What is the life cycle of Sarcoptic mites ?

The life-cycle is between 10 and 14 days long. Sarcoptic mites can only survive a few days outdoors. Contagion occurs through contact between infested dogs, or through the environment in which an infested animal lives, if it contains any such parasites (boxes, recesses, baskets etc.). Egg-bearing females nest in the "tunnels" or "pits" that they dig in the horny layer of the epidermis and lay 2 to 3 eggs per day. These eggs hatch and larvae feed on skin debris. They may reach the surface of the skin and dig new "sloughing pits" or stay in the tunnels in which they hatched. They slough into protonymphs and then tritonymphs. Males mate with female tritonymphs and die. The females live 3 to 4 weeks.