opinions on mite discs?(pic)

vash · 07-04-04, 08:16 PM

just wondering if any one has any opinions on using bird protector mite discs for their snakes? ive been using em for a while and have had great success w/em.
there is one to the left of the water bowl in the pic...

snakehunter · 07-04-04, 08:27 PM

The only prob i see is that you have reptiles, and the disc attracts avian (bird) mites.

Bartman · 07-04-04, 08:58 PM

I do not know about these discs, but your tank/housing does not seem sufficient at all imo. It should be bigger first off, and should be able to fit two hides. One on the cool end one on the warm end. This will help the snake thermoregulate.

Just a suggestion. And if what snakehunter is saying is true, and your snake doent have mites to begin with then this will only attract mites from outside and causs your snake to get them. Imo, really pointless and doing the opposite of its job.

vash · 07-04-04, 10:27 PM

thats not an enclosure its a "box" i keep my snakes in for an hour or 2 when redoing their enclosure, or making other adjustments.
i do use rubber maids but they are better set up than that one(however the size of that enclosure, is not unsuitable for a retic of that size. the snake being 40" the tub being 30").
i use the dics as a prevenetive precaution and on the rare occasions i have had mites, its helped considerably. just wondering if anyone else has expeiremented w/these.

gonesnakee · 07-05-04, 12:56 PM

Snake mites are host specific & are not the same as bird mites at all they are an entirely different organism & I doubt that they do anything at all for snake mites. Depending on the "active ingredient" in the product you may be doing nothing but poisoning your snake, especially placing it right next to the water dish. I think that it is more likely doing more harm then good & you may want to consider a better setup also as mentioned above. Mark

vash · 07-05-04, 01:34 PM

once again, the enclosure pictured is not a permanent cage its a holding box.what u guys are saying does make sense , it is meant for avian mites.ive just noticed that it helps to elimanate the predatory mite on herps as well.as of now i only keep them in my holding boxes.im gonna do a little research and if i find the disc,s are toxic i will stop using them.

gonesnakee · 07-05-04, 01:50 PM

Fine for a temp setup but I would find out for sure the active ingredient of the product, better safe than sorry, it could very well be effective againest the snake mites also, but might not be very safe for the snake. Good luck with your research. Mark

Linds · 07-05-04, 03:08 PM

Although typically host specific, I believe avians are also affected by reptile mites. Regardless, the stuff isn't geared towards specific species of mite, but a general insecticide. The stuff in the bird discs is pretty much vapona-type stuff. It may get rid of the mites, but not worth the risk IMHO. I would strongly avoid anything that kills via vapour