Dipping crabs in iodophor?

[wyntrej]

So I was at a local pet shop and I asked about how to treat mites on hermit crabs and they told me that dipping them in iodophor diluted in water would get rid of them. Is that true? Because I've been trying to get rid of mites for a wile and I don't know what else to do.

[wyntrej]

Also, should I completely redo my crabitat before putting the crabs back in after I get rid of the mites?

[YYWW]

What kind of mites are they? Are they stuck to your crabs?
The best way to get rid of crab mites is to buy mites that eat those mites. They're called h. miles or something. They cost ok but are expensive to ship. I'll try to find threads on them for you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[YYWW]

The link to one of the threads is below. Using hMiles is probably the least stressful and most natural way to get rid of the bad mites.
If you only have food mites or another type of non crab harming mites, then it wont be the best idea to go stressing crabs out to smite the mites. Be sure what type of mites you have!
H miles link: viewtopic.php?t=92801


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wyntrej]

I definitely have crab mites. I see them crawling on the shell and legs of the crabs, and thank you for letting me know about the h miles mites!!

[YYWW]

I have heard of saltwater bathing to get rid of mites, but frequent bathing might overstress.
Definitely read up on h miles because they're expensive, so you want to try your best to succeed so that they dont make a comeback and you need to buy another round. Let me know if you cant find that type of info.
You can also search mites in crabitat conditions, health and breeding, or emergency and read everything there is good luck!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wodesorel]

Iodophor is antibacterial, not an antiparasitic. It would have the same effect on the mites as it does on the crabs.

I would also be very concerned about the longterm effects it has on hermit crabs. Iodophor is used to sterilize crustaceans and mollusks that are to be killed within a few days for human consumption. It doesn't seem to be something that is used on animals that are expected to be kept alive.

[wyntrej]

Oh okay. That makes sense. So I definitely won't use that ever. I decided not to use it because I didn't read anything about it on here and I didn't want to take the risk. So I'm glad I didn't bathe them in it.