tiny tiny brown bugs in terrarium?

[MantidBro]

I cant even photograph them, they are so small. Like a grain of sand if not smaller. I was looking really close at frenchy while he was against the glass and saw one on his hand and one on his foot. They are extremely small, like itd take 100 if not more to take up his entire hand. But im worried. Would they be mites? they are reddish brown in color and have shiny, circular abdomens and not much of a thorax but they do have one, unlike most mites i see, which just look circular usually with a little head. I cant count how many legs. But i think they are mites because i dont know what else it could be. Im not sure where they came from. But is this a bad sign? should i be replacing the substrate and washing everything else in frenchys cage?

[Frogfeet123]

Do they fly?


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[MantidBro]

Do they fly?


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No ~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Frogfeet123]

Weird. Then possibly mites? I was thinking if they could fly it might just be a fruit fly from your house that got in.


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[Mentat]

They might be mites and the fact you noticed them on your frog is not good . Do you have a magnifying glass (like 10x) you could get a closer look at one? In large numbers mites can stress out frogs and eventually affect them negatively .

[MantidBro]

no i dont have a magnifying glass. But thats scary. Ill definitely be replacing and washing everything. What exactly can happen after time?

[MantidBro]

Weird. Then possibly mites? I was thinking if they could fly it might just be a fruit fly from your house that got in.


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No these arent fruit flies. I think they are probably mites.

[Mentat]

If mites overrun your enclosure and are constantly crawling on your frogs they could stress them . Chronic stress in any animal has negative effects to their immune system and longevity .

[flybyferns]

Sounds like mites to me.

I would wipe down the entire interior glass of the frog's enclosure with distilled water.
I would NOT us use anything else! Despite how safe it says...it is !!!!
You will ,likely, have to repeat this a few times.

Sometimes they ride in on the crickets/feeders and have not infested /or living in the soil.
Examine the feeder bin really carefully, including the exterior of the container and lid.

If they are in/on the feeder bin--- discard everything ( including the feeders) / rinse the bin in HOT tap water.

Wipe down the entire area where the feeder bin is stored ( including the horizontal surfaces)
w/ isopropyl rubbing alcohol / let it dry

I use this under my cricket bin and under my fruit fly cultures.
Josh's Frogs Bug Blade Mite Control Powder (5 oz) - Live Insects & Feeders | Josh's Frogs
-I sprinkle on the tray
-cover the powder w/ paper towel
-and place the bin or FF containers on the paper towel

( the bottom of the containers/bin are not physically touching the powder
-a little extra protection-so the powder doesn't end up somewhere you don't want it to be )

In my experience, mites tend to be more common in the winter then the summer. Dryer?

[MantidBro]

Sounds like mites to me.

I would wipe down the entire interior glass of the frog's enclosure with distilled water.
I would NOT us use anything else! Despite how safe it says...it is !!!!
You will ,likely, have to repeat this a few times.

Sometimes they ride in on the crickets/feeders and have not infested /or living in the soil.
Examine the feeder bin really carefully, including the exterior of the container and lid.

If they are in/on the feeder bin--- discard everything ( including the feeders) / rinse the bin in HOT tap water.

Wipe down the entire area where the feeder bin is stored ( including the horizontal surfaces)
w/ isopropyl rubbing alcohol / let it dry

I use this under my cricket bin and under my fruit fly cultures.
Josh's Frogs Bug Blade Mite Control Powder (5 oz) - Live Insects & Feeders | Josh's Frogs
-I sprinkle on the tray
-cover the powder w/ paper towel
-and place the bin or FF containers on the paper towel

( the bottom of the containers/bin are not physically touching the powder
-a little extra protection-so the powder doesn't end up somewhere you don't want it to be )

In my experience, mites tend to be more common in the winter then the summer. Dryer?

Thanks for the help!

[MantidBro]

If mites overrun your enclosure and are constantly crawling on your frogs they could stress them . Chronic stress in any animal has negative effects to their immune system and longevity .

That makes sense, id be stressed out by bugs crawling on me too. Not good at all!

[MantidBro]

Good news! My mom got me substrate and a bunch of fake plants fo christmas. I told her of my dilemma with the mites and she told me about the substrate and gave it to me early so i could clean up Frenchy's cage. Christmas luck! so everythings all set now. It took 1 1/2 - 2 hours to get all the old substrate out, let the fake plants and water bowl and feeding bowl sit in boiling water, dispose of the sticks, rinse the live plants with cool water, rinse down the cage with boiling water, wipe it up with paper towels, add new substrate, replant the live plants, and add in the new fake plants (after boiling them too since theyd been in the store). Its cluttered and leafy and green and now mite free and Frenchy seems quite happy! he has more hiding spots now. He likes being cluttered with leaves, it makes him feel safe! i rinsed off Frenchy too in case there were mites on him. Now hes gone back to sleep, after doing some looking around.

[Mentat]

That's good news ! What substrate are you using for the live plants?

[MantidBro]

That's good news ! What substrate are you using for the live plants?

Very good news, its a bad feeling to know that somethings not right and that your little frog is in danger, now i feel relieved and at peace and i think Frenchy must feel the same, and also curious and glad about his new set up! I put the water bowl and feeding bowl in the same places as before though so even though things look different he will still know where they are. Hes wicked smart so im not really worried. I use coconut fiber always.

[Mentat]

Coco fiber is a poor substrate for live plants. Recommend ABG mix type soil for those.

[MantidBro]

Coco fiber is a poor substrate for live plants. Recommend ABG mix type soil for those.

Thanks. I dont have the money for more substrate atm. The plants seem to be doing well anyways though, not only thriving but growing, so i honestly may not switch.