Mites question.

[Gio]

I'll keep this short.

We have 1 snake, glass enclosure, aspen sub and feed F/T'd

The snake is healthy from what I can see the last 3 weeks.

I've done some reading on IBD and it sounds as if mites are a factor.

If we feed F/T'd, and have no other snakes and don't handle other snakes what are the odds of mites ever showing up?

We have 2 dogs.

Are the mites native to areas like Minneapolis outdoors, or are they strictly riders on a host that has to make contact with something?

Thanks,

Gio

[SRMD]

I'll keep this short.

We have 1 snake, glass enclosure, aspen sub and feed F/T'd

The snake is healthy from what I can see the last 3 weeks.

I've done some reading on IBD and it sounds as if mites are a factor.

If we feed F/T'd, and have no other snakes and don't handle other snakes what are the odds of mites ever showing up?

We have 2 dogs.

Are the mites native to areas like Minneapolis outdoors, or are they strictly riders on a host that has to make contact with something?

Thanks,

Gio

mites can get on anything im pretty sure.
thats why when you get mites your meant to clean the whole room so ive been told clean everything that you may have touched after touching something that is mite infested

this is just a guess not straight facts, best to wait for other people to weigh in

[heathers*bps]

If there are no other snakes being brought into the home ( quarantine!! ) then there shouldn't be anything to worry about. These mites that you are talking about are solely reptile mites, your dogs, cats, fish, bird cannot get them. Feeding f/t verses live, I really don't think has anything to do with.

[tjohnson722]

Beware going into pet stores. They can get on you and come in. Also beware of buying used items like tanks, etc. They are persistent little things.

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[Gio]

"Feeding f/t verses live, I really don't think has anything to do with."

Really? I thought I read that it did because IF there were any mites on the host it and the eggs on it would be killed while being frozen over a period of time.

As far as the pet store thing, I am aware of that and rarely go to them and when we do we do not handle the snakes now that we have one.

I guess I should have been more specific.

Do mites naturally exist in areas like Minnesota?

For instance, if we had a mouse from outdoors enter our home; would it be an assumption that it could carry mites if it made contact with a native snake and then walked through our laundry room?

Or because the snake type and population in the area I live is relatively small (occasional gardner snake) there really are not mites naturally occurring in this region?

Cheers,

Gio

[tjohnson722]

Mites can exist everywhere and anywhere there are reptiles. Say for example, you go to pet store and buy bedding or whatever. Mites can travel long distances so you may get eggs, therefore you get mites. Or, in the store around me, they keep mice, rats right next to the reptiles. Eggs, or occasional mite could hitch a ride. That's why when you get mites (its almost inevitable in this industry) you clean everything in the room. Another scenario, that garter snake was kept for a short time by someone who had mites, set it free.

What I'm saying is its all definately possible. It's not an if but when. I think your over thinking it. Quarantine, and practice good husbandry.

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[Gio]

Good answer. Not over thinking, just wondering where they originally come from. We only have 1 snake, and will only have 1 snake (unless I can convince my wife a dumeril would be a nice fit) so I'm not really concerned, unless as you said, the aspen we bought from the store has the mites or eggs.

So does the mite exist because of reptiles, or did it come from something and then evolve to feeding off reptiles? It must have developed in both African and N and S American continents as the snakes are totally different, or it was transported.

Or I guess going back millions of years things were not separated as they are now.

NOW, I'm over thinking ; ) Sorry I'm into science a bit so i like to find out stuff like this. Maybe best I search about and not bore the folks here.

Ciao

Gio

[WingedWolfPsion]

Native reptiles there can carry snake mites, yes. However, I don't think IBD is present in the wild snake populations there, so they won't be transmitting that to your snake. Highly unlikely for a mouse to bring them in, but entirely possible for a garter snake to bring them in (I had that happen once, as our basement isn't exactly well sealed around the foundation--rented house).

Provent-A-Mite is good to keep on hand. I'm always on guard--I have a lot of animals to protect, so keeping a close watch is the best way to prevent any major issues.

Another precaution is to put a bit of flea spray around the legs of the furniture the cage is resting on, as the mites will die if they try to walk across it. Wild animals aren't too likely to be climbing onto your snake's cage. I use it on the carpet below the snake racks. It's toxic to snakes, but they never come into contact with it. (It's much cheaper than Provent-A-Mite).

[Gio]

Thanks all. I guess it wasn't that short after all.

I believe the IBD research is going on at a university in Florida, but can't remember which one. From the sound of things they were terribly underfunded, at least at the time I read about it they were.

Sounds like an awful disease for boa's and pythons. Again I can't remember exactly where I read it, but there was some talk of pythons possibly developing a defense against it. I'll search.

Anyhow the mite was pointed as a transmitter of the disease.

[MSG-KB]

Also they can come in on the Substrates you buy at the store. If you use them. Best to keep a can of Provent-A-Mite around but also a store type also that you can put on the snake also.

I got mites in one cage from my Moss.