Multiple species in one enclosure

[Albert Clark]

He was on the opposite side of the room on paper towels. I only saw one mite and I promptly killed him and then cleaned the crap out of the cage. Over the next few days I gave him a couple of soaks betadine. I am watching the other snakes very closely and have not seen any problems yet.

Imo, you should still consider treating your collection prophylactically. If you saw one , then you missed 101. That is the mentality you have to have when it comes to mites! It is ok to treat your other herps as if they have been exposed.

[Tommytradix]

Imo, you should still consider treating your collection prophylactically. If you saw one , then you missed 101. That is the mentality you have to have when it comes to mites! It is ok to treat your other herps as if they have been exposed.

the eggs are so tiny and can be anywhere!!

[Tommytradix]

also check your snakes under their chin and near the vent that is where they like to lay eggs. check around eyes too

[guidofatherof5]

Newly hatched mites are invisible to the naked eye. Everything in the area should be treated as toxic.

[AntTheDestroyer]

I want to thank everyone for their concern. I most definitely will pick up some provent-a-mite. As for treating with out any evidence I just don't believe in that. I will continue to keep an eye on them with my provent-a-mite handy.

[guidofatherof5]

I understand not wanting to treat but this is a situation that warrants treatment. The problem with snake mites is once you see them and recognize you have a problem, the problem is 1000 times worse then if you would have treated immediately. These bugs start out as something you won't see but they will be feeding on your snakes anyway. By the time you see them the population has exploded and spread. This isn't a wait and see situation. You have to be aggressive and diligent. I am sounding the alarm bell and yelling "fire". Please, don't take light of this serious situation. No offense meant.

[AntTheDestroyer]

I hear what you are saying and I took the snakes in that room out and cleaned the crap out of their cages and now they are all on paper towels for a bit. I refuse to use a chemical that is potentially deadly on my snakes if there is no proof they need it.

[Albert Clark]

Well, good luck then and I truly hope you are in the clear. On a side note , if the proventamite is used as per the instructions there really is no threat to your collection. That's all. The benefits outweigh the potential infestation.

[AntTheDestroyer]

Well, good luck then and I truly hope you are in the clear. On a side note , if the proventamite is used as per the instructions there really is no threat to your collection. That's all. The benefits outweigh the potential infestation.

You could say that a lot of things people put into their bodies, but that does not in any way mean they are good for you.

[d_virginiana]

It's kind of like vaccines... Yes, there's a very small risk you'll have a bad reaction to one (I'm actually part of that very small percentage; had to get CDC clearance for my medical exemptions to attend college/grad school... It seriously would've been simpler to pretend I had a religious reason!) but the risk of not getting them is much higher.

I agree with not treating for most things when they aren't present... I know some people who automatically treat all new snakes for mites regardless. I'm not into that (one of the reasons I prefer a completely separate QT room). But when you have a known exposure of something as aggressive as mites it really is worth going ahead and treating. Even wearing the same clothes between holding the snake with mites and the others can spread them.

If you're wrong and they have spread but you wait until you see them, the treatment will probably take a lot longer, and IMO that would be much more dangerous than the lighter 'preventative' treatment.