Mites

[garterking]

With all the news I've been reading lately regarding mites, I thought I would throw this out there and get some discussion going on it.
Those who know first hand and have had to deal with the little demons, know the damage they can do and that there are things that work better, and more efficient than others.
What products/methods have you used or do use that best work to treat this situation when it rears it's ugly head?

Mike

[Cazador]

I've been very happy using Sevin dust. After two treatments for every snake and enclosure nearly two weeks apart, I've never had a reoccurance, and all of my snakes have faired well following these 1 hour treatments. As with any pesticide (including Vapona, rid-a-mite, etc.), read and follow the directions on the container for safe handling, and don't expose your snake to Seven dust for over an hour.

I just remove the furnishings from the cage and clean them in bleach water. Then put the Sevin dust right in the cage with the snake to kill the mites in there and on the snake. After about an hour, remove the snake, and rinse it off. Then let it swim in a tub with about 1" (2.5cm) of water (~80F) to remove any additional Sevin dust from between its scales. While this is happening, remove the Sevin dust from the vivarium, and clean the vivarium with 5% bleach water. Using a spray bottle helps to distribute the bleach all over the vivarium. Let the bleach solution soak onto the floor and walls for ~10-15 minutes, then thoroughly rinse out the vivarium with clean water. Repeat the process 10 days to 2 weeks later.

I've had great results this way and will use it again if the situation ever calls for it, but I'm also eager to hear how others have applied other treatments and if they would use the same method again. Good topic,
Rick

[Valley Pets]

I have had mites but only with one of my corns and she was on the lose for 5 months!?... The Garters seem to be clean of them? Even my WC animals?! I just picked off everyone I seen on her and changed the newspaper ever 3 days! That was it!
Ryan-Valley Pets

[Cazador]

That's amazing! Could they have been ticks, instead?

How long have they been free of these parasites?

[Valley Pets]

They were for sure mites! Small, fast and a pain... I've yet to see them on my garters! Changing the paper more the usual seems to do the trick for me and killing any that I see helps to! lol Keeping them clean and well cared for seems to do the trick..
Ryan-Valley Pets

[ClosedCasket88]

i just got a nice 5 ft everglades rat snake last week that was infested with mites , spreaded to most of my collection . First , I go nuts when i get mites , im very anal bout them. over on the east coast we get this aresol can stuff called Prevent-a-mite ,you take your snakes and water bowl out and spray the hell outa everything , not too much though, air it out very good . give it atleast acouple hours b4 u put your snake back in. this is better than any mite solution out there. while your snakes outa its enclosure wether your cleaning with mite stuff or just any type of cleaner you soak him in warm water in a large deli cup or a sweater box for teh time y our cleaning evrything. that will kill just about evry mite on his body pretty good, you just have to make sure they submerge there head for a good enough time for anything in that area (wich is most likely were mites will occur ) .i make my own cleaner solution with lotsa stuff i have from work n around the house w alil bit of bleach depending on what im cleaning . i usualy clean all my substrate out and change it. clean the hell outa the tank , and evrything else, all my corkbark and artificial plants i run under scalding hot water in my tub whily im doing everything else for a good 10 mins . when im done i get a thing of boiling water and run it over my bark , wood , sticks and such thats they can hide in/lay eggs in and such , just make sure your artificial plants or anything plastic is hard plastic, some stuf will slighty warp , possibly melt. but ive never had a problem . i always try n use plastic water bowls, nothing porus that they can leave eggs or hide in , id ont like to clean my water bowls with the cleaners, bleach or mite spray becuase it will without adoubt kill your snake . i just give em a soak under scalding running water for a few minutes .
types of degeraser cleaners mixed with water and bleach and a lil mr clean will kill almost anything instantly .
just make sure your enclosure is cleaned well and sanatized with something, give all your tank accsersories a soak under extremely hot water, and give your snake a good soak for a while and thats always solved my problems , even with extreme infestations from nasty imports that i get from my ****ty local pet shop . Thats another thing, becareful what petshops u go to , some are rediculous. im sure you all know

[CrazyHedgehog]

Have just replied about this on another post, but your right the title is better for people searching with problems...

Years ago I used to use a chunk of vapona in a stocking hung in the cage, but Vapona is no longer available and it apparently was not that good for the snakes either!!

I bought some substrate from a less than reputable petshop, it was loose and bought by weight....soon after I had mites....

