Preventing mites

So my battle with mites is pretty much over. I haven't seen any of the little beasties in a long time, but I'm continuing the treatments for at least a couple more weeks. Now I'm moving on to prevention.

I like cypress mulch in the tubs, but now I'm really hesitant to go for that again since that's where they came from. I know there are ways to treat it to kill any possible mites, but I'm not partial to putting non-food items in my oven. I was considering taking a piece of no pest strip and attaching it to the top of a secure locking tub, then storing the substrate in there out in the garage. Then before use I'd air it out really well and use it. Do you think that would work or is it a terrible idea that I should scrap?

No idea if this would be an issue or not, but I wouldn't chance the strip. I'd be too afraid that there would be some residue left and that it might harm my animals. If you have a deep freeze with some spare space, you could just freeze it in small batches, maybe in a small tote or plastic grocery bag, for 2 or 3 days. That would definitely kill any live mites and should finish any eggs too. I also try to source my bedding from outside the pet industry when possible, its usually cheaper and shouldn't contain any mites.

I've used no-pest strips pretty effectively over the years, however I've also known people who have killed animals over using them. I think your idea of putting one in a secure tub in the garage is a pretty good idea but you might not want to use the whole strip. Before the invention of PAM and other mite treatments, people would cut a 1 sq inch chunk off of a no pest strip and put it inside of a film canister that had been drilled with a lot of small holes and use these to treat for mites. That might work for you but remember that poisons will not kill mite eggs, as far as I know only heat will kill the eggs.

Also, snake mites are species specific and will only infest snakes. If you got snake mites from your bedding, they only way they could have gotten there was if the bedding was stored near an infested snake and the female mites were seeking a place to lay their eggs. This can happen if you buy your bedding from a pet store. It's much less likely to happen if you get it from a garden supply store.

The key for staying mite free is to be consistent with your regularly scheduled preventative measures. Prophylaxis in spraying is key. This way you can be assured to never see them. This also includes proper quarantine of newly acquired animals and also protecting yourself when attending expos, rescue institutions and the like. Always be on guard against mites.