Mite Question

[UberAlice]

So, I think Roo and possibly Vash may have mites. :shock:
I was cleaning the girls' tanks today when I saw a small black beetle-y looking thing crawling on Roo. I brushed it off and gave it a good look before tossing it out the window. I was a little concerned, so I finished cleaning and hopped online to look it up. For as small as it was, it definitely looked like a mite. Grrr.
Here's the thing, though; the girls were quarantined and mite-free before I moved back to my old apartment. All of a sudden, we have mites, and I suspect they may have come from my roomate's parrot. I love my roomate to pieces, but this bird is filthy, and she rarely cleans up all his poo spots. He was indirectly responsible for the death of my sugar gliders, we figure, as he most likely pooed in their food when she wasn't watching him while he had a bacterial infection. The sugars died 2 weeks after he became sick.
First off, Is it possible that he passed on mites to my girls? I didn't see anything on Vash, but that doesn't mean there wasn't something there. Both live in separate tanks. The parrot in question is a black-headed Caique, about 4 years old.
Secondly, what can I do to fix this? I've heard variable opinions on Provent-a-mite; anyone have any other suggestions?

I'm pretty miffed, I worked hard to keep the girls parasite-free, and if another one of my animals becomes sick because of this bird, we're really going to have to talk. She's my best friend, but I'm not willing to lose my babies because she and her fiancee don't take well enough care of their bird.

[led4urhead]

Tracie .. i'm sorry to hear about that. Check here for some good info on how to get rid of the little boogers: http://www.ball-pythons.net/index.ph...ewtopic&t=4722 . I dont know if reptile mites can be caught from mammals tho. I know that mamals cant get reptile mites, but i'm not too sure if any mammal parasites can transfer to a reptile. I would think some are universal, esp internal ones. I dont know for sure though.

[UberAlice]

Thanks for the link, Carson....right now I'm down between the No-Pest strips and the Provent-a-Mite. Anyone have experience with either of these?

[Cody]

I don't have experience with them, but from what I've heard and read over the months of research I've done, provent-a-mite works well, but pest strips can be a health risk if fumes are strong in the tank. I'd probably use provent-a-mite since I've heard good stuff about it. But it's up to you.

I also thought the mites from a parrot would most likely not be reptile mites. They probably were mites that you seen, but maybe not reptile mites. Which would mean they probably wouldn't feed off of your snakeys. Still good to get rid of them though, of course.

[padiente]

I swear, I have been so fortunate in that catagory, I have yet to have to deal with that and I doubt I will, but I stay up on the info just in case. Good luck.

[UberAlice]

Thanks, Cody...yeah, this is the first I've seen on them since I've had the girls, and I handle them fairly frequently. I think if they were there for some time, I would have seen something.
The snakes don't seem bothered by them, and I can find none of the telltale traces of them in the tank that I've read about (no dead mites in the water, etc). They may very well be birdie mites, but you can imagine my panic upon finding them! I immediately did a complete breakdown and substrate change on the spot, and haven't seen a mite since or before. My roomate has been taking the bird outside fairly frequently over the past few days; maybe he picked up something then. I'll tell her tomorrow morning so she can look him over. In the meantime, I'll be picking up some Prevent-o-mite tomorrow I think.

[Cody]

Good plan.

Yeah, I've gotta get my hands on some provent-a-mite somehow too. I don't have a mite problem, and hope I never will. But it's probably good to have around just incase. Do they only sell it online, or do they sell it at Petco and stuff too? If they do, I might have to take a trip to windsor and get some.

[Marla]

Please don't use the No_pest strips. Apparently they've been known to cause neurological problems, that may even show up a long time after they're gone. Provent-a-mite should be fine, and birds are nearly reptiles with wings so I wouldn't be surprised if bird mites found reptiles compatible hosts. Bad roommate!

[UberAlice]

Quick update...I've been checking on the girls daily, keeping from handling them to avoid stress and to check them/their substrate. No sign of the mites. Not a single one. I have the Provent-a-mite can sitting in my desk, and I haven't seen one since the first post I made. I think you guys were right; it was a birdie mite that happened to get into the room. I was pretty concerned because Vash regurgitated her last meal on Saturday morning, right into the water bowl. I think it was because she wasn't given enough time after feeding to digest it, or just took down too large of a prey item. That freaked me out, so Vash is in the "quiet time" corner now with blinders around her tank and sound-blockers (pillows) on the sides to keep her stress down. No mites on her, and no mites on Roo.
Thanks for the help, guys, I never would have considered that the mites could just have been Beaker's and not harmful to the girls.

[led4urhead]

Good to hear you are mite free. Its something we as herp keepers face at least once ( more than likely ). Sorry to hear about the regurge tho .