Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I got a problem.. my female green tree has mites and i need to get rid of them fast. and im not going to lose pro-vent a mite. cuz i have had bad luck with it and i followed all the directions. what do i do??
Thanks Brandon

prevent a mite is your best bet! just keep your water bowl out for at least two hours and spray the bottom of the cage.Then i would use paper towl for substrate so you can watch for dead mites and repeat a couple of times.What happend the last time you used it?? kevin

A few years ago I purchased some farmed import babies and they came to me with mites. I treated them with Provent-a-mite just as the label directed and it worked like a charm for me.

I would recommend going with a basic tub set up, just use paper substrate. It wasn't hard to get rid of the mites for me. Just keep them in quarantine until you are 100% certain they are all dead and the life cycle for any possible eggs that may have been laid is past.

Good luck. I would be aware that gtps are a bit more sensitive to toxic chemicals than many snakes so care must be taken when treating with any product.

There are some that have used NIX (I think is the name) successfully but I have no experience with that so won't speak to that treatment method.

I also use Provent-a-mite with great success. Wiped down the snake, sprayed the cage and no more mites. Do not use immediately before or after shed. Here is a link to mixing up Nix if you want to try that:http://cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52545
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an aerosol bedding spray that is the same composition as the one previously mentioned. You can also get the Wal-Mart brand or the CVS and Walgreens brand for a FRACTION of the price.

I've used this on a chondro that came to me infested with mites and here's what I did.

First, spray the animal off with plenty of clean fresh water. If you live in a climate where this is possible to do outside, just use the garden hose. This washes off any loose mites or eggs, but also gives the chondro an opportunity to get a good drink of fresh water. This is important to do before treating chondros.

Second, after the animal has stopped drinking, LIGHTLY spray the animal with the bedding spray. Let this sit for about 5-10 minutes and then rinse. Spray the entire cage and let dry. Be sure to remove the water bowl until you are certain all elements are completely dry. You might even want to wait a day or two before putting water back in the cage. If you have a quarantine tub, use this until the cage is dry. Throw away any pourous objects such as hides, wood perches, plants, etc.....mites love this stuff. Replace any bedding with WHITE paper towels so you can see any mites that may linger.

This is all I did. It took one treatment and I haven't seen a mite since. If you have to treat more than once, do so. I think the egg cycle on mites is around 10-14 days so if you're seeing mites still, I would do this on the 7th and 14th day. When spraying the chondro, I would suggest either taking the animal out, or cleaning the cage before spraying. This pestecide may have residual effects and the chondro could end up drinking water droplets with poisons mixed in. The best thing to do is KEEP THINGS SIMPLE until you are sure they are gone.

Good luck.

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www.brandonosbornereptiles.com

I have used NIX since day one and swear by the stuff...

I know it works, so I have not had the need to desire to try anything else...
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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

Equate also makes a bedding spray, which I'm pretty sure is the same as the NIX, but the Walmart brand/price. I used it with success, but I didn't spray any of my animals, nor did I rinse them.

I removed all animals and water bowls, cleaned each enclosure, and then sprayed all surfaces w/ Equate. I allowed to dry and air out for about 4 hours before replacing animals and water. Worked great! No adverse effects. The mites only need contact with the dry treated surfaces.

I now use this w/ all new aquisitions regardless of the source. Enclosures are sprayed at least 4 hrs prior to receiving the new animal, after which it goes into quarantine for 3 months (one additional treatment of enclosure after the 1 month mark). Why yes, as a matter of fact I AM extremely cautious
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"He who would stifle debate rather than engage in it, does so at the expense of his integrity and credibility"

Mike Curtin

When you spray the entire snake, what about critical areas, the head?

What about -- eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, pits?

Don't you worry about ingestion or absorption through mucus membranes?

Of course, the head is is the number one place for the mites to attack.

jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

I don't mean douse the snake until it's dripping. Just a very light spray with do the trick. I did spray the head and the entire body....heat pits, nostrils, eyes, chin, everything. I've only had to do this with one animal, so you bring up some very important questions. As I said before, give the animal an ample amount of time get drink before applying the spray. Once you feel it is done drinking, spray and let the animal sit with the spray for about 10 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. You will see the mites falling off immediately.

Good luck.

Brandon Osborne
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www.brandonosbornereptiles.com