Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I want to use something to eliminate the wood lice that I find in cypress mulch.

I have read that NIX can be sprayed (spray bottle, not aerosal can) onto the mulch and the snake can be put back before it dries. I have also read that the product can be sprayed directly onto the snake. Of course, there are some who say the product must be used just like Provent-a-Mite....pain in the butt.

Please share your experience with this product.
Also, can NIX be used as a preventative mite treatment??

Thank you,
Brian

Hi there,
I have seen a ton of posts in diffrent forums for this info. Nix is good, but not the best. If that is all you have then use it, but if you can get pemetherin 10% youll be headache free after one treatment. You can get it from feed stores.
Nix, in a safe dose to balls, is 14 parts H20 to 1 part Nix. This is a SAFE dose, it can still be more concentrated, but watch out. You must remove all water in the cage for 24 hours, or until the nix spray is relatively dry. the snake should not be able to drink what you spray in the cage, so dont let the Nix pool. Soak the bedding and snake. This kills mites and other insects on contact. The residual will kill for 24 hours.
If you can locate permetherin 10%, use 3/4 ounce to one gallon of H20, with 4 to 5 drops of liquid dish soap(ie: Ajax, palmalive, etc). Use same application as Nix, but this does the trick with just one treatment. You can also spray this around the hoouse and snake room. It can discolor carpet and fabric, so be careful. If you have any more ?'s you can contact me. Hope this helps.

I have used the Nix aerosol for a number of years. It is used the same way you would use Prevent a Mite, they both have the same active ingredient (Permethrin). When I bring animals back from a show I always treat their cage before putting them back in and have never had a problem. I also used it to get rid of ticks on some wild caught balls. I used it the same was as you would with mites, spray the substrate let dry then put the animal back. Being an insecticide I wouldn't recommend spraying directly on the snake.

George Knaack
GLK HERP

Nix is a great way to kill and prevent mites.. The proper mixing ratio is 1 bottle of Nix to 36oz's of water. You can spray it directly on to the animal and the bedding without a problem. I have done this with very high dollar animals without a problem. The only problem there is no residual effects meaning it is only going to kill what it comes in contact with. If you want the lasting effects buy the Nix or Equate bedding spray this will work for a few days. Make sure it dries before you put the animal back in the enclosure though.

Hope this helps

Bryan

I like NIX because when I use it it KILLs the mites fast, I have also sprayed my cages to find that it kills any mites that might crawl out of the cage. I know this because when I have had snakes that were covered in mites I spayed them and the Outside of the Cage with NIX, and the next day I will see dead mites. I use the Nix Mixture with everything new I get in now. Plus it is CHEAPER than the other stuff and works way better in my opinion. Hope this helps. Thanks David

I've heard of rare, but serious neurological problems from using NIX. This is probably concentration dependent, but I wouldn't be spraying it on my banana clown
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when life hands you lemons, make super lemons, bumblebees, etc...

The last time NIX was used by me was about 10 years ago. Mixed a small portion to dose 2 cages (had glass aquariums at that time.) Only item removed was the water dish. Entire contents of cage spritzed lightly, incl. snake, and bark, driftwood, etc. Water dish put back in 15 min. and never had to repeat treatment (still have 3/4 bottle nix sitting around in shelf. Infestation was about medium. Used on cal.king and and some corn snakes. Suggest a new snake be placed in isolation for a few days on some white paper, with hide box, water. If the little sob's show up, they're easily seen .

Mike