Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello- I need help. I work at a small nature center in Sanford ,NC. We house various types of native NC snakes and other reptiles. Recently a new naturalist was hired who doesn't know anything about caring for the snakes, and now she gets to control what goes on. Two weeks ago, she went to Wal-Mart and bought eucalyptus mulch for $1 a bag to use a substrate in the snake enclosures. Now we have bugs!! These bugs are small, white, and have legs when we look at them under the microscope. They look like grains of rice. We first noticed them in our corn snake's water dish and now they are on over half of our enclosures, even the ones that we didn't change out the substrate in. Are they snake mites??? Either way, how can we get rid of them? What is the best substrate to use for snakes? I want to get substrate that is natural and comfortable for the snakes and also looks nice because these snakes are on display to the public, so the substrate has to look nice. My boss is determined that the bugs will go away on their own and her eucalyptus mulch is wonderful!!! I strongly disagree and I think something needs to be done, whether they are snake mites or not, our snakes don't need to be living with bugs!!! Thank you for any help you can give me!!!

Luckily, those aren't snake mites. I have seen those exact bugs in moist mulch before that is sold in outdoor garden centers. They aren't harmful to the snakes, but they aren't something you want to see in the substrate either. I would toss all the mulch that is in their individual enclosures, check each snake thoroughly before individually bagging them up securely(or putting in any individual containers). Then put a couple several inch cut pieces of "no pest strip"(Dichlorvos) in the snake enclosures for 24 hours to kill the bugs. Then keep a close eye on things afterwards, and repeat if necessary.

Mulch looks much better than aspen or pine for display purposes, but unless it is the TREATED kind, it can also harbor plenty of nasties too(as you now know..LOL!) You can either buy treated bark/mulch, but it can get a bit expensive, or simply "bake" your own mulch spread out in an oven for a while at a fairly low setting to kill any unwanted pests.

Tell that inexperienced boss of yours to .."get with the program!"..LOL!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Thanks, this really helps!! And the comment at the end made my day!! =) I REALLY wish I could tell her that!!! LOL

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

DMong gave you very good advice. Sounds like you got some untreated mulch-that can be a good thing. Some of the treated mulch has pesticides that are harmful for reptiles. I would use a product from Walmart called Equate Bedding Spray. This is the same exact formula as Provent A Mite used to treat reptile cages but the Equate costs much less. The Equate does not have instructions for use on reptiles on the can like Provent A Mite does. To treat the mulch open each new bag and spray a small amount of the Equate inside and reseal the bag and let it sit for 3-4 days. Air out the mulch before using.

The most important thing with Equate or Provent A Mite is never spray a reptile directly. For cage use remove animal and water bowl, spray cage substrate lightly, let it dry 30 minutes, and then replace animal/water bowl. The drying step is very important. Give this spray time to work as it breaks down the exoskeleton of insects and will rid your cages of them. Bill
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

Thanks, I appreciate all of the suggestions and I will suggest this stuff to my boss and see if I can convince her to do something about the bugs! Thanks again!