Provent-a-Mite (Usage)

[guidofatherof5]

A few years ago I had some wild caught snake infected with mites. Before I recognize it as mites I had an infestation(it doesn't take long).
If you've never had to deal with reptile mites count yourself lucky. Mites have to be treated like a contageous disease. NEVER TAKE THEM LIGHTLY. They have the ability to kill snake(especially babies) and spread other infections to your collection.
I tried many different ways to get rid of them. Soap and water. Sevin powder. "Nature's Chemestry" and a lot of prayers. The mites would appear to be gone only to return within a month or so.
For 6 months I fought the battle and lost a few babies along the way.
I then bought a can of Provent-a-mite. I followed the directions but lost a few babies after its application.
Before I go further I must tell you that Provent-a-mite in its liquid form is deadly. Once dried it is much safer.
Losing babies was very disturbing so I contacted the company. A short time after leaving a message I received a phone call from the company's owner and developer of the product.
He gave me the following advice when using the product.
First he said that most people over-use the product and waste it. A 1 second spray per square foot is all that is needed.
Second he said that people don't wait for the product to dry properly. He also said that if it's used in an aquarium or other poorly ventilated enclosure the vapors will pool and not dry as readily. He suggested that those type of enclosures should be fanned out to insure the product has dried.
This was one of the reasons I lost a few babies.
Since using this product my collection has been mite free. I highly reccommend it.
Keeping in mind it is very dangerous until it has dried.
I always keep a can on the shelf.


Pro-Products | Provent-a-Mite

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I always keep a can of provent a mite here. Sometimes when you come home from a show you have brought home extra presents and don't even realize it. mites. I have run into them twice, The first time was when i was pretty new to the snake expo world and didnt even know snakes could get them. i brought them home on my first carpet python, Kisses and it took a week before I even realized they were EVERYWHERE. thankfully provent a mite is the most WONDERFUL PRODUCT EVER INVENTED! The second time, I was not able to pinpoint the exact source but I am a lot smarter today than I was back then so they were unable to spread too far before I nipped them gooooood. Do not waste your time with other products and don't buy generic lice spray. But yes, this product in it's wet form is very dangerous ESPECIALLY to tiny snakes like a garter. It MUST be dried thoroughly before the snakes are allowed to be put back in. if you follow the instructions on the can to the T... you will be okay! I use provent a mite on any new acquisitions I get no matter where they come from. All it takes is ONE MITE hiding in the chin flap of ONE SNAKE to cause an infestation.

[infernalis]

Very good advice... Thanks Steve & Shannon.

[guidofatherof5]

Just giving this a bump.

[RicMartin]

Thanks Steve. Mites are nasty.

[ssssnakeluvr]

I might have to get some. I used to use Repel without DEET from Walmart... worked just as well and was a lot cheaper.... jerks quit carrying it... I never lost any babies with it...but I will definitely keep it in mind when I get it. I am going to the Repticon Salt Lake City as a vendor at the end of this month. I have unfortunately ended up with mites occasionally after these shows.... we have a local pets store that sucks big time.. vendors next to them ended up with mites in their collections.

[annulataarethebest]

Yeah provent a mite is easily the best... I used a "mite killing" spray I bought from a pet store because I couldn't wait for the provent a mite to arrive in the mail, and needless to say that spray killed the snake and the mites were still alive. Instructions on the bottle even said to spray directly on the snake... I should've known better. Spray the enclosure/tub and substrate, let it sit for a hour and you're good to go. The unfortunate thing about provent a mite is it doesn't kill all mites, like wood mites, I used to keep snakes in my basement and their cages would be FULL of little bugs crawling around. I'd wipe hundreds and hundreds of the bugs off the lids daily, change the water bowl that would full of dead bugs, and spray new substrate with provent a mite, and the next day they'd be back like they never left. So I moved the snakes a couple floors up in my house, no wood mites.
Someone needs to invent the Provent-A-Proventable-Mite.

[candoia aspera]

I use a product called Ardap which is a fantastic way of getting rid of the horrible little beggars.
Take the snake out of their cages, take out their water and then spray the cage. wait for an hour put the snake back in and leave without water for 24 hours. The Ardap stays active for up to 6 weeks it not only kills the adults but also breaks the life cycle of the mites as they die as soon as they hatch.

The other product i use is defender mites "Hypoaspis miles" which are predatory mites that pray on other mites but leave your snake alone. They are much smaller than snake mites and attack snake mites in huge numbers and kill them. They can't climb very well but provided that they have a source of food i.e. snake mites, they will live up to 6 months. The best conditions for them to thrive is in temperatures of 16 - 30 degrees celcius, 60.8 - 86 degrees fahrenheit and humidiy of 60% +. I've used them with fantastic success but if you have a natural set up with spring tails this won't be the product for you as they literally decimate all insect beasties they come across. This is normally used by gardeners to control pests but works so well that snake keepers have started to utilise them.

[guidofatherof5]

Ardap mite spray 200ml

[mikem]

I use Rid. It's for lice. I get it at walmart for $5. Never had any negative reactions from it. Use it just like you would provent-a-mite.