Tiny red bugs in enclosure :(

[xjailbreakx]

I have a photo of these bugs, I cant find what they are online, they are extremely small as you can see the grains of sand is a little bit smaller than it. But I am worried they might be mites? Can someone tell me what the hell they are and are they harmful? It looks like a beetle, the Darkling beetle looks similar to it but I don't know if those are bad for them or how they got in there.
I would really appreciate it, thank you!
Photo:

 

[Janelle]

That was going to be my first guess. To ask if you feed mealworms. Because that's what it looks like to me. I strongly recommend you get a solid substrate. It not only takes away the risk of impaction, but it also makes it harder for something to hide. As well as being more sanitary.

 

[xjailbreakx]

Well I have fed mealworms in the past but it was atleast 2-3 months ago, Maybe they reproduced and they are trying to take over his cage? So you mean like using a floor mat instead of sand?

 

[Janelle]

Yes. Beardies tend to lick their environment. When they swallow sand--especially if they're little--it carries a big risk of getting impacted in their digestive tract, which is a deadly situation. There are many solid options, mats being one. I used paper towels for a while--super easy cleanup and cheap. Now that Jayne is in her larger, permanent enclosure, we are using slate tile. Other people use non-adhesive shelf liner. You don't want anything slippery (like glass or sealed porcelain tiles). But any of the loose substrates--coconut, aspen, sand, walnut husk, etc--carry serious risks.

 

[Janelle]

And I'm guessing a mealworm or two escaped and hid in the sand and turned into beetles. By the way, mealworms aren't a safe feeder for beardies, either. Their chitin shell is hard for them to digest, causing another impaction risk.

 

[xjailbreakx]

Thats really good to know, thank you a bunch. I quit feeding mealworms because they were getting too small for him. Hes almost 2 years old now and hes fully grown. I give him large crickets, superworms (with their heads crushed as I heard that could cause a risk of them eating his intestines) and occasional hornworms, with a bunch of veggies. This forum is awesome, I really appreciate it.

 

[BeardedHippy]

a bit small to be a mealworm (darkling) beetle. The only thing I can think of thats that small is a cleaner(springtails), but they are usually used in dubia colonys so I dunno. Whatever it is, its an unwelcome guest, time for a cleanout and good sterilizing I think.

 

[BeardedHippy]

oh by the way, the thing about superworms is a bit of an urban myth, not true. You dont need to crush them.

 

[PatsyB]

I would do a total tank cleaning and get rid of that gravel. Of all the loose substrates, things like gravel, and walnut shells are bad because they have sharp edges and can cut their intestines when they try to pass them. Tile, shelf liner, repticarpet are all acceptable substrate choices.

 

[BeardedHippy]

its sand Patsy, just a really close up pic, the bug is only a few mm's long.

Same advice applies though, sand isnt the best option.

 

[Beedrill]

Those look like rice flour beetles to me (typically Tribolium confusum within the hobby). They are a potential household pest and can reproduce en mas having nothing to eat but a very small amount of flour or other dry organic matter. They were probably hitchhikers with any one of the feeders you mentioned above. They make excellent feeder insects for tiny amphibians and reptiles as well as small carnivorous invertebrates (so most suppliers produce them to sell), but not so much for a full grown beardie. At any rate, my guess is that they are probably surviving off of food scraps and beardie waste. They shouldn't cause any direct harm to you or your bearded dragon, but it would still be best to remove them via a thorough clean. If they were to discover your pantry it could spell serious disaster.