Umm intresting, check this out

[ToadilyNuts4Nature]

Hi!

The mites didn't come from the worms but must have been hiding in the substrate that the worms were transported in. While the mites are not harmful to your toads, I would be more worried about any parasites that the worms could be carrying, so I would recommend not feeding the worms to your toads. I just did some research on mites, because I have some sort of mites in with my isopods, and I was informed by a faculty member of Penn State's Dept. of Entomology that mites will not harm toads. They primarily feed on bacteria and other microarthropods such as Springtails. My mites were not able to be specifically identified from the picture I had sent, other than they are predatory mites, mesostigmatas ?? species. So, I would just dispose of those mites, if you haven't already, and the worms too just to be safe!

[Jacobsherps]

Ok should i continue to buy worms from this place. The staff at the exotics store know me well and im a long time customor

[ToadilyNuts4Nature]

Ok should i continue to buy worms from this place. The staff at the exotics store know me well and im a long time customor

I don't think it really matters where you are buying your worms from because your local shops may be getting their worms from the same supplier, unless they are breeding the worms themselves. Worms can carry many different kinds of parasites, so no matter where you get them, there is a risk of passing those parasites to your toads. It's really up to you if you want to risk it. I know worms are nutritional, cheap and easy to obtain but only you can decide if you want to use them as feeders. A lot of people would say to go ahead and feed worms to your toads because, after all... that's what they would be eating out in their natural environment BUT when you become an owner/caretaker you have more control over all the options that you can provide for their diet. This is gonna sound contrary but... for the toads that are outside in my yard... I catch worms and feed them to those toads, but I don't feed worms to the toads that I am raising. Once they are released, they will eventually eat what nature has to offer... including worms but I want to give them the best start that I can. To be completely honest... I am not highly educated on the different parasites that can come from various feeder insects/worms and how they would impact the toads health, so I can't tell you what to look out for (symptom wise of an infected toad). All I can suggest is that if you are concerned about keeping your toads parasite free, then skip the worms. Hope that helps!