Confused about everyones Mites

Knock on wood. I have had my ball for 3 yrs now and no mites. How come so many people seem to have problems with mites? Is it in the bedding or does it come home with new snakes? Comments please!

I haven't had any experience yet either, but I'm guessing it happens 1 of 3 ways: you handle snakes (or other animal) that have mites then come home and handle your snakes, you bring in new snakes with mites and it spreads, or they transfer from rats/mice (not sure on this one).

i recently go a blood from a friend who had no mites. we think we are getting from shows that we do. we a couple of people bring their animals and we think that someone in the herp may have them and it is transfering to our animals.

depends on where you live. for instance, certain areas of the carolinas are heavily ridden with mites, ticks, fleas, and other nasty pests. if you live where i live, you treat for mites when you don't see any, just so you DON'T get an infestation.

however, handling, other pets (dogs/cats) or new pets can mean you're introducing pests into your environment.

I only saw one suspect and treated as if. I brought in a rescue last month and I might have gotten careless. Better safe than sorry. We can't even walk outside here (GA) without having to check for ticks they are so bad. It's possible it's my environment, don't know.

I could have sworn I read/heard that snake mites are specific to snakes. I don't believe any thing from a dog/cat will transfer to a snake???

If you go to pet stores, you can bring home mites.
If you go to reptile shows, you can bring home mites.
If you visit a friends house who has mites, you can bring home mites.
If your new rescue animal has em, you bring home mites.

The list can go on and on....

Did you ever try and figure out how spiders get into your house? Probably the same way. It's a bug, they can go through glass it seems.

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Originally Posted by L.West

I could have sworn I read/heard that snake mites are specific to snakes. I don't believe any thing from a dog/cat will transfer to a snake???

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That is correct - they are host specific.

I keep a can of Provent-A-Mite as part of my husbandry supply kit.

My first case of mites was from a pet store girl that I picked up. I knew that they had mites, and so I pre-treated her with Reptile Relief before bringing her into my home and into QT.

Thirty days later she was soaking - the eggs that the Reptile Relief did not kill had hatched.

I always carry P.A.M with me to shows, in case I pick up any animals, I pre-treat the tub that I bring to transport them with it, and I pre-treat enclosures of all new animals with PAM.

The other time that I had mites was from a Craigslist person, and I had them in QT, but also re-treated my existing colony enclosures with PAM to make sure that I didn't accidentally carry any mites on my clothing to them.

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Originally Posted by stratus_020202

It's a bug, they can go through glass it seems.

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LOL! Sometimes it very well seems that way! :rofl: