Spider Mites

[SnoopySnake]

Hey everyone. One of my plants in my tank is dying and upon further inspection we've found it to be infested with spider mites. So basically my question is, does anyone know how I can treat my enclosure for the mites without harming my snakes?

[guyabano]

Provent-a-Mite kills spidermites as well as reptile mites and ticks. Just be safe with pytherin/permethrin use. Apparently, reptiles metabolize it differently than mammals. Short term use should not affect them, but long term use has been linked to brain damage in reptiles.

Maybe just rinse it out really well after you're sure the buggers are all gone. If you have a backup enclosure, you can use that too until the chemicals dissipate.

[SnoopySnake]

My enclosure is bio-active, I thought about Provent-a-mite too but won't it stay in my soil? I didn't think that'd be too great during feeding time. I'm hoping to be able to get rid of them without tearing down the enclosure as I don't have the room or supplies to set up another one right now.

[Pirarucu]

Buy predator mites. They'll eat all the spider mites and their eggs, but won't harm the other animals in the cage. Then they'll eat each other/starve to death until there's none left.

[SnoopySnake]

Originally Posted by Pirarucu

Buy predator mites. They'll eat all the spider mites and their eggs, but won't harm the other animals in the cage. Then they'll eat each other/starve to death until there's none left.

Thanks! Any suggestions on a specific type I should get?

[Pirarucu]

I haven't had to use any yet, but there are different species which will do better with different temperatures/humidity. Find whichever species should do best in your cage.

[guyabano]

Oh, ladybugs might work too if you're going for the circle of life route. I can't find any predatory mites or ladybugs in my area so I jumped to conclusions and went chemical. Hope it all works out!