A way of mite prevention and treatment, informative thread.

[Tsubaki]

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/Mijt_zpsbd76d6fe.jpg
Dem little bastards...!! Took this picture many years ago.

Update! It's that time of year again, so thought I'd update this topic! It had sunken to oblivion and i see some mite topics pop up here and there.

I haven't had a mite infestation in many years, and I have frequently been asked before what I do for mite prevention. Since it was treating time again recently, thought I'd take a few pictures and share the way I treat (/preventively) against mites. My hatred against these tiny walking pieces of cr*p runs deep, and my method might be a tad of work but i think it's worth it. This is my personal way, not everyone might agree and/or work the same. I am not a fan of harsh chemicals, since I have seen what it can do to your animals.. I can tell you from personal experience, this method works for me and has worked for over a decade.

First of all, New animals i get are treated as if it has mites, they immediately get a bath and i check the water, then they are housed on crisp white paper for at least 3 months. They get either a clear glass or a white water-bowl, to make noticing mites easier. This should cover the the life-cycle of the blood-mite in such a way, that its nearly impossible to miss them as long as you're paying close attention. During this period i regularly check the paper/dish and the snake its self for mites, on the snake i make sure to check the vent / eyes and any other crevice.. Call me crazy but I'll use a loop if i have any doubts! I think it goes without saying I house my quarantined animals far away from the rest, preferably on a different floor in my house but at-least in a different room with their own tools etc etc. About half the snakes i have quarantined turned out to have mites, especially the ones from renowned breeders (such large collections are nearly impossible to keep clean)- do not mean anything degrading by this, just stating my experience. With about +/- 40 adults in my last collection it was pretty hands on to keep the mites away, can't Imagen how much work it would be for the even large collections.

If it turns out the animal indeed has mites, i use diluted nix human lice shampoo to treat it (Nix is a brand here, it doesn't have to be nix, loxazol is fine too, or any lice shampoo that works with Permethrine (1%)). I dilute it 50Ml to 1,5L.. which would be about 2 Tablespoons full to 50.oz of water (Convert yourself for exact numbers). This is very mild compared to most treatments that use insecticides, I have not heard of it causing any health issues (Besides with hognosed snakes! Do not use anything with Permethrine with hogs!). This way could be also used to treat mite infections in terrariums, the downside being you have to throw away your substrate, and it is a very hands-on method.
You use it like this: Scrub the enclosure clean with water and dry it out, then spray the solution in it and let it air dry same with hides etc. Give your snake a good luke warm soak first, wipe the animal fully (besides the eyes) with a rag soaked in the solution. It is not irritating, but do not provide with a water-dish for 2 days. They should be hydrated enough from the bath, they can easily last 2 days without. After 2 days give a waterbowl big enough to drink from, not to bathe in. Repeat after 10 days, 3 times (A 30day treatment) During treatment I also smear olive/corn oil around the glass sliders / edges of the windows / ventilation / edges of the tub, this is completely gross I know but the mites will get stuck inside the oil and die in stead of being able to escape. This prevents them from coming back from outside of the terrarium. It is also harmless if the animal happens to get any on its scales or even in its mouth/eyes. (Do not bathe the animal in oil though). Check of the oil needs refreshing regularly, if it gets too dirty mites can walk over the dirt.

Other types of prevention i use, if any of my friends who have reptiles of their own come over. I always ask them to take off their shoes before going upstairs, also to thoroughly wash and disinfect their hands/arms. I do not let just anyone up stairs, for example if a buyer comes a long I'll make sure to have the animals that are for sale downstairs. If they request to see the parents I ask them to do the same thing as i do my friends, but I wouldn't let them handle any animals or even open the enclosures. If I have been to a reptile store or expo, I make sure to wash up and change clothes before handling any of my animals. Any tools I don't use any-more i spray with nix before storing them, same with enclosures or any other reptile related items bound for storage. I also spray the floor lightly after a big cleaning (unless I plan to use predatory mites) It smells pretty great!

