Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Mites...Noticing the little creeps in the middle of the night is probably not the best way to spend an evening home with the family....especially with two squeemish teen girls pointing out every little speck of dust (insert girly screams and giddy laughter)......

i noticed that my dryer vent was pushed inside from a birds nest....i had eggs and all laying on my kitchen floor......mom and dad birds nowhere to be found....glad they are not MY parents....i have since been keeping the eggs warm (which are probably already "gone"but noticed there are ALOT of mites in and around the nest.....they have gotten into most of the house....in bedding and almost everywhere....

i have only "looked" at my snakes....sorta of afraid to handle them in fear of giving them the little critters.....mind you, my snakes are all in custom enclosures and during "looking glass" exams...i have not seen any mites on them.....

i have never had to deal with mites.....how do i rid my home of them....and how do i...if they have come in contact....rid my snakes of these pests??....

i am very hands on with my snakes and it's killing me not to be able to take them out.....maybe i am overreacting...but better safe than sorry...

i would appreciate any advise anyone had to offer....thanks

I don't think the mites you are encountering will effect your reptiles, but I am not 100% sure.

Get a "no pest strip" & hang it in the room where the bird eggs are & it should take care of the problem within a week or two. Again, I do not think your snakes will be effected at all by these mites.

Good luck
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CB

"I post because I'm bored"

Would Provent-A-Mite spray work? I hear that stuff kills insects for weeks.
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0.0.2 Bearded Dragons(Ziggy and Stardust)
0.1.0 Royal/Ball Python(Not named yet)

Proventa mite is the best product EVER. I would get it to spray onto your collection just to be sure. It wouldnt hurt...
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"i wasn't born with enough middle fingers"

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 JCP-Milton
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.1.1 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
1.4 ratties Rizzo, Bree, Blitzkreig, Raisin, and the Runt (R.I.P. Willard. )

I've used Provent-a-Mite one time for Eastern Brown snakes & it worked great, but I wouldn't use it unless there was a problem to begin with. It can't be healthy/good for the animals to constantly be subjected to the fumes/residue in the cage. I know you let it dry, but the residue is still in the cage, and it's a poison.

JMO
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CB

"I post because I'm bored"

We have been using a product called "Reptile Relief" ever since Black Knight was taken off the market.....its a natural product that is very safe....
Here is a quote from the label.

"Kills mites on contact! This Product does not use poisons or other toxins to achieve results, so mites do not become resistant, Thus, the product never loses effectiveness."

Hope this helps.

Kevin
Link

I've heard of it, but have only had mites 1 time in the last 13 years or so, and used Provent-a-Mite, wich did work very well.

Thanks
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CB

"I post because I'm bored"

The only time Iv'e encountered mites was when a friend brought his burm to my house when he went on vacation. I was busy at the time and did't have time to check on the snake until two days later. When I did I noticed mites all in the cage. Needed to act fast because my snakes were in another room, didn't want them to get infested. Called my vet. And was told since black knight was no longer on the market, he had been using reptile relief. Picked up a bottle and it did the job. What I like about it you can spray it directly on the animal. I will always keep a bottle on hand just in case.

pyrethrins is the active agent to kill your mites...anything with it can kill them. There are special products any pet store can sell you with small amounts of this in it and you can spray it directly on your birds. For your reptiles, prevent-a-mite would be a great product to PREVENT them from infesting because once they do they are a huge pain. You need to romeve the animal and let the cage air out for a long time and if you have a lot of animals this will be a timely process. If the animals do have mites the prevent-a-mite will help get rid of them but i would follow it up with a less potent product you can put directly on the snake (like mite rx). If you wish you can use the same product you are using for the birds but I would call your vet and tell them what other ingredients are in the specific product you are using. Also you should provide large water dishes for the snakes to soak if they in fact have mites they will want them off as much as you do and drowning can kill mites and they might do more to kill them on your own than half the products on the market...good luck

You can still find buyable pyrethrins where you live?
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"Isn't sanity just a one-trick pony, anyway? I mean, all you get is that one trick: rational thought.
But when you're good and crazy, man, the sky's the limit!"

1.0 BP Rescued from street
1 Double-yellow headed Amazon
2 Tiels
6 cats (rescues)
1 Cocker (rescue)

Insecticides won't help, because mites aren't insects (they're arachnids). You'll need to buy a miticide at your local hardware or wherever you can purchase chemical. Bird mites can be a real PITA. Be prepared to be very thorough because you'll need to battle all stages of the infestation (eggs to adult), so you'll be doing a lot of search & destroy. Hope this helps. I used to run a pest control company before I got into law enforcement.
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"Isn't sanity just a one-trick pony, anyway? I mean, all you get is that one trick: rational thought.
But when you're good and crazy, man, the sky's the limit!"

1.0 BP Rescued from street
1 Double-yellow headed Amazon
2 Tiels
6 cats (rescues)
1 Cocker (rescue)