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  1. #1
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    tiny white bugs?

    hi everyone, when i was changing my bp’s water today i noticed a bunch of white bugs on the surface of the water and i was just wondering what they could be? they didn’t look like mites to me, they weren’t black, they were long and white and i looked around the rest of the enclosure and i didn’t notice anymore of them and i haven’t noticed any on my actual snake either. when i googled it, it said that they could possibly be springtails? is that what it sounds like? and if it is springtails should i be worried about it/how should i get rid of them? i am very new to snake keeping so all advice is appreciated.

  2. #2
    Registered User OkamiFlautist's Avatar
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    Re: tiny white bugs?

    Quote Originally Posted by miatb View Post
    hi everyone, when i was changing my bp’s water today i noticed a bunch of white bugs on the surface of the water and i was just wondering what they could be? they didn’t look like mites to me, they weren’t black, they were long and white and i looked around the rest of the enclosure and i didn’t notice anymore of them and i haven’t noticed any on my actual snake either. when i googled it, it said that they could possibly be springtails? is that what it sounds like? and if it is springtails should i be worried about it/how should i get rid of them? i am very new to snake keeping so all advice is appreciated.
    Were you able to get a photo of them?

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
    - Cheyenne
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    miatb (11-17-2019)

  4. #3
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    Re: tiny white bugs?

    Quote Originally Posted by OkamiFlautist View Post
    Were you able to get a photo of them?

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
    sadly no, i just didn’t think of it but i will post a pic if i see them again

  5. #4
    Registered User Kodayin's Avatar
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    If they are springtails, there's nothing to be worried about. Springtails are actually good for enclosures! They help break down any waste in the enclosure, and just generally keep it clean. They also don't bug the snake (most species of snakes I'm aware of anyways, including BPs), so they're no harm
    But white bugs in water could be larvae of any bug, so I'd keep an eye out and try to get pictures if you can so someone can for sure identify them

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    miatb (11-17-2019)

  7. #5
    BPnet Veteran MarkL1561's Avatar
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    Re: tiny white bugs?

    Could be wood mites or gnats. I occasionally get gnats with substrate. They’re really annoying but harmless. I’ve heard that you can bake your substrate in the oven prior to putting it in the enclosure. I haven’t tried this but might if I get gnats again. It helps to make sure to spot clean daily as they breed in excrement. Also if you have lizards or anything always change out food after they’re done eating. Once you have the little buggers in one enclosure they’ll likely spread. Again harmless but annoying


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  9. #6
    Reptile Dysfunction
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    More than likely wood mites or spring tails. I had wood mites twice with cocoblock . They are very ANNOYING and can multiply very fast. I did a whole enclosure cleaning with new substrate and cleaned all the hides and leaves . Got them again even after freezing the new substrate and getting it from a different supplier . Again. Very annoying and now expensive. So again whole enclosure deep cleaning and now we use that Brian B guys Coco fiber and haven't had a single problem. They don't hurt the snake or you but to me bugs in my house are not acceptable lol. Good luck 👍.

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    Kodayin (11-19-2019),miatb (11-17-2019)

  11. #7
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    Thank you very much to everyone who commented! i checked his water bowl again today and there were more bugs so i snapped a couple pics. I hope it is possible to tell what they are. They are so tiny and i was using my phone camera so this is the best i could do. thanks again for the help.


  12. #8
    Reptile Dysfunction
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    Springtails ! They r fast and kinda "spring" jump when they "run" away. Lol wood mites are so small, when I tried to take a picture of mine they almost never showed up. Like the dot at the end of this sentence small.

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