Preventively treating all my animals against mites every year is something i swear by!!, I do this in a non toxic non invasive way. I release predatory mites into their enclosures, they eat any mite they might encounter and others (harmless but annoying) insects. Since this is not a very well known way of treating them, even though it's a great and natural method without having to throw away any bedding or anything else (Great for bio active substrates!).. I will try to describe to the best of my ability how to use this method. It can be used as a treatment and preventive, I do not use it on newly acquired animals that turn out to have mites, because simply put NIX is a lot faster and they are housed in plastic tubs on paper anyway, no need to waste mites on it. Mites are inactive in temperatures above 25C/77F, they will however become active at night and during the day they will roam in cooler sections and below the surface. I would not advise using them in dry hot desert terrariums though, better off using something else since they need some moisture and lower temperatures.

How to use Predatory mites?: If you have the choice (meaning, if its just preventive treating) is best to order them when it is a bit cool out but not freezing (10C/50F) Or just pick them up yourself of course. Temperatures that low keep them inactive so you'll have more adults left when they arrive. They will eat each other when hungry, so use without too much delay, but they will still work great if you order them in the summer since the eggs will still hatch. If you have a natural dirt like substrate, dig a little hole on a moist spot. Preferably not too close to the heat source, put a bit of the eggs/substrate/mites in it before covering the hole again (Do not bury/suffocate them). Make sure the spot doesn't dry out, but don't drown them either. Putting a piece of moist (not wet) moss over it works really well, or even a piece of sponge, just make sure it doesn't dry out completely. If you do not have suitable bedding, you can order dispensers or make them yourself. Making them yourself is really easy, take small Tupperware boxes and drill a hole in them. Fill them with soil and optional a piece of moss, put these in the terrarium where it's not too hot. Preferably under the bedding somewhere the animal can't reach them (put a rock or something on top)

You have to leave them in for several weeks, the mites will hatch and start chasing the blood mites. If you have an actual infestation you might freak out the first time, because after about 2 weeks you will see an explosion of (blood) mites. No worries, their number did not increase, the predators just grew in large enough numbers to chase them all out of hiding! The predatory population will keep expanding as long as there is food present, and for good result they need to be active for about 6 weeks. Which is also the lifespan of a predatory mite. If the conditions are ideal, they will even keep reproducing until their food source dies out. Once all the bloodmites are eaten, the predatory mites will turn on each other until there are none left. You can easily tell the difference, since the predators have long slender white backsides (And the bastards jump when threatened!! Spooked me the first time). The predatory mites are completely harmless to your reptiles, they do however also hunt spring-tails so don't be surprised if you don't have any of those left either. If your infestation was very severe, I would recommend repeating the treatment after 6 weeks. (Unless they lay eggs, but you have to be lucky to get the conditions that perfect)


Warning- Do not release predatory mites in an enclosure you have used insecticides on in the past 6 weeks, they are more sensitive to the residue than bloodmites and will perish while the bloodsuckers thrive. So if you want to use predatory mites, let the chemicals wear off or just don't use any. 6 weeks minimum waiting period is required!

The predatory mites i use are called Dutchy's, and they are sold by Refona. I do not know if they are sold by the same seller across the ocean, but i'm pretty sure you can find them nevertheless. They are often sold as blood-mite prevention for birds-nests, but they work perfectly in a terrarium as well.


They arrive like this
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141216_143033_zps3bd63a29.jpg

Dug a little hole and put a bit of the content in there. i dug it under a rock so the snake couldn't get too it easily.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141216_144804_zpsacc32528.jpg

Covered it with a piece of moss
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141216_144834_zps2141979e.jpg


Was being hunted on myself, she struck at me seconds later, little bish haha!
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20141216_150417_zpsc2024456.jpg

Update!! : This year I ordered Dispensers! I cut up special cloth that I ordered with them to keep some humidity in them so I don't have to disturb the nests too often.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20161101_204706_zpsmo95yxa1.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/20161101_203119_zpshc54mlwd.jpg



I hope this was of any use to anyone, if not.. Eh at-least i tried, right? :)

[millertime89]

That last picture is awesome. I've used NIX in the past and I'll also vouch for how effective it is. I need to get some more permethrin actually now that I think about it. I ran out the last time I cleaned.

