Nuking Mites from Orbit with AaronP

[AaronP]

I posted this to a thread earlier and I thought I'd repost this here to make it easier to search for.

Disclaimer: This information was researched via multiple sources on the internet, none of these ideas are necessarily original however it is difficult to find it all from once source.

Disclaimer two: The following is not intended for individuals with 1-2 snakes, this is intended only for a collection size of 10 or more animals.



Prevent-A-Mite = RID = Lice Spray (Seriously they even Smell the same!). They are literally the exact same thing. The dead give away is the "0.50% Permethrin" on the label. This can be purchased basically anywhere (It's easiest to find it at Chain Pharmacies like RITE-AID, CVS, or Wallgreens). It's also a lot cheaper than PAM. If you've already purchased and are using PAM then more power to you.




NIX Solution: The NIX solution works basically the same way as PAM (both use Permethrin in different concentrations) but the big difference here is you can directly apply this to the animal which is good if you're paranoid about the little buggers not dying simply from being drowned in a warm soaking or from indirect contact with PAM.

The Battle Plan:

Phase 1: PREPARE THE ARMORY

1. There is no Homeopathic crap here, we're going to use good ole' fashion pest genocide chemicals.
2. Our first line of defense requires the NIX Solution, and here's how you make it:
   
   • Buy 1 (or 2) 59ml Bottle of NIX Lice Treatment. If you buy the family pack it will be 2 59ml bottles.
   • Buy 1 (or 2) Gallon(s) (4 Litres) of Distilled Water
   • Buy 1-2 Spray Bottles (or use one that you've never used before)
   • Mix 1 59ml bottle of NIX with 1 Gallon of Distilled water. (I found it easier if I took a clean tupperware container and poured some of the water into it and all of the NIX and then THOROUGHLY mixed it this way it disperses in the water much better, then you can add the pre-mixture to the rest of the water)
   • After mixing the water and NIX pour the NIX Solution into your water bottle.
3. Our next line of Defense is simply the Lice Spray (PAM/RID) we will use both of these for very specific tasks.

Phase 2: Relief & Cleaning!

1. Remove all of the snakes from their tubs and put them in temporary holder tubs with warm water. I let them soak in there while you go onto the next step.
2. While your snakes are getting some much needed relief in the form of DROWNING THEIR ENEMIES you will then thoroughly clean their enclosures.
3. Cleaning & Treating The Racks
   
   • Unplug the Rack
   • Remove ALL of the Tubs
   • The way I clean the racks is to liberally spray every surface, nook, cranny, and crevice of the rack with the NIX solution. DO NOT SPRAY THE TUBS WITH THE NIX SOLUTION! YOU WILL LEARN WHY SOON!
   • Once you've sprayed everything take paper towels and clean off all of the excess moisture
   • After wiping everything down spray the rack again in the same places but with very light sprits and also spray the surrounding carpet and under/behind/beside the rack. The goal here is only to leave enough NIX Solution behind so that there will be a small residue that will kill any of the freedom haters that may still be alive.
4. Treating The Tubs
   
   • At this point I'm assuming your snake's tubs are clean and preferably on paper or paper towels and not on Aspen, Cypress or anything that isn't paper. If they are not then you should thoroughly clean the tubs using your normal methods and use a Paper Substrate (Unprinted Newspaper, News Paper, packing paper, paper towels, whatever just not Aspen, Dino Snow, Cypress, or anything else that isn't 1 sheet of something).
   • If they tubs are reasonably clean (or have been cleaned) then spray the SUBSTRATE with the PAM/RID/Lice Spray and allow it to dry and then place it back into the rack

Phase 3: Directly Treating the Snakes
Now that you've thoroughly cleaned their environments and treated the tubs with PAM/RID/Lice Spray it's time you take our snake friends out of their small baths and treat them directly.

1. Remove the snake from the tub it was soaking in and drain the tub of it's water. If there are dead mites on the side them rinse them off.
2. Now put the snake back in the same tub it was soaking in and spray it with the NIX Solution. Don't go hog wild and drench it in it just enough to lightly cover it. I like to genetly massage the snake after spraying it to get the solution inbetween its scales to get the little demons that live there.
3. Leave the snake alone in the tub while you treat the other snakes the same way. Once you have treated the last one go back to the first one and move to the next step.
4. At this point the snake should have been chilling out with a light helping of the NIX Solution. Now return it to its newly cleaned tub. DO NOT PUT ITS WATER DISH BACK WITH IT.
5. After 24 hours return your snake's rightful water dish.

Phase 4: You've won the battle but not the war!
By now you've thoroughly treated your snakes and their environments. However persistence is key here. To win this war you need to repeat this every 5-7 days for at least 3 weeks, I recommend at least a month personally. With an average size collection (20-30 snakes) you will still have plenty of the NIX Solution as well as PAM/RID/Lice Spray.


