# some form of white bugs swimming in the water bowl?



## cbmark (Feb 23, 2008)

just rehoused my pulchra as i bought it and it came in a rub and has bugged me from day one of not being able to see it without taking the lid off anyway i noticed what i can only describe as a form of bug in the water bowl swimming there was loads of them didnt look like any mite ive ever seen ive seen them before in there and thought it was dust on the water but this time i noticed it wasnt the rub and water bowl have now gone in the trash anyone have any idea what there are? i think it was more a larvae(spelling)?


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

lol if you take some out the water and put them on soil or something. Do they jump about when you gently blow on them?

If so they should be springtails, which are fine and keep the enclosure clean and tidy


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## ZZfan (Feb 22, 2010)

snowgoose said:


> lol if you take some out the water and put them on soil or something. Do they jump about when you gently blow on them?
> 
> If so they should be springtails, which are fine and keep the enclosure clean and tidy


Yep - almost certainly springtails. I've collected them from the garden before and introduced them to a new enclosure, along with some woodlice (had them quarantined for a couple of weeks first). They do a good job of cleaning up mold spores, food remains, etc...


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## JayW (Dec 14, 2010)

ZZfan said:


> Yep - almost certainly springtails. I've collected them from the garden before and introduced them to a new enclosure, along with some woodlice (had them quarantined for a couple of weeks first). They do a good job of cleaning up mold spores, food remains, etc...


do the T's not eat them or anything?


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

JayW said:


> do the T's not eat them or anything?


they would have a bloody hard job to eat the springtails ( they are only a few mm long )

As for the woodlice, they may pic of one or two but probably not enough to make them stop doing their job.


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## JayW (Dec 14, 2010)

snowgoose said:


> they would have a bloody hard job to eat the springtails ( they are only a few mm long )
> 
> As for the woodlice, they may pic of one or two but probably not enough to make them stop doing their job.


might have to look into em then :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## cbmark (Feb 23, 2008)

cheers for the replys put my mind at rest


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## norfendz (Jun 30, 2008)

aye sounds like spring tails i got them when i had my emporer and i was worried and posted a thread up here too lol


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## Spiderdan24 (Feb 21, 2011)

Got the same thing mate! Bloody things!!!!


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## Mez (Feb 19, 2007)

Springtails? How are we ruling out mites? Very small, almost microscopic and need humid environment to thrive, if it isn't humid enough they will congregate in and around the water dish. The ones I've seen in T enclosures were white. In small numbers they ate harmless, but in extreme cases they infest an enclosure and its inhabitant.


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## cbmark (Feb 23, 2008)

ive dealt with snake mites over the years but havo no idea about spider mites they look like no mite ive seen before also do mites start in larvae? as this is what was swimming in the water imo


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## Mez (Feb 19, 2007)

Yeah, nothing like snake mites pal, they'll be much smaller and white, and not massivley pumped with blood!
The larvea is usually laid in boluses and substrate, so if youre sure they dont have the same body structure as a snake mite youre probably OK.


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## cbmark (Feb 23, 2008)

i tell you what it reminded me of but on a much smaller scale when i was a kid along time ago lol my grandad used to have big water butts in his garden and they used to have some form of larvae in there when you kicked them they all started wiggling in the water lol maybe way over your head but thats what they reminded me of but tiny and white :lol2:


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## Dr3d (Jul 31, 2010)

cbmark said:


> i tell you what it reminded me of but on a much smaller scale when i was a kid along time ago lol my grandad used to have big water butts in his garden and they used to have some form of larvae in there when you kicked them they all started wiggling in the water lol maybe way over your head but thats what they reminded me of but tiny and white :lol2:


mark do they look like this but pure white in the water and microscopic

Google Image Result for http://static-wtb.cheshirecat.net/wp-content/uploads//2010/03/springtails_uk_ann.jpg


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## cbmark (Feb 23, 2008)

yeah noel i reckon so im not digging them out the bin to double check but looks the part


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## Dr3d (Jul 31, 2010)

cbmark said:


> yeah noel i reckon so im not digging them out the bin to double check but looks the part


all the mites i have come across whether it be on plants snakes or spiders there roundish not long an thin, if these are long thin bright white and jump about there springtails mate not mites, mites on plants produce webbing not sure as to meat eating mites but spring tails hang around damp areas and Spring/jump about hense why you had loads in the water  I could be wrong but I dont recon so :2thumb:


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## cbmark (Feb 23, 2008)

niceone noel :no1:


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