Do I need Prevent-O-Mite???

[jmiles50]

I got the reptile spray from Reptile Basics to spray ON my snakes. One has mites so I'm treating everyone. I don't have anything in their tubs except newspaper and their water bowl. Do I still need Prevent-O-Mite for my tubs?


J.Miles

[CrystalRose]

I would say yes. The reptile spray from my understanding kills the adult ones on your snake but will not kill the eggs they may have laid in the tubs. So once the eggs hatch your snakes could get reinfested with mites. Provent-O-Mite will kill the eggs in the tubs so they don't hatch.

[SquamishSerpents]

IMO yes

[patientz3ro]

I would say yes. The reptile spray from my understanding kills the adult ones on your snake but will not kill the eggs they may have laid in the tubs. So once the eggs hatch your snakes could get reinfested with mites. Provent-O-Mite will kill the eggs in the tubs so they don't hatch.

Not quite the way it works. PAM doesn't kill the eggs either. It basically forms a "film" over everything it's sprayed on, and that film remains lethal for up to 30 days. The mites IN the eggs don't die, but once they hatch and come into contact with that film of PAM... Lights out.

PAM is just about the only game in town specifically formulated to PREVENT mites from re-infesting a collection, or from infesting it in the first place. Personally, I'm not a big fan. I'm sure I'll take some heat for this, but I'm ok with that. I don't particularly care for the idea of having a pesticide lingering in a cage on a near permanent basis. Yes, it's supposed to be tested to be safe for reptiles and all, but I'm not convinced. I mean really, if it's not safe to spray directly on the animal, why would I want that animal to be in constant contact with it for months at a time? The Reptile Relief and Mite-Off sprays DO work, you just have to put a little more effort and diligence into it. My vet prescribed Frontline spray when Ajja came home with mites, and it worked very well without having to keep chemicals inside the tank with her. I re-treated a couple of weeks after to make sure I got any that were still in eggs for the first treatment, but it wasn't a big deal.

Now, anything new that gets put in the tank gets cleaned well with Wipe-Out, rinsed well, then sprayed with Mite-Off before going in. Once a month I take everything out, vacuum out all the old substrate, and clean and treat everything before putting it all back in. I have a relatively complex setup, but it still only takes me an hour or two to completely clean everything, inside and out. The most difficult part is cleaning the glass without streaks.

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[PitOnTheProwl]

I would use paper towels instead of news paper just so you can see them better.
I would say no you don't need pam. The Natural Chemistry works great if you keep up for a couple of days on it AND you don't have to worry about any harm to your animals.

[OhhWatALoser]

PAM is just about the only game in town specifically formulated to PREVENT mites from re-infesting a collection, or from infesting it in the first place. Personally, I'm not a big fan. I'm sure I'll take some heat for this, but I'm ok with that. I don't particularly care for the idea of having a pesticide lingering in a cage on a near permanent basis. Yes, it's supposed to be tested to be safe for reptiles and all, but I'm not convinced. I mean really, if it's not safe to spray directly on the animal, why would I want that animal to be in constant contact with it for months at a time?

My rebuttal would be, I wouldn't spray paint directly onto my animal, but once it is dry, they can go crawl all over it all they want. I have used it in my own collection, I have had zero problems arise from it, as have many. However PAM isn't the only way to deal with mites, but I think it is the easiest. Look up what the bug people do to deal with it, they are the most cautious imo, PAM can knock out pet spiders/scorpions or breeding colonies of feeders for lizards and such, just from the over spray in the air. PAM isn't an option for some people if you keep bugs in the same area.

[patientz3ro]

My rebuttal would be, I wouldn't spray paint directly onto my animal, but once it is dry, they can go crawl all over it all they want. I have used it in my own collection, I have had zero problems arise from it, as have many. However PAM isn't the only way to deal with mites, but I think it is the easiest. Look up what the bug people do to deal with it, they are the most cautious imo, PAM can knock out pet spiders/scorpions or breeding colonies of feeders for lizards and such, just from the over spray in the air. PAM isn't an option for some people if you keep bugs in the same area.

Paint is a little different in that it's not designed to kill for 30 days after it dries...

I see your point, though. I don't mean to say that PAM is worthless, because it certainly isn't. It will kill mites, and when more hatch, it's going to kill them too. I'm also not saying that PAM is going to kill your snakes. There are entirely too many people who use it religiously and have never had a snake harmed.

My issue is that many times when people ask how to get rid of mites, the standard answer ends up being "use PAM. Anything else is garbage." That's simply not the case. For me, permethrin just has the potential of issues further down the ecological chain. Groundwater, fish, etc. And I'd rather use something else, as would many others.

Incidentally, Mite-Off is lethal to inverts as well. Keep away from pet bugs.

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