Overall we are pretty similar in our anti-mite regimen. But all of my animals get white or off-white (light tan/cream color) water dishes. I also spray the cage as part of my regular cleaning but I don't do a yearly deep clean like you do. I do have quarantine cages that are thoroughly cleaned before and after an animal is in it. I also keep my animals on newspaper which makes regular cleanings easier. This also leads to me not using predatory mites. If I had more natural, bioactive setups I probably would.

[Minkness]

Can this get sticky?

It's well written and very informative so would probably help alot of people if it stays at the top. =)

[Tsubaki]

Thanks Minkness, that's very kind :)

That last picture is awesome. I've used NIX in the past and I'll also vouch for how effective it is. I need to get some more permethrin actually now that I think about it. I ran out the last time I cleaned.

Overall we are pretty similar in our anti-mite regimen. But all of my animals get white or off-white (light tan/cream color) water dishes. I also spray the cage as part of my regular cleaning but I don't do a yearly deep clean like you do. I do have quarantine cages that are thoroughly cleaned before and after an animal is in it. I also keep my animals on newspaper which makes regular cleanings easier. This also leads to me not using predatory mites. If I had more natural, bioactive setups I probably would.


Thanks, she was even camouflaged a bit because of that white-ish moss!

Nice to see i am not the only one who fight mites like this, i clean and treat my quarantine tubs the same way. When they're not in use i spray them and close off all vents. Nothing going to survive in there! (And i have to open all the windows before taking the tape off)

[millertime89]

I've had outbreaks before and I don't ever want them again. I've been mite free for 8 months now and I plan on keeping it that way. DIE SUCKERS! DIE!

[Tsubaki]

Yeah mites are my one of my worst nightmares when it comes to snakes, horrible bloodsuckers.. I hate them as much as i hate mosquitoes!! I rather frantically try to prevent an outbreak than having to treat all my animals.. Last outbreak i had was over 10 years ago, last time i saw mites was with my latest purchase though. Found out he had mites 2 days after bringing him home. they were gone in a heartbeat with some nix :D

[millertime89]

Mites, ticks, mosquitoes. I hate them all equally! I haven't even been keeping reptiles for 4 years, let alone 10! I did get them with my last purchase but like you they were gone within days.

[MDT]

Tsubaki...wow! Very nicely done. I'm saving this one. Thx dude!

[reptiledude987]

Yep I do the same except for the annual maintenance but will start doint the same from here on out. Cand say enough how great nix works for this issue. Plus its always interesting the reaction you get from the pharmicist when you tell them what its being used for. Priceless!!

[millertime89]

Something else you can do is mix in some listerine mouth wash for a minty fresh cage smell and use it as a cleaning solution too. That's what I do.

[SoPhilly]

This is great. It's wonderful to hear such a detailed well laid out method from someone who has been using it for so many years. I'm about to get my second snake and have been reading a lot about quarantine precautions to take - this was really helpful, thanks!

[reptiledude987]

Something else you can do is mix in some listerine mouth wash for a minty fresh cage smell and use it as a cleaning solution too. That's what I do.

would you use listerine in the mix for treating the animal or just the tank? I would worry about the alcohol content and mint on the snake.

[Tsubaki]

Thanks for the kind words everyone, i am really glad it is appreciated!
@MDT, still not a dude, dude :D but thanks!




A decade mite free makes me feel old, i'm not old i just started young.. ~incoherent muttering about not being old~..

[MDT]

you know....it's a gender inclusive "dude"....it's a habit :D

it's meant in love
(I call my wife dude sometimes to get my point across...she's def not a "dude".... :) )

[pet_snake_78]

This sounds like a perfect solution for those with naturalistic setups! I hope this gets stickied and further tested by other members.

[Tsubaki]

pet_snake_78, it would be great of other members tested this method :)


you know....it's a gender inclusive "dude"....it's a habit :D

it's meant in love
(I call my wife dude sometimes to get my point across...she's def not a "dude".... :) )


Haha no problem dude! :D

[dave himself]

Great piece of information and very well written, I also agree this would make a great sticky. WELL DONE MATE :)

[millertime89]

would you use listerine in the mix for treating the animal or just the tank? I would worry about the alcohol content and mint on the snake.

