Mites?

[TONYDM41684]

Are mites those little red bugs that I as a kid always thought were little spiders? If so I have seen two of them one on my desk which is next to my bp's tank and one outside. If they were on her would I see them? What are the warning signs of mites??? My only other worry is that she sometimes, 3 times a month, soaks her whole body in her water all night.

[TONYDM41684]

Oh and my tank temps are perfect 95 basking 90 floor warm side 79 cool side hide and hunidity 55%-65%

[Marla]

The little red bugs are chiggers and they are closely related to mites. Adult mites are black or brownish-black and juveniles are greyish-brown in color but can look whitish in low light. I don't know of chiggers preying on reptiles, but if you're seeing them inside, I would definitely give her a good check-out because you don't want her subjected to any parasites at all.

[led4urhead]

What kind of substrate are you using right now? If you are not using paper towels or newspaper, i'd suggest a temp switch to one of these to allow you to easily spot potential mites or other external parasites.