Nix

[31drew31]

Any comments about using NIX for mites on ball pythons.

[SerpentLust]

I swear by Nix for treating Mites. If you do a quick search on the forums you will find the method that most people use by diluting it.

[SerpentLust]

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-python-forum/80839-help-mites.html

Here's a great post by gonesnakee

[citysnakes]

Provent-A-Mite is the only mite treatment.;) i would never use nix for what it was developed for let alone something its not.

[mykee]

On the flipside, I used P.A.M. once back in the day when I didn't know any better. Upon spraying my first treatment, I had to evacuate the house because the stench of the chemicals made my eyes water. Not something I would want anyhwere near MY animals. Nix was made for lice. Mites are lice. I use it, I love it, and it works 100% every damn time.

[citysnakes]

if the directions are followed properly(and it doesnt sting your eyeballs), then PAM is, in my opinion, the best option for mite extermination. if you use NIX and it works for you and doesnt harm your animals then thats fine. personally though i wouldnt risk using it on my animals. i am the PAM guru.

if you are trying to decide what treatment to use heres a link to the Pro Products website with information on Provent a Mite: pro-products.com - Provent-a-Mite (http://www.pro-products.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=33)

[gonesnakee]

Hate to break it to ya but NIX & P.A.M. are the same thing different forms ;) Both have the EXACT same active ingredient. One is a creme rinse that requires "mixing" & the other an aerosol that is "premixed". One (NIX) is far cheaper & readily available anywhere, the other is not & is quite often very difficult to come across. I have personally never tried P.A.M. but have used NIX many times over the years. The main reason I have never tried P.A.M. is I have not once EVER in 10 years seen it carried ANYWHERE in any of the chain stores or the specialty reptile/pet shops. I couldn't even tell you what a can looks like. If I need NIX on the other hand well theres like a dozen different locations within blocks of my house that will carry it & it is always in stock there as well. Heck with the all night Walmarts & Shoppers Drug Marts I can pick it up 24/7/ almost 365 as well. So I guess you could call me a NIX Man ;) Mark

[gonesnakee]

Tried the link. Funny how they fail to list the active ingredient there (imagine that LOL ;)) I like how they also go out of their way to point out how "safe" it is etc. but fail to mention it is still a carcigen (sp?). Poisons poison folks ;) Heres what I did notice though the price(s)
PP-PVM ..... Regularly $17.95 – now for a limited time only $14.95
Thats in USD folks, plus GST/duty, exchange & shipping. Me I prefer to walk over to the corner & drop $12 CDN on a bottle of NIX & just mix it up myself. The gallon mix of NIX will last longer & go much farther than 1 can of P.A.M. as well (basing this on info by those that have used both). NIX way more bang for your buck & super easy to obtain, P.A.M. well...
Nuff Said Mark

[citysnakes]

sure poison is poison and for that reason i'd rather use one developed specifically designed for the purpose i need it for instead of making up my own concoction and hoping i get it right.

if you knew how to use it, i bet NIX was a great option for treating snake mites back in the day, and if you use it now thats cool. i have never used NIX myself but from everything i have read about it compared to PAM i decided to go the PAM route.

i appreciate the fact that PAM was developed and tested specifically for reptiles and has worked so beautifully for me that its all i will ever use and really have no desire to try anything else.

it does suck though that its not easy to come by and here in Canada its pretty pricey.

anyways sorry for the thread hijacking back to the NIX talk.:)

[gonesnakee]

You are missing a big part of the point. Point being it IS the same thing ;) A company looked at what folks were already using, took the same active ingredient (poison) & made an aerosol product out of it. Don't fall victim to their marketing BS. So it comes premixed & you pay plenty extra for it as a "speciality" product. As for mixing it up & hoping you get it right LMAO :rolleyes: its as simple as mixing the little bottle with a gallon of water. Far from rocket science. As for safety a creme rinse is far better for the enviroment than the same product in an aerosol form IMHO, but hey if you don't mind having to go way out of your way searching to find it & then paying extra & then waiting to receive it fine go with P.A.M. in all practicality I'll stick with NIX if I ever have to deal with a new specimen arriving with mites again. I can be to the corner & back, have it mixed up & be using it in less than 1/2 hour ;) Mark
P.S. I wonder how many snakes have been killed by PAM cooking spray when folks confused its acronymn for the other product. Many folks still firmly beleive that cooking oil is a "proper" LMAO mite treatment afterall :rolleyes: I have read of cases on other forums where folks got the 2 products (PAM & P.A.M.) confused before anyway.

