Losing the battle with mites. Help!

[hazzaram]

My battle with mites started just over a month ago (March. 29). I immediately ordered PAM and the Reptile Relief spray and I've been using them ever since. Both snakes are on paper towel and every time I have to replace soiled sub, I put in a new piece that's been treated with PAM. Every week I spray my hands with the reptile relief spray and kinda wipe it on them, since they hate having the stuff sprayed on them and it freaks them out.

Should I just keep on this path? Are they ever going to go away? I still see the pepper-like mites on the sides of water dishes (dishes are white) and yesterday I noticed some stuck under the scales of my albino.

I've been told to treat the area around the tubs with PAM but I have a very small room and 2 cats that live in it constantly and I don't want to put them at risk with the poisonous spray.

I'm not sure what else to do!

[hungba]

Take the snakes out of the room then since you only have two. Get two temporary boxes or something. Treat them elsewhere where your cats don't go. When the mites are gone put them back.

Wipe the room with alcohol.

I don't think permethrin is even toxic to cats? Is it? I think they use it in some flea spray for small animals.

[bcr229]

Reptile Relief can be applied every 3 days according to the directions. It's not a pesticide, it's a salt solution that works by dehydrating the mites that come into contact with it. Unfortunately once it dries it loses much of its efficacy, and unfortunately it causes crappy sheds because it dehydrates your snake's skin as well.

If you haven't treated the tubs with PAM you also need to do that in addition to the paper. Same goes for the rack if you're using one, the mites will lay eggs in the crevices. You can put your snakes in a lukewarm bath with a small drop of dish soap, which will help drown the mites, while you're treating their tubs and rack.

A cheaper alternative to PAM is the 2 oz bottle of NIX or RID head lice treatment (listed as 1% permethrin). Combine the 2 oz bottle with a gallon of water, put into a spray bottle, and use like you would the PAM.

If you can secure the cats outside of the room for a few hours, hang a Hot Shot No-Pest strip in the room and close the door. I do it for 12-24 hours at a time. Remove the water bowls while the strips are in use, the pesticide has a strong affinity for water and you don't want the snakes ingesting it. After 12-24 hours put the strip into an airtight container such as a zip-lock bag, air out the room, and put the water bowls back into the tubs with fresh water. Repeat weekly. Some people cut the strip up and put it into containers in the tubs, I just treat the room as a whole.

Good luck and even once you stop seeing mites continue to treat for them for at least 30 days to make sure you don't miss any eggs that are slow to hatch out, as the eggs are tough and the pesticides don't kill them.

[hazzaram]

I unfortunately don't have anywhere else to move them

[hazzaram]

I was told not to treat plastic bins with pam because it doesn't dry properly or something? I can try it.

And no, I can't move the cats out for a few hours. All their stuff is in my room and if I move their litter/food out the dog will get it lol. It's a tough place.

I'll do some research on pam and cats and see what I can find. I just don't like chemicals around them.

[Gary P]

PAM worked for me. I treat everything in their enclosure. Give them temporary throw away hides like cardboard boxes. Clean their hides and treat them. I did that twice over a period of 6 weeks. Never had a problem again. PAM is good stuff. Soaked my snakes as well in water with a drop of dish soap. Pretty sure I got mites from petsmart when I bought a bag of aspen there. Sucked.