This time I used.."Bye Bye Mites" from Lucky reptile..(look for it on the internet or your local pet shop..
I bleached (5% solution) the tanks and plastic/ceramic furniture
Sprayed the bye bye mites on all wood furniture, ...
Brand new substrate, (from a sealed bag...)
Washed the snakes in a warm bath, dried with thick paper towel..
And then sprayed the whole snake with the bye bye mite...

Thats the beauty of bye bye mite, it is safe to use direct onto reptiles, I just use a few squirts and then let the snake slide through my hands a few times to ensure a good coverage...

All gone, no trace! Didn't even need to do it again in a few weeks because it cleared them all in one go..

Yes I would defenately use this again...

I have also heard people talk about using frontline..(cat and dog flea stuff) with good results, however I have not used this myself...

[KITKAT]

There is something to be said for BAKING your substrate in a tray in the oven for half an hour before cooling it and using it.:rolleyes:

Just food for thought...

[Gijs & Sabine]

I have also heard people talk about using frontline..(cat and dog flea stuff) with good results, however I have not used this myself...

A few years ago somebody gave us a ratsnake. He was covered with mite all over:mad: . We used frontline and it worked perfectly, after a few days he was clean!

Here in Holland we have a guy who is selling mites (Dutchy's) that hunt down the mites in your terrarium ( I don''t know how these are called in english)
I have never used this, but a friend of us have used it on his insect terrariums ( beetles, spiders) and with great results. The good thing is you don't have to use any chemicals, the Dutchy's are a natural thing. And when all the mites are eaten the Dutchy's die after 6 weeks.
Here is a link, but it's a Dutch site;)
Refona - Respect For Nature (http://www.refona.nl/index.php?pagina=dutchys)

Sabine

[CrazyHedgehog]

Mites that get the mites... what an excellent idea...I have a friend who keeps hissing cockroaches...they caught mites, but of course she could not use any of the meds as they killed the roaches too... will pass this info on..

[Gijs & Sabine]

Hi CrazyHedgehog,
our friend has used the "Dutchy's" on cockroaches as well. And this worked perfectly. And because you don't live that far away, maybe this guy can send these predators to your friend.

Good luck,
Sabine

[zirliz]

I lost a Garter snake to mites during the summer a month after buying her, :(

[chloe]

I use frontline, spray it on to a bit of tissue and wipe it on and i change all the bedding to newspaper as mites can't grip to newspaper.

I have also used tea tree oil and bathed the snakes in it and put a few drops in the corners of the viv, this has worked well for me too.

[drache]

has anyone here has had mites in one enclosure and it didn't spread?
one of my enclosures has mites and I'm being super careful
so far I haven't seen them in any of my other tanks
but where did they come from?

[ScimitarX]

We use Zoo-Med Mite-off, as well as regularly bathing the snakes in warm water and a total clean out of the enclosure seems to do it for us. Takes awhile to work, but it does ebventually, im really careful with what chemicals i use because i once had a pair of garters that died after having a reaction to some spray. Yes, Rhea, we get the same problem, only certain animals get them and then it doesnt spread to the rest of the enclosures, ive always wondered why as well.

[drache]

and then it doesnt spread to the rest of the enclosures, ive always wondered why as well.

well, I'm relieved to hear that it won't necessarily spread
I'd hate to have to treat everybody

[flakgunner]

hey,
Not long ago,I had mites go thru afew of my set-ups,my son bought and then ,didn't want a Indo Gartersnake.I took it,along with it's mites,I removed all of the substrate,and put down newspaper,removed all of the branches,and kept a hiding box and fresh water,I used Jurassimite (@petsmart),on the setups and sprayed it into my hands and coated the affected snakes,within two weeks they where gone.

Joe

[garterking7]

I ordered a product called Provent -a- Mite and it worked so that is a possibility that anyone could use but I dont remember were I got it.

[Kurly1]

Kinda hate to ask this but I have to. What exactly is a mite and how do you tell if your garter has them? My son caught his garter about 6 weeks ago and so far we haven't noticed anything unusual about his scales or anything. We also haven't seen anything in his terrarium that we bought shortly after he was caught.

[drache]

Kinda hate to ask this but I have to. What exactly is a mite and how do you tell if your garter has them? My son caught his garter about 6 weeks ago and so far we haven't noticed anything unusual about his scales or anything. We also haven't seen anything in his terrarium that we bought shortly after he was caught.

mites are really tiny
I realized that my guys had 'em because tiny dark specks were floating in the water dish
you can also find out whether your snake has them, if you wipe the snake with a slightly damp white cloth and look at the cloth - but only if your eye-sight is good
they're very tiny darks brown specks that move around - my daughter sees them
I heard that one can see them with a magnifying glass

[Josh]

I bet almost every one who read that went to check i know i did.