I never spray the animal directly. If I have to give them a bath for the mites it's just the nix in the water. I spray the enclosure with the water/nix/Listerine mix for cleaning, wipe the cage down, then spray again under/over the newsprint that I use for substrate and let it dry before putting the snake back in. The Listerine is a fantastic disinfectant, in fact that's what it was invented for, it was originally a surgical disinfectant. I can take a video if you're interested.

[reptiledude987]

Ya that would be great. I know that was it's original purpose. I just thought for a sec you meant it was used as part of treatment on the animal lol. Thats what threw me for a sec

[millertime89]

Nah, just treat the cage to keep the blood suckers away and keep it clean and minty fresh. It really has helped with the smell since I had to move into a smaller apartment.

[reptiledude987]

I hear you there the nix dosent have the most pleasent aroma at all.

[Tsubaki]

Benefit of having my snakeroom up in the attic, don't have to smell that stuff :D

[millertime89]

Benefit of having my snakeroom up in the attic, don't have to smell that stuff :D

They had their own room but then my old roommate decided he wanted to get engaged and I couldn't afford that place on my own and couldn't find a two bedroom place in my price range that was available in the time frame that I had. :(

[Tsubaki]

Aw, that sucks mate, well before i got this house i used to sleep next to one of my retics (the rest was across the room). There was a terrarium against my bed, i've woken up being stared at a couple of times :D

[millertime89]

Aw, that sucks mate, well before i got this house i used to sleep next to one of my retics (the rest was across the room). There was a terrarium against my bed, i've woken up being stared at a couple of times :D

Woken up, fallen asleep, yup... Definitely familiar with that. Being stared at during the sexy fun times is the weirdest though... I'm starting to shop around for my own house now. If I can find something at a decent price interest rates are low enough now it's cheaper to buy out here.

[Albert Clark]

Very informative and helpful article! Thank you. Also, I found in my experience that any wooden item , wooden decorations and the like should be avoided to reduce the possibility of getting mites. MITES HAVE A AFFINITY AND ATTRACTION TO ANYTHING MADE OF WOOD! Be careful!

[jossh27]

Very informative and helpful article! Thank you. Also, I found in my experience that any wooden item , wooden decorations and the like should be avoided to reduce the possibility of getting mites. MITES HAVE A AFFINITY AND ATTRACTION TO ANYTHING MADE OF WOOD! Be careful!

Don't some people bake wood in the oven for a rile to not only dry out the wood but kill what ever dwells within?

[SnoopySnake]

Don't some people bake wood in the oven for a rile to not only dry out the wood but kill what ever dwells within?

Yep. That or soak it in diluted bleach.

[prairiepanda]

I've used predatory mites in the past in a gerbil enclosure and several tarantula enclosures. Works like a charm! I wouldn't want to use Nix in my home for fear of my tarantulas and cat getting poisoned, though. If it came to that for any of my reptiles I'd have to relocate them to someone else's home for treatment.

[D Grade]

Great article, bravo!

[Tsubaki]

Prairiepanda, yes i agree. Using Nix when you keep tarantulas is a very poor idea, i like to use nix (loxazol currently, nix has been discontinued here) to treat new animals that don't have natural bedding, but when i still had my spider i wouldn't consider it!

Thx D Grade. :)

[pet_snake_78]

Seems like a good idea. Did some googling and one fellow tested predatory mites on some mite infested rat snakes. It cleared all visible mites when the snakes were kept on a substrate but did not clear mites when the snakes were housed on paper towels (too dry and not enough hiding places I assume). The companies also have to grow the predatory mites on some grain mites which are apparently harmless to reptiles.

I hope to never need such a thing, but I think I would give it a shot as a first attempt in a well established collection.

[Tsubaki]

And it can never hurt as prevention either, they do indeed need hiding places and prefer a bit of moisture (and they survive hotter enclosures in the bedding, so dry bedding will take away their day activity). However i can vouch that if you keep your snakes on dry wood chunks the predatory mites can still survive and thrive if you provide them with nesting area's. You have to maintain the humidity levels in them with soft misting, so the eggs are able to hatch. It will take slightly longer to clear a true infestation this way, because the mites will take longer to thrive. But it still works.

