Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hellow all so unfortunetly i got a snake from a reptile shop here and i didnt notice it had mites untill it was tolate(stupid me for not properly quarentine) ive tried reptile relief on its own for the tank and snakes reptile relief and a water bleach solution to sanitize the tank ive tried soaking the snakes all of witch helped but never completely got rid of the mites so now i recently tried predator mites wich worked great untill the humidity dropped now not being able to constantly keep humidity up have left these un effective so now i really i wana try a diferent predator bug i was thinking the ladybug beetle does anyone have any input as to this weather it would be harmful for the snakes or not (1 yellow anaconda 24'', 1 burm 5 ft and 3 boas full grown)

I can't say that I have tried the "natural" predator approach, but I have tried many of the other mite treatment methods over the last 30 years of keeping snakes.

The only thing that has worked consistently and thoroughly and safely is Provent-a-mite. You generally have to order it online and it is expensive, but it will solve your mite problem.
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Since the new acquisition harbored a mite infestataion, there is no telling what else you may have exposed the rest of your collection to and mites can be vectors for a variety of pathogens, both mechanically and biologically.
There are a variety of ways to successfully deal with a mite infestation, as predatory insectes may work well to eliminate mites during the deutonymph and adult stages of teh life cycle, but are relatively ineffective at eradicating such during the egg, larva and protonymph stages, so recurring infestations are possible. many people have successfully used teh commercial product "Provent-a-Mite" spray and all I have heard leads me to believe the product is safe and effective, if used as directed. There are also those who chose to use Ivermectin diluted in water to create a 2% solution for spraying onto their animals and vivarium. To make a 2% Ivermectin solution, you would want to mix 2ml of Ivermectin to 98ml of water, which would give yuo a 25 solution for spraying. Keep in mind, Ivermectin generally requires a prescription from a veterinarin to obtain, though some farm supply stores may offer such OTC, depending upon your locality.
Good luck and in the future, remember to always quarantine new acquisitions at least 60-90 days...

Best regards,

Jeff
-----
Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

Okay, the above post should have read: 2% solution for spraying, not 25 solution! ;0)

Jeff
-----
Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

In the old days I used vapona strip, I'v never herd of it being used on the forums.
I found mites on a new snake that was in quarintine, The only thing I could find was Zoo med Mite off, one aplication as directed and I havent seen mites on the snake for three months.

Dichlorvos (Vapona), while effective in the eradication of mites and a variety of other pests, has been found to an acute adverse effect on the neurological system of reptiles and, in high enough concentrations, humans! I was quite concerned to find several hundred, if not thousands, of them hanging within an enclosed market area in Southeast Asia during a trip several years back.
We have come a long way since the Shell Corporation first placed Vapona on the market as a commercial pest strip and a few old timers might remember the old Shell No-Pest strips back in the early 60’s, as I know many used to hang such within their herp rooms…

Best regards,

Jeff
-----
Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947