Springtails or mites?

[Sybilestial]

This afternoon I found a bunch of what I believe to be dead tiny white bugs in my geckos water dish. Super tiny, too. I didn't snap a photo since my phone probably couldn't show them anyways. I thourougly checked my gecko and there is nothing on her. My substrate is paper towels.

I tried looking it up and what comes up is springtails or mites. Should I disinfect her cage anyways?

Edit: Or maybe even grain mites?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Have you brought anything into the enclosure you have not thoroughly washed?

Were they more "bug" than wormlike?

Could they have come from crickets?

Maybe they came from your leo.

 

[Sybilestial]

I thourougly washed all items before putting them in her enclosure. They are tiny oval bugs. So tiny you can barely see them. I hope they didn't come from the crickets. I got those at work. Never have I seen mites there. I'm not sure if they came with my Leo since I've only had her since September 19th.

I'll schedule a vet visit, I think... I hear mites are hard to get rid of.

Guess I should soak all hides in hot soapy water with a little bleach.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I thourougly washed all items before putting them in her enclosure. They are tiny oval bugs. So tiny you can barely see them. I hope they didn't come from the crickets. I got those at work. Never have I seen mites there. I'm not sure if they came with my Leo since I've only had her since September 19th.

I'll schedule a vet visit, I think... I hear mites are hard to get rid of.

Guess I should soak all hides in hot soapy water with a little bleach.

I suggest getting a fecal done ASAP!

Thoroughly wash cage furniture with DAWN dish soap. Then soak it in a 10% bleach solution.

Use paper towels for your leo's substrate until a fecal checks out clean. A folded square of paper towels helps out in the poop corner.

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#2---Fecal Sample Collection Procedure

Here's how my exotics vet recommends collecting a stool sample:

1. Place a piece of clean plastic where your leo usually poops. If your gecko poops somewhere else, take the poop to the vet anyway. Some poop is better than no poop!
2. As soon as your gecko has passed some poop and urates, but without physically touching the sample, place the feces and urates directly onto a clean plastic bottle cap. (Vet has fecal sample containers if you can stop by first.)
3. Then place the bottle cap with fecal sample directly into a plastic ziploc bag. (Do NOT use paper towels or newspaper because those will absorb some of the feces necessary for a proper culture.)
4. Refrigerate this sample...unless you are taking the sample to your vet immediately. Do NOT freeze it.
5. Keep the sample cool enroute to the vet.
6. Take this fecal sample to your vet within 24 hours of collecting...the sooner the better!

[There are two types of fecals: fecal float and direct smear tests. For geckos, ask the vet whether both tests should be run.]

 

[Sybilestial]

Yep, a fecal exam is on my priority list.

I talked to my boss (been in the pet shop business for over 40 years) and he believes they are hatching mites. He told me I could use vegetable oil on my gecko to suffocate the mites and kill them. It's messy, but he also told me that it helps with their skin, too. I would rather take that approach than having my gecko subjected to medicines or chemicals that might hurt her. Im pretty sure the oil won't. Don't know how I'm going to be able to get it on her tail. I'm super afraid of it dropping... Her tail is just so pretty.

I've been using paper towels as her substrate since I got her. I will not get tile until the bug problem is under control.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Yep, a fecal exam is on my priority list.

I talked to my boss (been in the pet shop business for over 40 years) and he believes they are hatching mites. He told me I could use vegetable oil on my gecko to suffocate the mites and kill them. It's messy, but he also told me that it helps with their skin, too. I would rather take that approach than having my gecko subjected to medicines or chemicals that might hurt her. Im pretty sure the oil won't. Don't know how I'm going to be able to get it on her tail. I'm super afraid of it dropping... Her tail is just so pretty.

I've been using paper towels as her substrate since I got her. I will not get tile until the bug problem is under control.

Vegetable oil is totally safe! I used it on a wild caught male P. kuhli once. I smothered 28 mites, one by one. This gecko is doing well 13 years later.

Can you see mites on her skin?

A fecal will rule out intestinal parasites like pinworms. Leos don't readily drop their tails.

It's always a good idea to quarantine a new gecko for 90 days.

 

[Sybilestial]

I can't see any on her skin. I just see it in the water. About 1/5 size of the ball on the ball point pens. Or maybe even smaller! Mind you, I'm using bottled water since we have a calcium problem in our tap water, so I don't think it's the water.

 

[Sybilestial]

I put her in a nice warm bath - that she hated - and I did not see any bugs come off her. Not sure if they would even though they were floating in her water bowl.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I put her in a nice warm bath - that she hated - and I did not see any bugs come off her. Not sure if they would even though they were floating in her water bowl.
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The few mites I've dealt with are firmly attached to the gecko's skin. That's why I smothered just the mite with vegetable oil. Then, using a separate dry q-tip, brushed off each mite. I used 2 q-tips per mite.

A fecal will tell if your lovely leo has parasite issues.

 

[Entomologist210]

I'm an acarologist, and I don't see anything that would lead me to believe your gecko has mites. Mites that parasitize hosts maintain water balance by ingesting it straight from the host. If there's lots of stuff in the water dish it's likely because it's too dry for them. You're probably dealing with acarid grain mites (which eat more than just grain) or springtails. Neither of which is a vector of pathogens nor parasitic.

 

[GeckoFanboy]

Well, I'd definitely remove the gecko from the tank and thoroughly sanitize it. I'd also take all your items from the tank, run them in a hot dishwasher, and the use the bleach soak as well. Could it be that your feeders are introducing bugs into your tank? Have you examined your feeders closely? Something is bringing bugs into your tank. Do you have any nearby houseplants?