# White bugs



## Wiggin (Aug 2, 2021)

Hi all, 
I am a beginner frog keeper. I have had my viv set up for about 4 weeks now but have not seeded it or put frogs in it yet. Today I noticed these hundreds of these bugs, are they a problem?


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## geginn64 (Jun 24, 2020)

It appears to be a spider mite of some sort. They could be a food source for your frogs, like many hitchhikers. 
However, I would recommend waiting to find out from more experienced keepers for their advice. 

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Unlikely to be a problem, whatever they are. If it is a plant-sucking spider mite, they rarely cause problems as dart frog vivs are moist enough to discourage them.

I'd be more concerned that proper precautions for plants (bleach dips) and wild-collected decor (bleach dips or heat treatment) were taken. The routes harmless stuff takes into a viv are the same routes plant and frog pests and pathogens take.


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## Wiggin (Aug 2, 2021)

Thank you for the help! Bark, wood pieces, and coco husk were baked. Plants were bleach treated, except my orchid that was chlorohex treated. Leaves and soil was steam treated in microwave. Today was the first time I have seen them, there have been a few fruit flies (not from my cultures) that have made their way in as well. I am wondering if the mites came in through the vents built into the door of the viv. 
Should aim to make my viv more moist? My humidity (ZooMed combometer) readings have been in the 90s but I have been wondering if they have been inaccurate.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

You should aim to make the viv exactly as moist as plants and darts prefer: a heavy misting ('watering', really, is what we're doing -- making it rain), one or two or so times daily, allowing the hardscape and leaves and top layer or two of leaf litter to mostly dry off before misting again, and definitely drying before lights out (when the frogs go somewhere moist to sleep anyway).

Yes, it can be safely assumed that hygrometer readings are inaccurate (either because meters aren't more than +/- 5% accurate on a good day, or because the probe is not in a useful location, or because it is damaged from moisture exposure). When they're not inaccurate they're misleading, and if a keeper has enough knowledge to know when the readings are misleading then that keeper has enough knowledge to do without the meter. It is a sort of catch-22.


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