[Tsubaki]

Just a Bump! :) Updated this topic!

[dannybgoode]

If I ever suffer mites I will user predatory mites - no question. Why use chemicals when these guys are available?!

I know of bioactive keepers who have the them present all the time. They will feed off springtails but not to the extent of overwhelming the population. They are then there ready in case.

I know of other keepers who 'dose' their tanks with predatory mites every so often such as you would worm a dog-a purely precautionary measure.

Luckily in the UK we have an excellent supplier of them.

[Tsubaki]

I do the same, dose the terrariums once every 6 months. I only use chemicals on new arrivals, as a precaution. Because actually finding out if they have mites is a little hard when predatory mites are already roaming, so i put them on white paper after using nix and check the paper for dead mites!

[Jim Smith]

Outstanding description of treating and preventing mites. Thank you for taking the time to explain your methods and I will use them (especially the preventions) from now on.

[Churro]

Thanks for this thread. Very helpful

[Tsubaki]

No problem, glad if it was of any help.

[GyGbeetle]

I may have missed it, but how often does everyone do their preventative treatments? I was thinking about this very 3 months giving all the enclosure a Nix treatment, but wasn't sure if that was too much. Also, the stuff leaves a residue on the windows. How long should I wait to clean off the residue?

[Andy_G]

Residue is part of what does the killing. Wait until your mite problems are gone before cleaning it. You don't need to do preventative treatments as snake mites will only come from snakes (or people who have snake mites, or something you handle and they hitch hike home etc.) or from substrate that has been purchased where snake mites are around and they hitched a ride home. You must treat the source. If it's a new snake coming in, spray it with nix as it comes in the door and a few more times in quarantine. If it's substrate (I've NEVER gotten mites from substrate but some people certainly make the claim to have), leave it away for long enough for mites to die off or treat it if you need to via freezing or spraying. If it's you or someone else who has come into contact with mites at a show, treat your hands and change your clothes before you go near your snakes. It's much easier to use these prevention methods than it is to proactively treat the whole collection, and it would also cut down their exposure which is also a plus.

[Tsubaki]

I do it once every 6 to 12 months depending on my paranoia level(usually 6 haha), I work preventive with predatory mites though.. no residue. When I'm using nix I don't wash anything off until the mites are gone, I'm not a fan of preventative treating with chemicals. I do spray any tub/enclosure/attribute that's unused though. You could leave it on for a week and clean the windows.. I would seriously reconsider every 3 months. You're exposing your animals to chemicals, shouldn't be something you do unnecessarily much. :) .. Predatory mites are the way to go unless you have a terrible outbreak imo.

[GyGbeetle]

We most likely carried hitch hikers home from a show. Our collection is in our bedroom, so where do we change and do we wash the clothes immediately? This may sound dumb, I just have to know, because we literally showered when we came home, and changed into jammies, and the mites still found a way. So we did something wrong.

[pet_snake_78]

When I go to reptile shows, I set out a pair of clothes next to the shower before I leave. As soon as I get home, I throw my old clothes in the washing machine, jump in the shower, and then put on new clothes.

[Tsubaki]

I do the same as pet snake, luckily my snakes aren't in my bedroom.

[pet_snake_78]

Sometimes you just gotta strut full on nude to get the job done. The sacrifices we make for our reps.

[Tsubaki]

Serious risk of unwanted nipple piercings, I'll pass :D

[GyGbeetle]

If I choose to use Nix, what kind do I buy? They have shampoo, conditioner, cream. I'm assuming I don't buy the starter kit right?

[Tsubaki]

They only sell the conditioner here, brand i use is called Loxazol.

[GyGbeetle]

I'm so glad I have this thread subscribed. Found another mite tonight. I'm so angry! I HATE these stupid bugs!!!!!!!! It fell off my son's snake while he was holding her, so he panicked and took a shower (apparently my son is a snake and can get eaten by these things). We had JUST put all the bedding back in, too, because we had a couple of dry babies needing some extra moisture.

I have so many words to say to those dumb bugs. I'm going to try and find predatory mites, and keep these guys in strict lock down until we get this eradicated.

