Predatory mites??

[BurmesePythons!]

Hi, I recently discovered that my burmese python has a bit of a mite problem and I was reading up on some ways to get rid of these mites. Predatory mites came up. Is this a good idea? or should other methods be used? if so, which?

Thanks!

[Andy_G]

I've never tried predatory mites but I wouldn't hesitate in doing so. They require loose substrate with a bit of humidity to remain alive and do their job, so if you are keeping your collection on paper it may not be the right way to go. There are a few valuable sticky posts on the subject of mite treatment and the search function is your friend on our forum. Using NIX and Provent-A-Mite (PAM) are the two most popular methods of mite treatment, but there are other treatments available that are also effective (sevin dust, reptile relief, the list goes on). Stay away from vapona.

[BurmesePythons!]

wow! thanks! I thing I will try it

[Jim Smith]

I tried PAM and Nix 3 time each, but the mites kept coming back. I finally tried the predatory mites and in two weeks all the snake mite were gone and have not returned.

[akane]

You just need a small container of moist dirt added to an enclosure with the predatory mite culture in it. The mites will spread where there is food. The mites even spread from the glass tanks through my house to kill a rodent mite infestation the wild mice brought in. It was a horribly heavy infestation of large tropical rat mites even in the walls and ceilings and one day after I setup my bioactive tanks full of visible mites in the soil all harmful mites were gone. We'd even spread things to dry out and kill mites across the floors and rodent cages. However, I cannot attest to what species I had. There is more than one. Some sources will sell a mix of several. I'm not sure how they compare in hardiness and activity to my native mites. People who have used the method in bins and know what they ordered would have to help there.