptees and just went bonkers and infested everything when it got warm here) BUT they arent as bad as mite problem #2...so thats good.

I have successfully cleaned out the main tank, and have split the 'inhabitants" into two different tanks...MINE and ADPOTEES so I can keep better track of whats happening. I have also lined the tanks with paper towels so I can monitor them easier as to the mite case. However, when I looked at each hermie, they had no mites. So im thinking I caught the tank in time. *rolls eyes*

The tank will be taken outside and bleached again, as well as sprayed with the garden hose, as I think they are living in the rim of the tank--so I need to clean that out somehow. And then it will be left outside in the sun for at least a week. Everything will either be boiled or thrown away. I hope this does it.

Does anyone have any ideas as to the adoptees.

Temp 75-80
HUmidity 80-85%
Substrate: Playsand, Calcisand (on 2nd level)
Fresh and salt water available (both bottled)
Diet: Fresh, human grade foods, organic, grains, meats, fruits, veggies. Nothing new has been offered.

Anyother opinions are welcome as well.

MacandHunter · Post by **MacandHunter** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 3:33 pm

Aww I'm sorry to hear that.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 3:34 pm

If I were you, I'd order Hypoaspis miles and have done with it.

I am mite free now because of them.

http://www.crabstreetjournal.com/module ... =0&thold=0

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 3:45 pm

Oh Julia, I hadnt even thought about getting "mite-eaters". I will have to get some for when I put the 29gallon back together. Im SO tired of mites. ick!! Im definitely gonna have to do that...how much do they cost?? and how fast did they ship?

*I cant get into the link you gave, it works, my computer is just extremely slow with it...Ill search around CSJ here in a sec*

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:11 pm

there is a spray u can buy @ pet stores called REPTILE RELIEF made by Natural Chemistry that is very effective. it kills the mites on contact. it is crab safe and tank safe.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:55 pm

i don't know about those reptile sprays, we had discussed them before and i thought they weren't safe. since insects have exoskeletons and hermits have exoskeletons... they're just too similar. i've heard great things about the predatory mites, although i thought they were like $60.

when one of my tanks had the mites, since it was concentrated on the crabs and not really in the tank as much, i made a double concentration of IO and bathed them in that. one bath did it with the x2 IO. and then i realized that the silicone was peeling a bit, and there was sand in there, so i used a craft knife and trimmed it down as much as i thought i could incase there were mites in there. also if you mist the tanks at all, use IO to mist instead of fresh, or a mix, it might help to keep the population under control more. i hope things get better for you!!

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 4:19 pm

I dont think I want to take a chance with the mite spray, for the reasons that crabs are very closely related to insects. Thanks for the idea tho.

Nicha, you know...I could come up with $60 if it just made the mites go away! LOL! This is the third time Ihave deep cleaned, boiled, baked, scrubbed and bleached in the last three months. $60 not to have to do that again for another 6 months would be well worth it!!

I will definitely make up a batch of double IO spray to mist them with in their paper towel clad ISO tank. As of yet, there are no mites in the ISO tanks, so I dont think they carried any out with them. But its better be safe than sorry, and Ill wait another day to give them the luxury of a bit of sand in the bottom. They do get yummy foods tho...some sliversides and cherries and carrots, along with the "Nuts n Bugs" mix they had last night. They seem to be doing alright.

I do agree that they could be living under the silicon if it has come loose somewhere, which is another reason to get those predatory mite-eaters. They can get into allthe cracks that I cant. I think I can deal with bugs for long enough that they can get rid of the mites.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 4:22 pm

yeah i know what you mean about not wanting to clean again. i did two complete cleans in one month, and if it hadn't worked the second time, i probably would've coughed up the $60 to get rid of them too.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 2:24 am

oh narnar, i feel for you.i can't think of why in the world you would have so many mites. you and i are so into keeping our tanks really humid. i wish you the best of luck. do you think the mites would have killed the crabs.. i'm so sorry

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 10:21 am

Its definitely weird to be having mites. I mean I have had hermies for almost 3 years and its just since February and those 4 adoptions with their tank that I have been having this problem. Im very picky about cleaning when it comes to all my tanks (crabs and fish)...in the words of bf "Parents arent even that picky with their human children"

Im pretty sure that the mites had nothing to do with the 8 deaths for the last two weeks. Four died upside down (classic cricket syndrome), two died under some plants--like they just stopped and died (one of which lost a leg

), the other burried a month ago and I found him almost completely decomposed, only the exo and his shell were left, the last one was one of my new fiddlers who Im pretty sure died from shipping stresses.

So 4 of the 8 are part of the adoptions I have made since February. Im thinking, b/c of their previous homes, this is like dying b/c of PPS--only its POS (Previous owner stress).

As of last night there were no mites, that I could see in the ISO tanks. But that will be closer inspected tonight after my trip to PetSmart *ugh. If there are no mites then sand will be added to the ISO tanks and they will reside there for two weeks, long enough to bleach my 29 gallon tank again, as well as all the "accessories" that can be bleached.

Im still torn between throwing out or boiling their silk plants. The cocohuts I can boil and bake, and the dishes I can run thru the dishwasher and heat dry. New plants or not new plants.

Im seriously thinking about the predatory mites. Add them when I put the 29 gallon together and then add them again in a month-which is when the mites show up. Id pay to be mite-free!!! It sure beats cleaning and spending $$$ on new stuff just to have it all infested again.

Has anyone ever noticed that mites have impecable timing???

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 5:27 pm

I also have had mites for the past three months! I've had crabs for almost two years and never had any problems until a few months ago. I've done a deep clean three times and found a single adult mite on one crab but I havent found any in the main tank yet.

I'm praying I dont see any in a few days or I'm definitely getting some mite eaters!!

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 10:05 am

Angie, Its weird huh, going for so long without them and then all of a sudden you cant get rid of them. I think its weird tho, it seems everyone has mites on their crabs that they cant get rid of...but I have no mites on my crabs (thatI can find) rather in my tank that I cant get rid of. *grumbles*

Im definitely getting the mite eaters, just to be safe.

THe hermies got the pleasures of sand last night, since I didnt spot any on them OR their ISO tanks *thanks the hermie gods*. So they all now have about 1/2-3/4 inch of sand to sit on...i know its not enough for them to molt, but <hopefully> they will only be in their ISOs for another week and a half while I clean their 29 gallon and re-silicon their pools and supports together. *ugh.

I WILL HAVE NO MITES!!!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:20 pm

Yes, it's definitely odd. I just dont understand where those little buggers come from!! I keep it nice and clean! I found some in the ISO a couple days ago cleaned it out and I'm leaving it sit a week before I put anything in it! They seem to have begun in the ISO and probably got transfered to the main tank from a post molter. So far, I havent found any in the empty ISO yet or the main tank. (praying smilie here!) I cant wait until theyre completely gone and I'm out of the red zone. I was going to place an order for shells over the internet and then a few days after I had decided to go ahead, i dscovered mites! I could only afford to attempt removal. I swear it must be mite season.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 3:31 pm

NaRnAR wrote:Has anyone ever noticed that mites have impecable timing???

yeah! i've never had any until this last spring. and of course it was the the day my bf's parents were coming to visit, so i had to also clean the entire apartment, as well as do a deep clean on a tank. i think i spent more time cleaning the tank than i did the apartment!

i don't know what it is with the mites this year though, hopefully we're coming to a close on the "season" and they won't be a problem again (i hope!!!)