[Tsubaki]

Mite treatment always takes a minimum of 8 weeks, since the life cycle of a hatching mite Egg《-》Egglaying adult is 6 weeks minimum, and you can not see a mite that easily if it's younger than +/- 2 weeks. That minimum is assuming you didn't miss any eggs/mites in or outside the enclosures. I'd always advise treating longer than theoretically nessecary!

[GyGbeetle]

Mite treatment always takes a minimum of 8 weeks, since the life cycle of a hatching mite Egg《-》Egglaying adult is 6 weeks minimum, and you can not see a mite that easily if it's younger than +/- 2 weeks. That minimum is assuming you didn't miss any eggs/mites in or outside the enclosures. I'd always advise treating longer than theoretically nessecary!

I was arrogant in thinking I had this licked the first time around. Or just really worried about over exposing them to chemicals I don't know enough about with snakes. But they all seem to be doing fine with the treatment of Nix so far. No neuro signs. My woma is stressed though being on the paper towels.

[Tsubaki]

You can add wet sphagnum moss in between treatments to keep humidity up, just have to toss it afterwards. (Add it day after treatment, toss it day of next treatment) will also prevent bad sheds during treatments. Pour water on it regularly, should work fine. Why is your Woma stressing? You can always add disposable cardboard hides if they miss cover during treatments.

[GyGbeetle]

You can add wet sphagnum moss in between treatments to keep humidity up, just have to toss it afterwards. (Add it day after treatment, toss it day of next treatment) will also prevent bad sheds during treatments. Pour water on it regularly, should work fine. Why is your Woma stressing? You can always add disposable cardboard hides if they miss cover during treatments.

If I mist the moss, will that also get rid of the Nix? Everyone has hides in there (everyone has plastic hides, so they were washed really good, and put back into the clean tanks), except for 2, which had bark hides. So they have cardboard hides while the bark hides are being treated. They seem quite content with these for the moment.

I think the Woma is stressed because of the paper towels. I don't think it feels good on her skin. She's usually very active at night, but then once we turn off the lights and go to sleep, she's typically resting in her hide (knowing she won't be taken out at that time I'm guessing). So when she had to stay in a pillow case while we treated the tanks, she escaped a couple of times before we let her back into the tank, with those paper towels, and she kept pacing back and forth, even with the hide in there. I'm wondering if I can just put her back onto a towel instead. I don't really care to know how many mites are coming off her (only 1 snake in the collection was found to have mites, and it wasn't her, so I'm comfortable she doesn't have them, even though they were all treated). she's usually on a towel, and she really likes it from what I can tell.

What do you think? keep her on the paper towels and see if she appears less stressed? they're going to all be on these paper towels for awhile, and I want them to be comfortable in the process.

[Andy_G]

Nix isn't going to work very well on mosses or loose substrate. As Tsubaki said, it's imperative to routinely and frequently throw out the moss if you will use it as it's a great hiding place for the little buggers.

Your snakes experiencing bit of stress on paper towels now is far better than them experiencing stress from a mite infestation. Stick it out with the paper towel. :)

[GyGbeetle]

Nix isn't going to work very well on mosses or loose substrate. As Tsubaki said, it's imperative to routinely and frequently throw out the moss if you will use it as it's a great hiding place for the little buggers.

Your snakes experiencing bit of stress on paper towels now is far better than them experiencing stress from a mite infestation. Stick it out with the paper towel. :)

*sigh* I just hate to see animals in distress. I'll stick it out as best as I can.

Where else should I treat? My son was holding his snake on the mainroom couch, when the mite fell off onto his shirt. I am thinking we don't need to treat the couch as long as we don't handle the snakes too much during this time frame, and if we do it's in an already treated area. So what are thoughts on this? Treat the couch and mainroom? Treat the whole house, even if snakes weren't in there? How about the car? Can they drop eggs off in the car, and then have those newly born mites hitchhike back into the house?

Should I just set the whole house on fire and start over again?

[Andy_G]

Handle the snakes over a treated area so there is residue present for any mites that may fall. Treat any other surfaces that the snakes have touched, only once should be enough since there's at most a few stragglers. Any snake that you see mites on should be handled only for maintenance until the issue has been dealt with.

