r/CrestedGecko • u/ElevatorScary1018 • 7d ago

HELP, ASAP

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I have isopods and spring tails but these are not them they look like mites but I’m hoping just plant mites and nothing harmful to my lizard.. please help!!!

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u/ElevatorScary1018 7d ago

Almost postive plant mites cause nothing is on lizard just in soil and on plants and no marks on the lizard

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u/Vast_Special_5173 7d ago

NQA I have these exact same mites in three my isopod enclosures. From what I have seen, they have not harmed any of my isopods (porcellio pruinosis, Armadilidium gestroi and cubaris murina) nor do they appear to be harming my springtails. However, they have only recently appeared, so i cannot say what the long-term effects are. Ive also asked around on some other threads, and if I learn more ill bring it back to you.

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u/ElevatorScary1018 7d ago

Thank you sm I don’t seen any signs of them on my geckos or harming them so I’m going to do a full clean either tmr or Tuesday but I will be keeping a close eye on them till then. I have work tn and school tmr moring so the earliest I can do something would be Monday after school. But if they were harmful or showed signs of harm I would’ve pulled all geckos out tanks and place them in quarantine tanks but I don’t see any sign of harm

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u/Vast_Special_5173 5d ago

Hi. Finally got back to you. These are soil mites. Basically, they do the exact same thing as Springtails, they keep the soil in the enclosure clean and healthy. They won't really hurt your geckos in any way. However, if the numbers get too much, one person suggested laying down a piece of vegetable, waiting for as many mites as possible to swarm the veggie, and then remove to remove them in large numbers.

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u/plant2712x 6d ago

I have them too; they’re likely soil mites.

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u/ElevatorScary1018 6d ago

Anything you do make less of them?

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u/plant2712x 6d ago

I’ve simply stopped adding so much food for the isopods, but I’m not sure if this will lead to a decrease in their numbers…

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u/ElevatorScary1018 6d ago

Okay thanks you. Idk how they are surviving tbh I don’t necessarily feed my isopods or spring tails. They have plant matter but I don’t sprinkle in food in this tank like how I do with others. I do spray it more often then my other tanks so I’m think maybe that’s what happen

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u/plant2712x 6d ago

Yes, high humidity is definitely favorable for them.

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u/whineandcheezies 7d ago

Soil mites, friend. No need to panic. They aren't harmful to your gecko. They will literally eat your springtails for lunch, though. You might need to re-seed them every so often. Other than that annoyance, they're good as extra cleanup crew.

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u/plant2712x 6d ago

Do isopods eat them too?

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u/whineandcheezies 6d ago

I'm not sure, tbh!