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I got buggers, wut are they?

mattsnake

mattsnake

snake hunter
I had one of my adults out today for some handling, as I was adjusting the temp and thermostat probes in the sterilite I noticed the aspen was infested with little bugs. These bugs were tiny and grey, with a two segment body. I noticed there were'nt any on the snake.

I have gotten rid of that apen, which was old anyway. I rinsed the bin and replaced with newspaper. Should I get mite spray or are these bugs something else? are they benign?
 
wipe your snakes down with a damp paper towel, look for tiny specs. You may even be able to see them on the paper towel. If you see anything it is probably mites. Also if you have noticed your snake spending alot of time in the water he may be trying to drown the mites.
 
Well there is nothing on the snake, nothing in the water either. They were just crawling all over the aspen mulch. Maybe they were some kind of mulch bug?
 
If they arent regular mites, without seeing them my best guess would be wood mites or springtails
 
Springtails, my tortoise tank used to be loaded with them. They are actually kinda useful because they eat decaying material but I just plain don't like them.
 
I think you have wood mites like others suggested. If so you did what needed to be done by changing and cleaning the cage.

The fruit fly looking things I was speaking of I am not sure exactly what they are or are called. They just remind me of a fruit fly or nat. They have become a pest in recent years in large collections. They are just a pest and as long as you keep a clean ship then no worries. I do not believe they are harmful to the snakes just a pest for keepers. I don't know much about them. I am sure someone else here would know more.
 
Yes, sounds like wood mites. They don't usually cause a problem, and you may be rid of them already.

Josh was talking about phorid flies. They are a type of carrion fly that looks a lot like a fruit fly. They generally only cause major problems as eggs are hatching, infesting the neonate umbilicus. They love moisture (such as damp egg hatching boxes), and don't do well in dry, clean bedding.

Of course, any insect can be a disease vector if it goes from one cage into another, carrying various microbes with it.
 
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