please help!!!

[vwsrcool]

ok this is my problem, about 3 months ago we took in a sick ball python that was left for dead, he ended up being covered in mites, so those damn mites moved into our garters cages and i seem to be able control and get rid of them, but every 2 weeks when i clean every thing , i find mites again, i use all these special cleaners, and mite + tick sprays with appearently no effects, does any one have any tips for me?????

[CrazyHedgehog]

OK, I used to use a chunk of vapona in a stocking hung in the cage, but Vapona is no longer available and it apparently was not that good for the snakes either!!

I bought some substrate from a less than reputable petshop, it was loose and bought by weight....soon after I had mites....

This time I used.."Bye Bye Mites" from Lucky reptile..(look for it on the internet or your local pet shop..
I bleached (5% solution) the tanks and plastic/ceramic furniture
Sprayed the bye bye mites on all wood furniture, ...
Brand new substrate, in a sealed bag...
Washed the snakes in a warm bath, dried with thick paper towel..
And then sprayed the whole snake with the bye bye mite...

All gone, no trace!
Spr

[KITKAT]

I just had a brush with mites in my herps, and successfully treated everyone with frontline top spot.

I did lose two babies, but they had other problems as well... but my adult snakes and my beardeds did well... no noticeable effect other than the absence of the mites.

On the older snakes I used two drops from a 1 cc syringe with no needle. I also used one drop on each of my bearded dragon juveniles (9 inch).

On the babies, I used an insulin syringe with a very fine needle, which produced a very tiny droplet that was smaller than the drop I used on the adults.

Results were excellent, in that the mites all disappeared, and none of my herps had noticeable effects of any kind from the application.

[GarterGuy]

I've heard that the spray stuff called "RidMite" works REALLY well and is safe to use with herps. I've never used it (never had serious problems with mite...thank the Gods!!!!!!), but several people from my local herp club, including one guy who runs a reptile rescue, swares by it.

[Cazador]

Mites... the scourge of snake keepers!!!! They make my blood boil just thinking of 'em. Anyway, there are treatments that claim to kill both the adult mite and the eggs, but many treatments don't. It is recommended that one treats their snakes and then re-treats them 10 days to two weeks later. This kills the adults, lets the eggs hatch, and then kills the juveniles before they reach sexual maturity.

I've used "Sevin" dust very effectively, but as Kitkat correctly mentioned in a previous post, that it's an organophosphate that acts on the same neural pathways that all living organisms share. The only difference between us, the snake, and the dead mites is the dose, relative to our body size. If you decide to use "Sevin dust," available from Wal Mart, don't leave your snake in it for more than 45 minutes to an hour. I read a book that recommended leaving them in it for 24 hours, but I started seeing signs of neural impairment after about 1 hour and 15 minutes. My snakes made full recoveries, but it was only because I was monitoring them. Please write for more advise if you decide to use Sevin dust, and keep it away from children and pregnant women.

[CrazyHedgehog]

The main pet shop for reptiles around my area recomended the bye bye mite to me as you can spray directly onto the snake with no harmful effects... he sprays all reptiles before they enter his shop with it to make sure that no mites get in!
(his shop and vivs are sooooo clean, that I am sure that mites wouldn't DARE infest him!)

[garterking]

I'm only in my first year with this hobby, so I have not had to deal with mites. (knock on wood) But I did read about a product called "provent a mite" from MG Reptiles. They claim it eliminate ticks and mites on reptiles and the enclosure for 30 days. Safe to use on your reptiles also. Can anyone back up this claim ??

Mike