How did you get mites?

Ok a few days ago was feeding day, so I got mice from a different source than I usually get them from and I got a lot fewer than usual. Two days ago (or was it yesterday?) I was handling my big normal girl. When I put her back and looked down on my shirt I saw a mite. I freeked and checked her out. She had 2 mites on her. I checked myself again and I found another mite on me. I checked my other bps and 2 had a mite or two on them, but no one else did that I could see. No one has been soaking, nothing on the white papertowels. So anyway as soon as I discovered it I broke out the PAM. I scrubbed the tubs and treated everyone.

My questions is could the mites have come from the feeders? The snakes that had mites where the ones that ate. Tonight I checked and found a few dead mites in the tub of my big normal and one in one other bp (one that I found a mite on yesterday). No mites in any water dishes.

Could I have freeked a bit too soon? I have had mites before and they where heck to get rid of so I don't want them again. Can you give me any feedback on this? I am confused.

Oh and of course the normal girl refused her rats last feeding so I offered her mice and she ate 3 of them. She is going to drive me crazy.

Snake mites shouldnt be on feeder mice... the most common way to get them is by introducing a new snake into your collection and not following strict quarantine protocols.

Did you possibly bring them in on yourself? Did you pick up feeders from a reptile store?

Bruce

I never had mites up to now (knocks on wood), but I had a really interesting conversation with the owner of a reptileshop in my neigbourhood.

There are several way's to get mites:
-introducing a new snake in you're collection without following a quarantine process

-live feeders can carry them, and there is almost no way in knowing if you will carry them in like that

-flies!! -> every fly carries at least 6-7 mites, so if theres lots of flies near youre tank, there is a possibilitie one will drop of in youre terra/tub and gets the party going :)

-sometimes you find them in a new bag of aspen or reptibark or some like that. Thats why I always microwave or cook my bedding before use.

But i really don't think mites is a big worrie. Just make sure if you see one, you examine every snake verry good. Try and quarantine them all. And there are lots of spray's available to treat them. Even a normal miteshampoo solved in water wich u use to treat the snakes and every inch of there homes should do the trick. Give the infested snakes a verry good treatment and all youre others a preventive one and you'll be ok :)
Just make sure you treat everything!!!! i would even treat the things i use for my husbandry, every inch of the tub/terra every little thing thats in there...

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Originally Posted by thomasK

-flies!! -> every fly carries at least 6-7 mites, so if theres lots of flies near youre tank, there is a possibilitie one will drop of in youre terra/tub and gets the party going :)

-sometimes you find them in a new bag of aspen or reptibark or some like that. Thats why I always microwave or cook my bedding before use.

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Mites in wood are harmless to reptiles... wood mites/snake mites are not the same thing. You do not need to treat your wood.

Never heard the fly thing before, but that is an interesting point. But again, they would have to be carrying snake mites within a snake/reptile mite environment. But in that specific environment it makes sense to me (just never heard it before).

bruce

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Originally Posted by Bruce Whitehead

Mites in wood are harmless to reptiles... wood mites/snake mites are not the same thing. You do not need to treat your wood.

Never heard the fly thing before, but that is an interesting point. But again, they would have to be carrying snake mites within a snake/reptile mite environment. But in that specific environment it makes sense to me (just never heard it before).

bruce

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Hmm didn't know the mites in the bark would be different. Interesting to know!

Yeah, i never heared about the flies either. But it seems like a pretty logical spreader of mites. Something like bee's and butterfly's fertilizing flowers etc.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thomasK

Hmm didn't know the mites in the bark would be different. Interesting to know!

Yeah, i never heared about the flies either. But it seems like a pretty logical spreader of mites. Something like bee's and butterfly's fertilizing flowers etc.

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Wood mites are grey/brown... snakes mites are black (from ingested blood).

There are plenty of ways for mites to infest your group. Like others have said you could have carried one in on your clothes. All it takes is one little devil and ..... You have mites. Reptile shows are a way to get them. It sucks but not everyone at the shows cares about selling healthy animals. Bringing in a new animal without the QT time. Also where you buy your feeders. If a rat was in with a snake who had mites and it didn't eat. Well that rat picked up a couple mites and is put back. You come in and buy feeders..... Well you just also bought mites.
Like others have said the mites in bedding will not hurt your snakes. They are a different kind of mites. Also the mites that animals get, such as rat mites won't hurt a snake. Not the rat carrying in a snake mite. I'm talking about the actual mites rats get.
Mites suck but it sounds like you caught it before it got bad.

Yeah, we got mites at a reptile show.

Suffice it to say we learned our lesson..Even though I still go to shows(usually to get better deals on f/t feeders), we are showered, clothes are washed and changed, etc. etc. etc. everything from the show is OFF of us and doesn't go into the reptile room. We usually try to get everything taken care of for the reptiles before we leave to the show just in case, so we have more time for any yucky things from the show to get off us

I got the feeders from a pet store. They also have snakes so it is possible that is how they picked them up. I have never been fond of that pet store but they where the only place that had mice big enough.

Any suggestions on how to kill mites on a feeder?

Also how do you tell the difference between mites that rats get and snake mites?