It's definitely possible that the mites came from the potting soil. I've been feeding crickets for years and I've never had a mite problem (knock on wood) however, my ex had a couple of emps and found mites in the cage. He flipped out and gave the scorps away and totally disinfected his house. He started screaming about petco crickets and all this other stuff, when it turned out it was the soil!

I use organic potting mix for my crested along with coco fiber, and I always make sure there are no mites. But you can never be too sure. I agree with Liz. Always bake it to make sure!

__________________
Once you turn Mac, you never look back.

“The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see.” -- Ayn Rand