[Aaron_S]

Handle the snakes over a treated area so there is residue present for any mites that may fall. Treat any other surfaces that the snakes have touched, only once should be enough since there's at most a few stragglers. Any snake that you see mites on should be handled only for maintenance until the issue has been dealt with.

Can't stress this enough. Please ensure to handle them minimally until the infestation is taken care of.

[GyGbeetle]

I have another question. We are going on treatment #3 of Nix this weekend. 2 days ago, we found a rather large adult mite, not moving, in the tank where we first noticed the re-infestation of mites. We are treating all the tanks, everyone is on paper towels, put olive oil on the tops of the tanks to prevent them from hopping out, sprayed the carpet around the tanks. So how come 3 weeks later we still found an adult mite?

Just to be sure, we soaked the snake from the tank we found the not-moving (but not confirmed dead before we smooshed it) mite from, and nothing came off of her. Checked the scales, checked the vents/mouth/eyes, and didn't see anything. So where did this mite come from? Are we truly eradicating the mites?

I'm a little panicked because we are on treatment 3, and I wouldn't expect to find any mites at this point, least of all adults. If anything, I would think baby mites would show up since this would be about the time eggs would be hatching.

We will continue for a fourth treatment after this weekend. No other snakes have been found with mites, so it doesn't look like it's spreading, just confined to this one tank. I'm really at a loss. Is the Nix helping? What else can we do?

[Andy_G]

You must have missed spraying an area. Are you spraying all around the tanks? Inside, outside, top, bottom, the tables they are on, any shelves or wood around them? The fact that you are only treating one of the tanks may also be problematic and increase the chance of recurrence and infestation. It's hard to tell you what/if you're doing something wrong because we aren't doing the treatments personally. I hope also that you aren't rinsing anything off and that you are keeping water dishes out for 24 hours after spraying. Also, any loose substrate (moss) should be kept well away from everything, and ditch or bake anything porous. I would also suggest treating at least weekly instead of every 10 days. I think I mentioned in another thread that I actually treat uarantined animals twice weekly for a period.

Something else you could do is buy some sevin dust and sprinkle it around as an extra safeguard, but with proper treatment, nix should do it.

That's all I can think of for the time being. I'm hoping that I touched on something you've missed so we have something to blame for you finding more flipping mites!

[GyGbeetle]

You must have missed spraying an area. Are you spraying all around the tanks? Inside, outside, top, bottom, the tables they are on, any shelves or wood around them? The fact that you are only treating one of the tanks may also be problematic and increase the chance of recurrence and infestation. It's hard to tell you what/if you're doing something wrong because we aren't doing the treatments personally. I hope also that you aren't rinsing anything off and that you are keeping water dishes out for 24 hours after spraying. Also, any loose substrate (moss) should be kept well away from everything, and ditch or bake anything porous. I would also suggest treating at least weekly instead of every 10 days. I think I mentioned in another thread that I actually treat uarantined animals twice weekly for a period.

Something else you could do is buy some sevin dust and sprinkle it around as an extra safeguard, but with proper treatment, nix should do it.

That's all I can think of for the time being. I'm hoping that I touched on something you've missed so we have something to blame for you finding more flipping mites!

To be clear, everyone has been treated for 2 treatments. When we found mites, we sterilized and treated everyone.

We are spraying the heck out of everything. Carpet, tanks, sanitizing the window sills behind the tanks. Even considered sterilizing the cats just in case something is traveling on their fur.

[GyGbeetle]

I think we're going to start treating once a week for another month, instead of 10 days. So this weekend is treatment 3. We'll do 4 more treatments. And pray. �� Makes me so mad

[GyGbeetle]

I forgot to ask... so you don't think this might just have been a dead bug laying around that we didn't see for some reason? Like a fluke? It wasn't moving. We didn't see anything else in her tank. And when she soaked nothing came off her. We are treating everyone since we first saw the mites on her, and nothing has shown up on anyone else, so we must be doing something right somewhere, right?

I wish they had local support groups or something for stuff like this, so someone can come over and watch what we do to make sure it's what we need to. I really hate this; I feel so helpless.

[Andy_G]

It very well could've been.