Flour mites 😫

[Magpie]

I’m also now concerned about baking the lid of his sand bath (niteangel) in case it warps and no longer sits on top of the box?

I’ve just baked a platform that I’ve been waiting to put in and the legs have all warped! it’s still usable but they are a bit bendy

 

[Maz]

Oh no this sounds like a bit of a nightmare. No not good to put things in damp. I think when I did my wood wheel I used to leave it overnight in front of an oil filled radiator.

 

[Angel’s Teddybear]

I’m also now concerned about baking the lid of his sand bath (niteangel) in case it warps and no longer sits on top of the box?

I’ve just baked a platform that I’ve been waiting to put in and the legs have all warped! it’s still usable but they are a bit bendy

What type of sand bath is it? I have two sand baths from them, both have been baked before and fit snug! One is the smaller corner sand bath, the other is the plastic large rectangle one with a lid for half of the bath. Both turned out fine!

 

[Angel’s Teddybear]

I had considered that they may be on him and then re-introduced that way after all the cleaning, but I don't think they are that type of bug/mite?

Certainly haven't seen any evidence of them on him at any point, although that is just from surface level observation- he's not scratching or anything like that. He is not hand tame. He happily takes treats from my hand but he is not used to being picked up and handled so I wouldn't be able to brush him. I'm just going to have to hope they are not hitchhikers.

All his food was frozen for 1 week before being opened and has been stored in an airtight tub (with no sign of any bugs in there at all) There is also no evidence of the bugs in his food bowl?! So I don't think they are grain/flour mites. They are concentrated where there is water but as I say, can see them on the plexiglass walls and on the black frame on the outside.

There seem less of them this morning... but I think they are probably just a bit nocturnal!

I haven't done a deep bed clean out for a while (was trying to avoid it as long as possible as he had been disturbed so many times due to vet visits for prolapsed pouch) so wonder if its due to wet area of bedding I can't see? He uses his sand as a toilet, but only when he's up thought the night. I think through the day be is probably a clart and pees in his bed.

All I can do it try my best and cross my fingers...

You said he uses his sand as a toilet: Does he poo there as well? If not, then it is possible if his stomach was hurting him, maybe from stress from the vet, could have made surrounding bedding wet. That actually happened to Angel when her tummy was hurting, so the poop started moulding. Very gross, and I felt terrible after for not cleaning enough, but it is possible. I found angel had a corner in her house as well that she peed in and then put food in and did her business as well. That may have brought my bugs into the picture. So I would definitely check near where he sleeps. Also, rereading your messages made me notice that you said you started noticing them outside the cage as well. I’m more and more believing they are mould mites. they look very much like them, and they also sit on those surfaces. I really recommend ordering the dehumidifier as soon as you can!!

 

[Magpie]

You said he uses his sand as a toilet: Does he poo there as well? If not, then it is possible if his stomach was hurting him, maybe from stress from the vet, could have made surrounding bedding wet. That actually happened to Angel when her tummy was hurting, so the poop started moulding. Very gross, and I felt terrible after for not cleaning enough, but it is possible. I found angel had a corner in her house as well that she peed in and then put food in and did her business as well. That may have brought my bugs into the picture. So I would definitely check near where he sleeps. Also, rereading your messages made me notice that you said you started noticing them outside the cage as well. I’m more and more believing they are mould mites. they look very much like them, and they also sit on those surfaces. I really recommend ordering the dehumidifier as soon as you can!!

His sand bath is the large rectangular one with wooden lid which covers half of the top a bit like a yin-yang?!

He doesn’t poo in his sand, but does in his cornflake box house/hide and in this MCH. All those poos are totally normal.

He was at the vet for multiple surgeries to attempt to repair a prolapsed pouch, which ended with him having to have the pouch partially removed. I had to dig him out of his burrows weekly at that point for vet visits and so have been leaving off doing a deep clean for as long as possible to try and reduce stress and interference with his borrow/nest after so much disruption. That’s only been 7 weeks since his last vet visit so not that long since last deep clean of his nest. (less than 2 months)

I’m sure he’s probably got wet areas down there though as I say. Plenty of pee in his sand when I sift that but I’m sure he pees in his bed underground through the day. He sleeps deep underground and only uses his MCH as an entrance so the only way to check is to completely destroy his habitat.

Although I agree they seem like mould mites, It’s genuinely not a damp house. We have painstakingly re-insulated all rooms but the kitchen in the house (it’s next on the list) so it is warm and dry. The sitting room (where he is) especially is the room with the most consistent temperature. We don’t hang washing etc in here and there is no sign of damp (or these bugs) anywhere else in the room.

 

[Maz]

I think there must be a source. Our house has some humid areas and never had this.

 

[Magpie]

There must be a source absolutely. I just don’t know what it is yet… but I think it must be from inside his tank rather than the room as there are none anywhere else. (Including the shelf above him)

It may become clear when I dig up his bed. Wonder if it’s very wet down there or something.

I will go back to opening up the windows more too to boost air flow in the room