bugs!!!

[Snake lover 3-25]

there seem to be tiny and when i say tiny i mean really really tiny bugs... i don't think that they're mites.... but i JUST replaced their substrate and i DO NOT want do it again!!!! and i don't have any more left.... they are crawling on the snakes... and they are realy light in color... are they safe??? there is no way i can get a pic... i have a hard enough time with normal sized things!!!!! :confused::confused::confused::confused:

[el lobo]

If they are so small that you can't take a pic, then I don't think you have anything to worry about. There are probably plenty of them in the snakes natural habitat. I wouldn't worry about it.

[adamanteus]

They could be 'thrips', little beasties that eat the debris and detritus that accumulates in reptile vivs. You find them in pot plants too. Harmless but irritating.

[Snake lover 3-25]

whew!!! thanks!!! i've had them b4 but that time my cage needed cleaning anyways so i didn't care as much...:D:D:D so i boiled everything and they went away.... but at least it's good to know they're harmless!!!!!!:D:D:D

[jitami]

Shanley, I'm just curious, what kind of substrate do you use? Couldn't you put the babies in another container for a little while and just boil or cook the substrate in the oven, and clean out the tank, furnishings, etc? Of course, your mom may not be crazy about bugs in the oven, but that's what I would do if I couldn't throw it away and start over. Even the microwave may do the trick? I treated Sly for mites for what seemed like forever when we first got him and the sight of any creepy crawlies in the tank would drive me crazy!

[Snake lover 3-25]

yeah...

i dont have babies yet but HOPFULLY i will SOON!!!!!!!

but to be honest i boil all of my new substrate and put the excess in a sealed bag... so i have no idea where they came from... but i have an idae that they are not just in the cage... so unless i can find a way to boil my entire house.....:D:D:p

[adamanteus]

They find their way in there, whatever you do. The only cure is a rigorous cleaning regime.

[Snake lover 3-25]

:(:(:( that sounds so FUN!!!!! NOT!!!!:(:(:p

[jitami]

What you could do is to run a strip of double sided tape around the outside of the snake's tank. That may catch a few of the bugs? If you have any issues with escapees, though, I wouldn't do it...

But, yeah, I'd try to clear them out of the cage and then try the tape thing to keep new bugs out. Obviously, don't let the snakes get near the tape.

[Snake lover 3-25]

um... well then that won't work... i'm REALLY bad about closing the cages.....:o

[el lobo]

Yeah, I used to be bad about closing cages too...until my dad tried to sit on the couch and found a three foot garter in his spot! My guess is that these bugs are all over your house, and when they find food and good breeding grounds, like your substrate, they congregate to it.

[Stefan-A]

I've never really understood the whole "being bad about closing cages" thing. The whole idea of not closing the cage properly, is completely foreign to me. Every time I even walk by one, I stop and make sure that they're all closed properly. I even keep the cage doors locked, so that they can't be opened by accident.

Now I'm not trying to show how perfect I am, but being a bit obsessive/compulsive about that sort of thing is good.

[el lobo]

haha. Yeah, I agree. I neglect to do alot of stuff...yet I have to touch every single can of food on my way down an aisle at the shopping centre!

[lestat]

When i used to keep snakes all those years ago, if any thing like that happened i would put a Vapona Strip in the viv for a short time. The snakes ignored it after a while and it did no harm to them or i would not have done it.
Vapona is a fly killer and it might be called some thing else over your way.
.

[CrazyHedgehog]

Vapona was banned in the UK a few years ago as it had adverse long term affects!!! you try and buy it now!! I used to use it, thought it was great.....put a broken piece in a stocking in the tank.....

however...apparently...

Snakes would die a year later, by then you would not think of that bit of yellow block you put in the tank a year ago...:eek:

[Jenlang_79]

I would not be happy to have bugs in my cage!! Good thing they are harmless..boil your house..too funny!!

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol i think they went away???? idk all i know is i haven't seen any since yesterday???

[Zephyr]

Well, they may be doing you a bit of good if they're decomposers... The only reason I don't clean my outdoor pen is because all the ants, flies, and springtails get rid of the poop for me. :P

[Spiritwolf]

How can anybody be bad about closing cages, and have any snakes left in the cages? Garters in particular are excellent escape artists and baby garters have the added advantage of being very small and very quick and capable of escaping from enclosures that to the human eye appear totally escape proof.

I've got two escapees somewhere in the house that got out of enclosures that appeared to have no openings at all that a baby garter could get out of. I had solidly duct taped around the entire lid (a pain when feeding to deal with the tape but I considered it worth the hassle if the snakes were safe). In addition I had a heavy book on the top of the enclosures and somehow two babies managed to escape. I never figured out how they did it, and I've never found them dead or alive either. I have put out traps etc, toothpicks to try to see evidence of their travels, dens, food, and still keep small dishes of water around. As long as I don't find them dead, I figure they may still be alive somewhere. I know of escaped baby snakes that have been found as long as a year after their escapes, alive and well and that's why I don't give up hope.

I figure someday my mom, who is scared to death of snakes, will be visiting my house and that will be the day that one of my fugitives will decide to come out into the living room. I can see it now, I will be ecstatically grabbing the snake and saying "Hurray, my baby!" and my mom will be screaming and making a hasty exit!