Ok, so I am using Cypress mulch as substrate, and I check for mites alot, on the snake and in the mulch. Today Imoved the half log he hides in sometimes and found a lot of tiny white bugs. I checked the log, and it is infested, along with a couple places in the mulch. I am going to assume if they are in one place, they are everywhere. I took out my snake and checked him up and down, and I can't for the life of me see a single bug on him. What the heck are these bugs, and should I be concerned. I am thinking of getting all new mulch, and a new log and everything today.
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Mites?
titustetricus
May 22, 2004 12:24 PM
Replies (3)
Jeff Clark
May 22, 2004 06:34 PM
Titustertricus,
. Snake mites are white (actually a light off white color) for only a very short time after they hatch and before they start drinking snake blood. I would guess that the insects came with the log. I would get rid of all the substrate and clean the cage very thoroughly. If they come back again you may need to treat the cage with chemicals. Provent-a-mite or one of the other products with Permethrin would be my first choice to kill any insects that could not be cleaned out without using chemicals.
Good luck,
Jeff
>>Ok, so I am using Cypress mulch as substrate, and I check for mites alot, on the snake and in the mulch. Today Imoved the half log he hides in sometimes and found a lot of tiny white bugs. I checked the log, and it is infested, along with a couple places in the mulch. I am going to assume if they are in one place, they are everywhere. I took out my snake and checked him up and down, and I can't for the life of me see a single bug on him. What the heck are these bugs, and should I be concerned. I am thinking of getting all new mulch, and a new log and everything today.
titustetricus
May 23, 2004 05:16 PM
Thanks for the info Jeff. I got a new bag of cypress mulch, and a new log, and replaced everything after a nice thorough cleaning. I still haven't seen anything on the snake, so I think he's ok.
triniian
May 23, 2004 05:38 PM
Cook your cypress in the oven @ 350 degrees for 20mins a day before using.
No more mite problems from the substrate. Ever.
Good Luck.
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