BUGS! Oh yuck! (Help?)

[ceduke]

I was spot-cleaning and feeding tonight when I noticed BUGS in my hognose's tub. I examined all of the other tubs/tanks and found the same bugs in with my coral snow. These were the only two snakes who were on Kaytee aspen, which is the only thing I could think of that they have in common. The bugs are TINY, and I thought at first that they were mites, but I can't find a single bug ON either snake. They would be easy to see on my coral especially, as she is very pale all over.

These bugs were crawling around in the aspen and there were a lot of them drowned in the water dishes. I've bleached out their bins, also bleached their water bowls and hides, and at the moment both snakes are on paper towels in a very sterile environment. Neither snake is happy about this.

What do I do now? How do I know what these bugs are? I've never had any sort of bug get into my collection before, so I'm not sure how to proceed. Where did they come from? I'm pretty fanatical about spot cleaning, though it's possible that a buried poop got left behind when I cleaned. The aspen was completely changed ~6 weeks ago. Should I toss the rest of the bale of aspen? I've been looking at the aspen in the bag, and I can't see a singe bug in there.

I couldn't see any in my Indigo's cage, but it's a black cage with dark cypress mulch containing a black snake, so I'll be checking obsessively for awhile to be sure there aren't any in there...since he's about 18" away from where the two contaminated bins were.

Thanks in advance for any help. I've got the heebie-jeebies now, need a looooong shower.

 

[RobbiesCornField]

What do the bugs look like, other than tiny? It's entirely possible that the aspen came with wood mites, which wouldn't be harmful to your snake; just a mild annoyance.

Instead of tossing the rest of the bale, you can put it in batches in the microwave before adding it to your tank. Put it in with a small glass of water for about a minute, and it'll kill off pretty much anything that might be hiding out in there.

 

[Alaya]

You can also freeze aspen before using it to kill anything that comes in the wood.

 

[ceduke]

What do the bugs look like, other than tiny? It's entirely possible that the aspen came with wood mites, which wouldn't be harmful to your snake; just a mild annoyance.

Instead of tossing the rest of the bale, you can put it in batches in the microwave before adding it to your tank. Put it in with a small glass of water for about a minute, and it'll kill off pretty much anything that might be hiding out in there.

The shape was right for wood mites, but they were black, not the reddish color google images is coming up with. I'll be nuking the aspen in batches before I use it...I just got so many mice that a box of fudge pops won't fit in my freezer ATM!

 

[diamondlil]

You could also shake some DE (diatomaceous earth) in with the aspen.

 

[Nanci]

Supposedly if they are snake mites you can squish one and it will leave a red smear of blood. I _think_ you'd see _some_ on a light colored snake, especially around the jaw and eyes, and less in the substrate. Also, you can take a photo if your camera is good enough and then zoom it up on your computer to see it better! (How I found out my imagined mite infestation was specks of wood...)

 

[airenlow]

Provent-a-Mite! It's pricey, but wiped out a wood mite infestation here...and will prevent them from coming back for a month.

http://www.pro-products.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53&Itemid=59

 

[ceduke]

Thanks everyone! I have DE and I'll get some PAM. I looked both girls over again this morning and still can't find a single bug on them, so I'm relaxing a little.