[mykee]

Seeing as I am the only one who has used both products here, I'm with Mark in the sense that Nix is FAR easier to find, MUCH cheaper, and far less offensive to the user (me). If price and time are not a worry for you, the simple fact that my eyes don't water from using NIX sells me on it. I've used both, I will never use P.A.M. again, I love Nix.
As Mark said; mixing:
One bottle per gallon of water OR
1/2 bottle per 2 liters of water OR
1/4 bottle (about a tablespoon full) to 1 liter of water.

[gonesnakee]

Also on storing NIX Mix & its "shelf life" make sure it is kept in a cool/dark place. Direct sunlight "breaks down" the active ingredient in it rendering it useless if kept stored improperly while mixed. Mark

[citysnakes]

i get the point im just saying that NIX is a permetherin developed for use on mammals as an insecticide and PAM is a permetherin specifically developed for use on reptiles as an insecticide. yes they are both permethrins but no they are not the same thing. sure both products can work if used properly and sure both products can kill your animal if used improperly. so do what you gotta do.;)

[gonesnakee]

FYI if I were to go to another method I would go with P.A.M. ;) as it would be the next preference for effectiveness. It works just as well from what I am told & have read.
I just like to point out there is something cheap, easy & effective to use thats very handy to all. I guess it all stems from my petpeeve about mites. You get these guys that are like "ya I got mites but I haven't been able to find P.A.M. anywhere so I think I still have them" No crap **** Tracey! LOL Like I stated in the one post in reguards to being handy I could go fom say opening a box at the airport & make a quick stop almost anywhere on the way home & be treating the newly arrived mites ASAP prior them possibly contaminating my entire household despite a quarrantine. Mites IMHO should be treated/eradicated within an hour(s) of discovery, not weeks as some folks tend to think :rolleyes: Of course some folks always have them & only notice when they are severely overrun. Lots of those folks are the ones that are continually treating their entire collections 1/2 arsed & never rid it of them. They do however continually expose their snakes to poisons multiple times & over time it can & will take its toll. Folks like that doing things 1/2 arsed are the ones killing specimens with NIX, P.A.M. etc.

Next rant LOL IMHO any "specialty" product no matter what it is more often than not is a rip off. Specially when it comes to pet products. Folks love their pets & most will do anything for them so guess what? Pet stores & the manufactors of all those "specialty" pet products milk that for every single cent possible, specially with sales staff on commission. Despite keeping numerous pets I very rarely if ever hit the petstores for anything ever.
Other than AQ stuff for my fish I almost NEVER buy anything ever for my snakes at a "petstore". Loonie stores, Wholesale stores, UFA, RONA & the dreaded WM along with recycling & buying breeder direct for both animals & feeders is the only way to go, but hey thats me. I do buy most everything considerably cheaper than any fool buying the same stuff from a petstore with a pic of ____ on the label (insert animal of choice). Some stuff I buy cheaper than the petstores themselves buy them for even. Anyhow enough ranting or am I just sharing tips? LOL Mark
P.S. a thrifty herper has more cash for snakes ;)

[Joe]

Im out of the loop, I never even heard of pam, thought that was something for my bakeing sheets

[gonesnakee]

Im out of the loop, I never even heard of pam, thought that was something for my bakeing sheets

I never heard of it myself until a few years back now either. Like I said its NOT readily available in Canada. Mark
P.S. Provent A Mite is NOT safe for cooking ;) LOL :p

[Chu'Wuti]

P.S. Provent A Mite is NOT safe for cooking LOL

It's not?? Darn! I was hoping to save money by buying something I could use for more than one purpose! ;)

[citysnakes]

It's not?? Darn! I was hoping to save money by buying something I could use for more than one purpose! ;)


then go get yourself some NIX...haha:laugh:

[Chu'Wuti]

Hah! True, true--if I had lice, I could use it for more than one purpose. But I don't have lice--or snake mites either, for that matter!

My BP is hanging out in his water bowl tonight. I'll have to clean it tomorrow, I'm sure!

I'm hoping I'll never need either NIX or P.A.M. As we don't have mites now, guess the probability of getting them is pretty close to zero!