For those who have used Equate to treat mites...

I lost this thread half way through...wow things get so carried away sometimes. I've heard from four of, probably, the biggest boa breeders in the country that I've wasted money on PAM. That being said, the equate version is made with the same chemicals as PAM...fact. Equate is approved for use on humans...Pam is not. I have to think that human health regulations are harder to get approved than reptile's are, even though I take better care of my snakes than I do myself sometimes.. ;) . It's a really hard decision to make for some people. I guess it boils down to who you trust more and whos opinion you value more than it does anything else. :confuzd: , right?

I have to say that I probably missed a lot in this thread because I just can't read through all the off topic so much, so if this has already been debated...oops!

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Originally Posted by jim020cricket

the equate version is made with the same chemicals as PAM...fact.

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Jimi,

I have the utmost respect for you, but I have to wonder, how in the world could you know this? Did you do any testing on both products to confirm this?

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Originally Posted by jglass38

Jimi,

I have the utmost respect for you, but I have to wonder, how in the world could you know this? Did you do any testing on both products to confirm this?

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Well, they both have 0.5% Permethrin listed as the active ingredient. The other 99.5% of other stuff is anyone's guess...

My guess is water. :P

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Originally Posted by jglass38

Jimi,

I have the utmost respect for you, but I have to wonder, how in the world could you know this? Did you do any testing on both products to confirm this?

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He doesn't have to. You only need to read the label.

First of all, some confusion needs to be cleared up. Labels on products have some very specific regulations. They must show the exact percentage of active ingredients. Which are the ingredients that do what the product is designed to do, in this case kill lice and/or ticks.

The rest of the ingredients must be listed in order, from the highest content to the lowest content, but aren't required to list the %'s. When a generic product is made, they use the exact same ingredient list as the brand name. But here's an important part... that doesn't mean they use the same amounts.

Given that, saying PAM and Equate have the same ingredients is, technically true. Saying they are the exact same thing... is most certainly wrong.

Whew... and after all that. I use PAM... because Equate isn't approved for reptiles. Until it is, I will continue to use PAM.

Our snakes had mites a couple months back & I didn't know where to get PAM other than the internet but I saw on here (or somewhere on the net) that you could use equate just make sure to remove the snake & water.
There's a Wal Mart close so I went & got some as well as some reptile relief (from petsmart, didn't see any PAM there).
I took the snakes out soaked them & used some RR. While that was happening (kids helping) I cleaned the enclosures .... got rid of the bedding & then sprayed the enclosures as well as their hides, covered them with saran wrap for a while then opened them up & let them dry out real well & then even took some dry paper towels & wiped the enclosure down, then put some newspaper & white paper towels down, put the hides back in, put the snakes back in & haven't seen a mite since.
The snakes are fine, eating & growing like weeds. No ill effects.


Could mites come from new bedding from the pet stores?

I'll step back in this thread for another post....


I have used both Equate, and Provent-A-Mite. I normally keep a few cans in stock of PAM, but when I ran out when I had a mite problem with a part of my collection, I was recommended PAM by one of the most knowledgeable, and respected Burmese Python breeders we have in the hobby. I am going to show respect for him by not mentioning his name, as doing so proves nothing...and I am explaining my experience using these products. I used it just as I would PAM. After one treatment with Equate, the mites were gone, and my snakes suffered no ill effects from it. It worked just as effectively as PAM did for me. All I can say is this is all a matter of opinion as of right now. If you use it correctly and appropriately I don't believe any problems should occur.

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Originally Posted by ReptiNut

Could mites come from new bedding from the pet stores?

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Yes mites can possibly come from new bedding. I have seen it happen before. You can bake, or freeze your bedding to help prevent this kind of problem. I use Cypress mulch, mixed with sphagnum moss for my Pythons, and I make sure I do this beforehand, taking preventative measures so I hopefully don't see another mite in my collection again.

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Originally Posted by AndrewH

Yes mites can possibly come from new bedding. I have seen it happen before. You can bake, or freeze your bedding to help prevent this kind of problem. I use Cypress mulch, mixed with sphagnum moss for my Pythons, and I make sure I do this beforehand, taking preventative measures so I hopefully don't see another mite in my collection again.

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I suspected that that is where they got them .... it was right after a fresh bedding (new aspen) change that they appeared.

I still use the newspaper with white paper towels on top of it .... I'm leery of the other kind of bedding, which is a shame. I liked the look of aspen & it really helped humidity-wise.

i've never heard of anyone getting mites from aspen before andrew...

i think the bottom line is this. PAM is proven safe for your snake. Equate is not.

If you want to take your chances... then go for it. If not, use PAM.

It is possible and has happened. They can come in any kind of bedding you use, whether it be they first come in as eggs, or live adults in the bedding itself...


Better safe than sorry, correct?

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i've never heard of anyone getting mites from aspen before andrew...

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