My bp used to spend a lot of time in her water as well. I don't know if it was the humidity being too low or the mites, or maybe/probably even both. Humidity is in the target range and mites are gone, thanks to PAM. I didn't usually see mites on her but I did see them in the water dish. I didn't read the entire thread so forgive me if it was already mentioned but if you have little black specks in your water then there is a mite problem, i would think. PAM is worth it's weight in gold, even with the shipping cost! YIKES! (Almost $9 to ship!)