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Mites
May 26, 2009 17:32:21 GMT
Post by Snail Lover. on May 26, 2009 17:32:21 GMT
Today checked on the snails, they were all ok apart from they all had about 5 mites on them each, and the food had gone off a bit within a day so ive disposed it now, but gary was sat in the corner hibernating i think, he was as the way in his shell and there was like a celetope type thing spread over him, then he came out with warm water on his shell, hes not eating much but the heat was 25, and humidity 70 so i dont see why he did this any ideas, and what can i do for him?. Thanks.
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Rachel
Archachatina puylaerti
They see me snailin'
Posts: 1,183
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Mites
May 26, 2009 17:42:44 GMT
Post by Rachel on May 26, 2009 17:42:44 GMT
If he has mites he might be feeling unwell (probally is), which would probally be why he sealed in. You need to shift those mites, then you'll probally see a difference. Get rid of the tank substrate and clean EVERYTHING, and give the snails a warm shower to shift the little blighters.
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Mites
May 26, 2009 18:34:55 GMT
Post by Snail Lover. on May 26, 2009 18:34:55 GMT
okay thankyou. =] xx
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Mites
May 27, 2009 15:01:19 GMT
Post by Snail Lover. on May 27, 2009 15:01:19 GMT
gary was all the way in his shell again with mites on him, so i took out all snails washed them all, got the tank hosed it down cleaned all the toys, and thrown away that soil and replaced it with new stuff, hopefully this will work. x
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Mites
May 27, 2009 15:32:08 GMT
Post by morningcoffee on May 27, 2009 15:32:08 GMT
gary was all the way in his shell again with mites on him, so i took out all snails washed them all, got the tank hosed it down cleaned all the toys, and thrown away that soil and replaced it with new stuff, hopefully this will work. x Use boiling water to clean stuff if you can, especially the inside of the tank and any tank decorations. Let them soak for a while to drown any mites hanging on. Give the snails a very thorough bathing until you can't see any more mites on them. Change the water and bathe them repeatedly if you have to. Don't be afraid to leave the snails underwater for a short amount of time to "soak" the mites off - they can hold their breath for a while Sterilise the substrate before you put it in, too - if it's dry coir you could rehydrate it with boiling water (leaving it to stand until cool before putting it in the snail tank, of course!). Sphagnum moss can be frozen or put in the microwave before use to kill anything in it, or soaked in boiling water (again, make sure that it's cool or defrosted before putting it in the tank). If you use live moss it's very possible that the mites are coming in with it - I had that problem a few weeks ago due to not sterilising the moss before putting it in the tank. I use the dried moss now because it's easier to clean it up before putting it in the tank. If the mites still come back after all this, you may have to consider getting some hypoaspis mites to kill them off.
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Mites
May 27, 2009 16:14:35 GMT
Post by Snail Lover. on May 27, 2009 16:14:35 GMT
okay thanks for your help, at the moment there all fighting over the food and sliming all over the nice new soft soil lol!. xx
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Mites
May 28, 2009 8:03:12 GMT
Post by Snail Lover. on May 28, 2009 8:03:12 GMT
I checked on them this morning no mites but gs=ary was sleepin on top of sasha but he was all the way in his shell again, this morning he looked like this, but he was in the shell, im getting worried because ive got rid of the mites and the heat & humidity is fine. i dont understand why he keeps doing this? :/ any ideas
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Dusk
Achatina tincta
In ur viv stealin ur snailets
Posts: 665
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Mites
May 28, 2009 8:34:34 GMT
Post by Dusk on May 28, 2009 8:34:34 GMT
Just because you can't see them, it doesn't mean the mites are gone - they can hide inside the snail's shell. Keep giving him warm baths, see if you can persuade him to poke his head out for a bit and let any mites in his shell out.
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Mites
May 28, 2009 9:04:35 GMT
Post by Snail Lover. on May 28, 2009 9:04:35 GMT
Every time hes in the shell and i pick him up, he comes out near enough straight away, ive added a water bowl in the tank now, so if he wants to he can go in it, and hes took to it straight away he dove straight in:P, ill keep coming with the warm baths and im going away tomorrow so i hope he'll be ortie.
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Katie
Achatina tincta
Posts: 673
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Mites
May 29, 2009 10:15:02 GMT
Post by Katie on May 29, 2009 10:15:02 GMT
I'm having the same problem with one of my newish snails. They do have mites, and i am trying my hardest to get wrid of them, but they are just not shifting!! May have to consider getting the predators, as the snails are getting bored of having no substrate lol. Can someone tell me where to get these mites from, and how to go about putting them in tank? x
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Dusk
Achatina tincta
In ur viv stealin ur snailets
Posts: 665
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Mites
May 29, 2009 10:22:54 GMT
Post by Dusk on May 29, 2009 10:22:54 GMT
defenders.co.uk sell predatory mites reasonably cheaply (look for sciarid fly control) - they turn up in a box and you just sprinkle them over the snails and tank and let them get to work
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lizzie97444
Achatina immaculata
I LUV SNAILS TOO MUCH!
Posts: 307
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Mites
May 30, 2009 0:17:36 GMT
Post by lizzie97444 on May 30, 2009 0:17:36 GMT
I'm like full of questions! AH! Can mites come from the snails' poop? If you don't clean for like 2 weeks or so? What do you do after the Predatory mites have done their job? Does the mite go out of the tank and live with the home? or are they just snail mites? So scared. Never got them b4.
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coyote
Archachatina papyracea
Cochleas ego amo
Posts: 2,955
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Mites
May 31, 2009 4:34:07 GMT
Post by coyote on May 31, 2009 4:34:07 GMT
When the predatory mites have eaten all the parasitic mites, they die off, so I don't think you'll have to worry about them taking up residence in the rest of your home.
I don't think there's a connection between mites and snail poop, but I could be wrong.
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vicki
Achatina achatina
Posts: 45
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Mites
May 31, 2009 10:49:59 GMT
Post by vicki on May 31, 2009 10:49:59 GMT
I'm always worried incase my snails get mites ..... ive seen pics of them as close up scans but has anyone got a pic of mites on their snail just so i know what to look for?
I'm not sure i'd ever like to use those mites to get rid of them so is there any way of preventing them? (it mite be a daft question but just want to make sure im doing all i can to not get them)
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kanin
Achatina immaculata
Posts: 263
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Mites
May 31, 2009 10:51:05 GMT
Post by kanin on May 31, 2009 10:51:05 GMT
Sometimes you see a lot of mites on or around the poo, my guess is that they're eating it. To get rid of mites I'd say predatorys are the only way to do it in the long run as mites always seems to be coming back. The predatorys may take their time though unless you shift substrate and clean tank before adding them. It can be good to keep bathing the snails for a period after you've added the hypoaspis aswell as I seldom see hypoaspis on the snails themselves, they tend to stay in the substrate which is their natural enviroment. I'm not sure on this but to my experience potting soil substrate in combination with moss seems to be more suitable for hypoaspis population. they naturaly live in the soil near the roots of infested plants but in a snail tank it tends to be a bit too wet for them as they are sensitive to high humiditys. They tend to dwell betwen the layers of soil and moss and seems to retain their population there. And if you're lucky they can survive in the tank for many months without food perhaps even for as long as up to a year in eggform. [edit] By the way hypoaspis are omnivores(hope this is the correct translation) so you can keep population present for long times by feeding them other things aswell. What things I'm not sure of as it's hard to know if they've actually eaten of the things you put in for them. they do tend to in great numbers gather on and around deceased snails so they could be feeding on decomposing animal matter .
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