PAM and Feeders.

[decensored]

Hey Guys - Quick question.

So a couple of my BP's got mites, and we are pretty sure they got carried in on the feeders we buy. My question is - is it possible to use PAM on the feeders substrate to prevent them from transferring the mites to the snakes? On the can it says not to use it on feeder animals, but I'm not sure if this means not to use it on the animal itself or not to treat a feeders enclosure.

Thanks guys.

[dr del]

Hi,

Since PAM isn't supposed to be used on the animals directly I think the answer is likely to be not to use it.

But I would email pro products and ask them specifically to get the best response.


dr del

[snakesRkewl]

Mites on rats are a different species than mites on snakes, I've not heard of snake mites being brought in on rats, I guess it might be possible but I've never seen it.

Do you go get feeders from a snake person?

[jasbus]

Yes, it's safe...
Snake mites are different from rodent mites though... Actually, mice mites are even different from rat mites... Each mite will "try" the new host, but not stay with them. You probably got your snake mites just like a dog gets fleas... It just happens.

However, if you go to Home Depot, pick up a gallon of Hot Shot Bedbug and Flea Spray for $10, you'll save a ton of money. It has the same ingredient, Permitherin, but at about half of the dosage. I've been using it for a few years on my rodent tubs, and I never have mites. Before that, I used PAM, and just kind of migrated over to the Hot Shot when I finally figured out it had the same insecticide in it, but in a safer dosage. PAM is 0.5% permitherin, Hot Shot is 0.2%....
I spray the edge of every tub every week, not the substrate or the rodent. Even if the rats have mites, the mites have to leave the host to lay eggs, and they lay eggs in corners, etc. So, by spraying the tubs, they mites will disappear... You can also spray Reptile Relief directly on the rats to rid them of the mites, just be sure not to feed them off for a couple of weeks.
I still use PAM on my reptile enclosures monthly, the stuff is great. The guy at ProProducts told me a couple of years ago, to spray PAM on the nesting material of the rodents to get rid of mites, but my rodent collection is just too big to use that much PAM... I can buy a case of Hot Shot for $55, and that lasts me 6 months+...A can of PAM, even wholesale is $12,, and a can only lasts for a week in my rat sheds...

[decensored]

Yeah the PAM is pretty expensive here in Canada - The cheapest I've seen it was at the expo this year and it was $35.00 a can. Thanks for the advice guys - much appreciated.

Yeah I get my rodents off of a python breeder who buys them from a rodent breeder. So I don't know the original source itself. Because I buy them off of this breeder I'm dipping into his personal. So If he throws a rat in with his snakes and the snakes dont take than it goes back into the rat bin and I might buy it an hour or so later, and then the rat is in with my snakes within the hour so I figure its possible that the rat carried the mites :\ lol..

I just want to be as preventative as possible.

Thanks guys.