[garterking7]

I used a product called Provent -a- Mite and it worked.

[GarterGirl]

One of my cages (drache's too),
has mites. It's the baby's cage.
Luckily, it didn't spread. We're
still trying to get rid of it though.

[Dianemike1997]

I had mite problems with my pet mouse. A pet store owner suggested using 50% water mixed with 50% Listerine. (The one the is plain,no flavoring.) I made a bath mixture and dipped my mouse in it. You can actually see the dead mites floating in the mixture after the bath. The shop owner says he uses this method with his reptiles in the store,and his pets at home. You can also use the solution in a spray bottle.

[Lulu Bennett]

what are the long-term effects from mites?

[KITKAT]

I am still successfully using frontline.

But I know I am in the minority!:eek:

[CrazyHedgehog]

I had mite problems with my pet mouse. A pet store owner suggested using 50% water mixed with 50% Listerine. (The one the is plain,no flavoring.) I made a bath mixture and dipped my mouse in it. You can actually see the dead mites floating in the mixture after the bath. The shop owner says he uses this method with his reptiles in the store,and his pets at home. You can also use the solution in a spray bottle.

Is this for real? what a good idea!!
I had a few mice with what seemed like tiny maggots, when I was setting up I was buying mice from here there and everwhere to get enough to start, some came in a poor state..I separated them from the rest and used a proprietry mouse de flea stuff... seemed to clear them, but very expensive...this seems like a better idea!

[Sid]

what are the long-term effects from mites?

Lulu, If untreated the effects are often death for the reptile.

Sid

[drache]

oh man
before I left I totally cleaned the two tanks with snakes that had mites
one of those now appears to be clear (will treat one more time though)
but another tank was totally infested upon my return
interestingly it's the tank with the snake that I had suspected of bringing them in in the first place, even though I'd seen no evidence on her or in her tank before
hm
damn!
pesky little buggers
after I cleaned and treated her and her tank I did a complete strip-down and shower myself because I'm so paranoid to spread them now
part of me wanted to clean that entire part of the house, but I just don't have the energy and it's probably not necessary

[garterking]

oh man
before I left I totally cleaned the two tanks with snakes that had mites
one of those now appears to be clear (will treat one more time though)
but another tank was totally infested upon my return
interestingly it's the tank with the snake that I had suspected of bringing them in in the first place, even though I'd seen no evidence on her or in her tank before
hm
damn!
pesky little buggers
after I cleaned and treated her and her tank I did a complete strip-down and shower myself because I'm so paranoid to spread them now
part of me wanted to clean that entire part of the house, but I just don't have the energy and it's probably not necessary

Just a suggestion I had thought to share. I wash my hands in between handling each new snake. Just 1 of these little buggers on your hand from one snake will attach itself to the next one. If they are in seperate cages, you've just infected the rest. Just my opinion.

Mike

[drache]

Just a suggestion I had thought to share. I wash my hands in between handling each new snake. Just 1 of these little buggers on your hand from one snake will attach itself to the next one. If they are in seperate cages, you've just infected the rest. Just my opinion.

Mike

I do that also, but I think it wasn't enough
I think I need to either change my clothes as well or have some kind of apron

[KITKAT]

oh man
before I left I totally cleaned the two tanks with snakes that had mites
one of those now appears to be clear (will treat one more time though)
but another tank was totally infested upon my return
interestingly it's the tank with the snake that I had suspected of bringing them in in the first place, even though I'd seen no evidence on her or in her tank before
hm
damn!
pesky little buggers
after I cleaned and treated her and her tank I did a complete strip-down and shower myself because I'm so paranoid to spread them now
part of me wanted to clean that entire part of the house, but I just don't have the energy and it's probably not necessary

How big is her tank? If it is smaller than your tub, I suggest you haul it in there, and fill the tub to the top of the tank. Add some bleach and laundry soap (the liquid kind) and soak overnight. Next day, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse... and rinse, rinse, rinse rinse...yada yada

[drache]

How big is her tank? If it is smaller than your tub, I suggest you haul it in there, and fill the tub to the top of the tank. Add some bleach and laundry soap (the liquid kind) and soak overnight. Next day, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse... and rinse, rinse, rinse rinse...yada yada

yup
doing that
on a happier note - now that I'm back and on top of things, the evidence is declining