Infected feeder mice?

[ki.bro]

Noticed that adult feeder mouse had some fleas or mites on its skin. The tank has been mite free for some time, but I'm just wondering if this is how they get mite infested in the first place?

[Coleslaw007]

It typically comes in the bedding. Years ago when I bred mice just for fun and had no reptiles (I was young okay?) I had the same thing happen and the local feed store recommended I sprinkle poultry mite dust on my rodents and bedding. It worked great on the mice and the pigeons I used to breed when they would pick up mites.

I would NOT recommend this for mice you're feeding to reptiles though...hopefully someone else will chime in on that part. Good luck!

[wolfy-hound]

Reptile mites and the mites you find on rodents(or in the bedding) are different mites. You won't give your snake mites off a rat with mites.

(this is not to say that a snake mite might not hitch a ride on a rodent from store to home, same as if it might hitch a ride on your pants leg)

Rodents can get lice or a type of mite, in addition to fleas. Just remember whatever you use to treat can transfer to babies, to the bedding, etc... and thus to your snakes. So be wary of what you use if the animals are intended for feeders, or if they are being used as breeders and the babies are exposed to the freshly treated parents.

[ki.bro]

Thanks for clarifying RE: mites.

I was curious if anyone had tips on keeping a breeding pair of rats to feed my BP.

Is there a cost effective way to setup for rats?
Is it possible to freeze pups for later feeding dates? If yes, how?
Should the snake be kept away from the rats (in their respective enclosures)? Don't want to drive his senses wild thinking prey is around all the time....

[LLLReptile]

Thanks for clarifying RE: mites.

I was curious if anyone had tips on keeping a breeding pair of rats to feed my BP.

Is there a cost effective way to setup for rats?
Is it possible to freeze pups for later feeding dates? If yes, how?
Should the snake be kept away from the rats (in their respective enclosures)? Don't want to drive his senses wild thinking prey is around all the time....

As others have mentioned, mammalian mites and snake mites are two different beasties.

Cost effective way to set up rats - only if you are doing larger quantities of them. The amount of time you spend on them will easily be double what you spend on the snakes, they will always smell somewhat, and while they will reproduce for you, if you only have one pair, murphy's law dictates they will never breed when they are supposed to.

Personally, I'd house them in a separate room. Rodents do better at cooler ambient temperatures than the snakes do, and this way the whole smell thing is a non-issue.

Freezing pups for a later date is definitely do-able, you would just have to find a humane way to dispatch them prior to freezing them.

-Jen