Phase 5: Sometimes OCD is a good thing.
Phase 5 is all about preventatives. I would strongly recommend standard QT procedures for new arrivals (PAM/RID/Lice Spray treat the tubs) and also every few months do a NIX Solution treatment of the Rack, just as a precaution. It may seem like a hassle but trust me It's nothing compared to the alternative.

You're insane, why would you do this much work?
Because honestly the last time I depended on just PAM it didn't really get the job done. I read up a great deal on the NIX Solution and I was willing to give it a shot but the varying degrees of results bothered me but I wanted the ability to directly treat the snake beyond off the shelf solutions that are not just expensive but not always available. My method combines two well known disciplines of Mite removal and I believe covers all of the grounds you want to with not only killing the Mite Demons and their Hellspawn but also killing their Xenomorph Eggs and doing so on your animal and their environment giving you the best chance of genocidal success you're looking for for those eight legged b*stards.




COMMON SENSE WARNING!!!
Listen we're working with unnatural chemicals here. Apply some common sense and do NOT increase the amount of NIX you mix with the gallon of water. The proportions stated are tried and true. Do NOT go crazy with the PAM/RID/Lice Spray, seriously you will only do harm to your snakes.

[Diamond Serpents]

Thank you for this amazing write up, I now have it booked marked. I will be using this if I ever get mites.

Can we get a sticky for this please?

[MootWorm]

I love your battle plan! Definitely keeping this around if (heaven forbid) I ever have to deal with the little buggers. One question though: is the proportion for the solution on the Nix bottle?

[AaronP]

I love your battle plan! Definitely keeping this around if (heaven forbid) I ever have to deal with the little buggers. One question though: is the proportion for the solution on the Nix bottle?

You use 1x 59ml bottle per Gallon (4 liters). 59ml is the standard size that this lice treatment comes in. It is a very small bottle as you can see in the picture but it does say how much is in it. The reason I say it the way I do in the guide is usually you find NIX in a family pack which has two identical bottles in the same box and you should only use 1 bottle per gallon. NIX is a lice treatment just like the lice spray but it has the same chemical (Permethrin) but it is diluted enough when mixed with a gallon of distilled water that it becomes safe to directly treat the snakes while still being potent enough to kill the mites. You should never ever spray your snakes with PAM/RID/Lice Spray, you can and will kill it.

[Skilla6000]

I agree, please make this a sticky thread, very informative. It really helps us Canadians as we don't have Pam or anything here in Canada only nix and stuff, thanks so much for this hopefully I won't have to use any of the things you listed but if I do I will defiantly use this guide thanks again.

[KMG]

That's alot of work compared to my previous battle. It went like this.

1. Ordered snakes online
2. Snakes arrived with mites, they were free
3. Walked into Petco
4. Walked out with Reptile Spray
5. Sprayed snakes, tubs, surrounding area
6. Mites died
7. Rinsed everything and all was well

Cost me $8. I killed them in one treatment. I think having PAM on hand is a good idea but like Reptile Spray much more. It is safer. I personally would never trust a NIX mixture on my animals when there is a better alternative.

Do any of the Canadian keepers know if you can get Reptile Spray? I have suggested it a few times but have never been told if its available there.

[AaronP]

That's alot of work compared to my previous battle. It went like this.

1. Ordered snakes online
2. Snakes arrived with mites, they were free
3. Walked into Petco
4. Walked out with Reptile Spray
5. Sprayed snakes, tubs, surrounding area
6. Mites died
7. Rinsed everything and all was well

Cost me $8. I killed them in one treatment. I think having PAM on hand is a good idea but like Reptile Spray much more. It is safer. I personally would never trust a NIX mixture on my animals when there is a better alternative.

That $8 bottle won't treat 20+ snakes 4 times. It's also not available everywhere. I'm not saying that this is the easiest method, I'm saying this is the most thorough. A single 6oz can of PAM/RID/Lice Spray will last you a long time if you're only using it for standard QT and I've personally had PAM get the job done by itself but some times it isn't that simple and sometimes you gotta put the extra effort into it.

This entire thing came about because PAM alone wasn't doing it and it was getting very expensive very quick. Not to mention losing valuable time because of being unable to find viable solutions locally that was specifically made for reptiles.

What is the active ingredient in Reptile Spray?

[KMG]

You shouldn't need to treat them 4 times. You can also buy it on Amazon in a big jug. I treated three snakes their tubs and the surrounding area and still had plenty left. I couldn't even tell the bottle had been used. It worked great.

My phone won't open everything on their website but this is it. Maybe you can find the active ingredient. I'm not around a computer or the bottle.
http://naturalchemistry.com/Pet_amp_...tips_info.html

[treeboa]

Reptile Spray is available in Canada. There are some sources for it at the company website KMG linked to. And the company said it kills mites at all stages of life like PAM, so it's entirely possible to wipe them out with 1 treatment. Of course, the more cages you have to treat, the better the chances of missing some. I'd still repeat the treatment once or twice.

[TheSnakeGuy]

Awesome write up. Definitely sticky worthy.

"I say we nuke the site from orbit, only way to be sure."