Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have recently discovered a horrible infestation of mites in my collection. I have not acquired any new animals in at least five months. The pair were both quarintined for 90days before intro to my snake room.

The only new things added to my snake room is caging.... 1 week after recieving the cages my collection had been riddled with mites. Cages were brand new shipped from a supplier.

I breed my own rodents and have not added any new blood to them for over 9 months.

So my questions are.

Is it possible to get mites from cages?

What is the best way to treat rack setups?

How long should or can allow the snakes soak in mite off solution?

Thanks for all answers, I was hoping the info at top would help determine the where and assist in the responses.

Call Pro Exotics in Denver and order Black Nite from them. They will tell you everything you will need to do and they will direct you very thoroughly and you will be free of mites very fast. I have never had a mite problem but I use black nite on some of my caging things as a precautionary measure so I never have them.

Good Luck,
Bill
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0.1 Het Albino
0.1 Spider Het Albino
1.0 Albino
0.1 Spinner
2.1 Super Pastel
0.1 Jungle Pastel
0.1 Het Pied
1.0 Pied 50 percent
0.1 Clown
1.1 Het Lavenders
1.1 Het Caramel Albino
0.3 Normal
1.1 Kids
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Chocolate Lab

I've never personally heard of mites coming in on caging, but I suppose there is always the possibility. Have you been to any reptile shows or pet shops lately? Had any fellow herpers over? The little buggers can hitch hike in on clothes.

Another thing-I've used mite off, and it's crap. Get yourself some black knight, provent-a-mite, or permathrin tick repellant. If you use black knight, be sure to get instructions on how to use it from the person you buy it from. With the other two, DO NOT spray the snake. You use the spray on the caging and cage accessories and reintroduce the snake when the spray has dried. They all work 1000 times better than mite off.
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Snakes:
1.1 gray banded kingsnake
1.1 california kingsnake
1.1 kenyan sand boa
1.1 western hognose snake
0.1 albino checkered garter
1.0 florida blue garter
1.1 het anery red sided garter
1.1 reverse oketee corn snake
1.1 blood red corn snake
0.1 amel striped corn
1.0 amel 66% het striped corn
1.1 het albino ball python
1.1 het ghost ball python
0.1 spider ball python
1.0 pastel ball python
1.1 mojave ball python
1.0 butter ball python
0.1 ringer ball python
1.0 African dinker ball python
0.3 normal ball python
1.0 piebald ball python
0.1 het piebald ball python
0.1 Genetic Stripe Ball Python
1.0 Het Genetic Stripe Ball Python
0.1 Mystic Ball Python

Turtles
1-eastern box turtle
2-spotted turtle
2-eastern/midland painted turtle intergrade
1.0-common musk turtle
1-Pink bellied sideneck
6-Northern red belly

Invertebrates
0.1 southern black widow
1-Tanzanian Giant Tailless whipscorpion

Amphibians
0.1 Ornate Horned Frog

Birds:
1.1 red avadavit
2-blue breasted cordon blue
1.1-black cheeked waxbill
0.1-star finch
1.0-Java rice sparrow
2.0-owl finch
1.0-hybrid munia
0.1-White bellied caique

Fish
2-corydoras cats
1-African upside down cat

normal stuff
0.1 black lab

If the rack seller had mites you can get them from the cages. If you've had someone over to visit or been to visit someone else's collection, been to a pet shop or been to a show - you can get mites. Sometimes you can get them in stuff you pick up from the pet store. They travel well.

If you've got an infestation -- you'll probably want to bomb your snake room because you've likely got eggs in the carpet and any other nook and cranny. Goes without saying remove all the animals first.

Black Knight will work well on the racks and tubs - Pro Exotics doesn't carry it anymore but I believe you can still get it from the Bean Farm. Get the racks and tubs real good with it - and when it drys you can put back the snakes and water bowls.

For immediate relief to the snakes douse them with some Reptile Relief -- directions say you can apply with a towel - but I recommend really soaking them down with it -- let them sit for a few minutes and then rinse them off and then give them a good long water soak.

If you clean a tub make sure you reapply the BK and then do another sweep of the entire area in a month. You can even apply it to the carpets and surrounding area.

This should get rid of them. The chances are pretty good that you've managed to spread them around the house -- but if you treat the room the snakes are in -- they won't be able to get to them and should die.

Good luck.
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Tosha
JET Pythons
Toshas Blog

Herp Medicine does not equal a bottle of Baytril - Dr. Scott Stahl

Sometimes mites come out of nowhere. There is no real saying how you got them. Could me that mites just wandered into your house and found a great home in your snake collection. Provent a mite is super easy and takes care of them in two sprayings usually.

remove animals from room after washing them in the bath tub with luke warm water. Bomb the room...wash bowls and hides in dish washer...bomb again in two weeks....wash snakes and water bowls again. First bomb is for the mites, second bomb is for the eggs that will hatch during the two week period. I got them in a big bag of aspen and the room was so infested that I would have them ALL over my feet when I would take one step in the room. This is what I did, and I haven't seen a mite yet in over a year....good luck.

I switched to aspen about 1 1/2 years ago because it seemed like I was getting them almost everytime I changed my bedding. At the time I was using Kambark shredded cypress I love the stuff but damn it was like every other time I changed the bedding POW the little [bleep]s showed up. So now I stick with aspen and (knock on wood) I havent seen any.
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Damian Macioce
www.strongholdreptiles.com

I stopped using bedding all together because of this...i use unprinted newspaper. Every once in a while when i need to bring up humidity i will use that coco fiber looking stuff that comes in a brick form and you have to add water to it.