Grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kevyn]

I have an albino burm male, that has a reoccuring case of mites. I eleminate them with nix and then they always seem to come back in a few months. Nix will get rid of them for a while but they always come back. I've also read that Nix has some pesticides that are potenitally harmful to reptiles, so what else can I use that is effective and hopefully more reliable. Thanks

[Pontus]

change its cage if u can because the eggs might stay in the cage there hard to get rid of especialy if it is custom

[Big_V]

Make sure your changing everything in the cage and if its a permanent structure make sure you clean it thoroughly by boiling. Otherwise you can try to use Black Knight from Pro Exotics. Its quite the effective mite killer from what ive heard.

[tHeGiNo]

What are the exact procedures you are undergoing when treating for mites? Here is what you should do:

1.) Take everything out of the enclosure. If anything is small enough to be boiled, and can be boiled safely, do it. Anything else should be washed thoroughly, you can use a 10:1 bleach solution. They should be sprayed down thoroughly afterwards.

2.) Spray down and scrub the enclosure down with NIX like a mad-man. Make sure you get EVERY nook and cranny, especially corners and the like where you are prone to miss.

3.) Spray the snake on a daily basis. Make sure the snakes water bowl is removed completely. This is for two reasons, one being so that he doesn't rinse off the mites and two so that he doesn't drink the water after he rinses off in it. Spray on a daily basis for two weeks.

4.) Spray the area around the enclosures. This includes the carpet especially, walls, stand, EVERYTHING! Also, if you have any other snakes, do the exact same procedure with them whether you see mites or not.

Also, how much are you diluting the nix? It should be done so that one bottle of nix is mixed with 4 litres of water, or half a bottle for two litres. Hope that helps. Let us know the procedure you are partaking so that we can see if you are doing anything wrong.

[kevyn]

The Gino, That's about what I've been doing, except that I don't spray them everyday. That's a good procedure though.

Has anyone used Black Knight, I've heard nothing but good things about it.

Thanks for the advice everyone, keep it coming. I can never know enough about this stuff.

[tHeGiNo]

Black Knight is great, however it is pretty hard to find aside from in the States. Provent-a-Mite works wonders but could be pretty dangerous.

[JimmyDavid]

Forget REPTILE sprays. What a rip off.
DOG sprays are the best. Work right away, are harmless to the snake and will prevent mites from making a come back during months. A friend of mine, curator of the reptile park "Krazyworld" gave me that tip and that saved my snakes.

www.krazy-world.com

[kevyn]

So just normal flea spray? Never heard of this before. Nice burm btw and great website Jimmy!

[JimmyDavid]

I used Frontline. Do you have that brand in Canada?

[crazyboy]

also spray the wall and floor and anything else around the enclosure.

[monitor boy]

there is a spray called provent a mite a store called repitlia has in vaughn

[NewLineReptile]

Snake oil helps too, made by Benson & Sons, all natural helps the snake to heal from the bites. Can get it at pet sores.

Sherri

[Mugwump]

I've used Black Knight with successful results. It is far safer than pest strips, and, although I've heard good things about Nix too, is much more potent and fast-acting. It's not cheap tho ($28 USD) but if you are absolutely intent on keeing your collection alive and healthy, it's the best way to go. As for Jimmy's response, I respect his knowledge and experience, but I've read pretty widely about pesticides and talked to some people who really know their stuff. Dog sprays typically contain parathion (same stuff as pest strips) and are not recommended for use with reptiles, birds or amphibians due to the small size of their lungs and their susceptibility to nervous system damage from ambient toxins (this is why frogs, for instance, act as canaries in the mine for harmful environmental changes.) I believe the active ingredient in black knight is permethrin, a much, much safer pesticide that is pumped through the air circulation systems of intercontinental airline flights to kill off any non-indigenous insects that might be hitchhiking on the soles of shoes or in someone's pubic hair. Of course, airlines don't share that info with the general public all too often.