MITES!! Freaking out! What do I do??

I've been told on another forum to use Nix? A human lice treatment really diluted. Is that safe?? Everyone on there (10+ posters) is saying to use that...

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

I've been told on another forum to use Nix? A human lice treatment really diluted. Is that safe?? Everyone on there (10+ posters) is saying to use that...

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I would forget the Nix. Reptile Spray and Provent-A-Mite are designed for this problem, will work, and are safe.

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

Do you spray the PAM on the plastic tub? I've been searching while waiting for responses and I've seen not to do that? To just spray the bedding?

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You spray the PAM on the tubs not on the bedding. Allow it to dry thoroughly before putting anything back in the cage. Keep the furniture minimalist for now, Take the furniture that you WERE using and either throw it out or boil it. I'd also suggest using paper for a substrate for the time being.

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

EDIT - The spray won't get here from Amazon until the 10th of April. That's the fastest shipping I can choose. Is there anything else I can do in the meantime?

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April 10th is too long to wait, you'll have a full blown infestation by then.
You might find reptile spray/reptile relief at the pet store, I believe that Natural Chemistry (the company who makes reptile spray) uses the same formula that they use in De Flea which they sell for dogs. I personally use Repel clothing and gear spray instead of PAM, it contains the same chemicals in the same strengths as PAM. You can find it at Walmart in the camping section though they may not stock it at this time of year.

There are other procedures that others may recommend that could help to lessen the mite load such as soaking your snake but they will likely NOT get rid of the infestation unless it's very light. I've even heard of a person solving his mite problem by brushing/plucking them off of his snake and squashing the mites with his thumb. It might be effective in killing individual mites but there is no way I would trust this method to rid me of a mite infestation.

The best and most surefire way of getting rid of a mite infestation is to use poisons. Since they ARE poisons, follow directions exactly and be careful in their usage. Use the minimum amount needed to do an effective job.

For OUR purposes there are three stages of mites, the egg stage, the feeding stage and the breeding stage. Mite eggs are pretty much impervious to anything but high heat. Mite eggs can be killed by boiling water or fire as long as the heat can reach the eggs. Female mites will lay their eggs in tight and tiny cracks as far back into the crack as they can reach.

The eggs hatching time is pretty much temperature dependent, shorter or longer times depending on how warm it is, though I believe 6 weeks is pretty typical. hatchling snake mites are clear white in color and have a very good sense of smell, they can walk long distances to find your snakes, this is their feeding stage. Snake mites don't infest lizards or other reptiles, only snakes. There are other species of mite that can infest your other reptiles. Here is where PAM and other permethrin sprays come in handy. Once sprayed on a surface and allowed to dry, they can be effective in killing bugs for a very long time, even months. They stick to surfaces so well that they can even remain effective after washing the cage. I've personally taken a plastic critter cage to the pet store to buy crickets and found all of the crickets dead by the time I got them home. I then remembered that I had treated that critter cage with PAM nearly a year before, it was still strong enough to kill off all of the crickets on the ride home.

Once a hatchling snake mite finds your snake it'll attach itself and start to suck blood. This is when they turn the reddish brown to black color we typically associate with snake mites. This is where you want to use the reptile spray or Nix solution. PAM is far too toxic to use ON your snake so spraying/wiping down your snake with reptile spray or a weak nix solution will kill the mites that are actively feeding on your animal. The problem with this stuff is that it does not stay effective on your snake for a very long time which is why you need to retreat more often then you do with the permethrin spray.

Once the snake mites have had their fill of snake blood and have grown into their adult stage, they will mate and the females will drop off your snake in search of a nice warm crevice to lay their eggs in, they will often leave the cage completely and travel long distances to find a suitable spot for egg laying, I once read that snake mites can travel over 10 yards in a day.

This is why effective mite treatment is two fold. Short lasting Reptile spray to kill the mites that are ON your snake, and long lasting permethrin sprays that will kill the newly hatched mites as they walk over it in search of your snake or the gravid females that leave your snake in order to find an egg laying site. It's the permethrin sprays that that will prevent you from being re-infested over and over again.

It's possible to get rid of mites using ONLY permethrin sprays, even after dry the permethrin will produce a vapor that kills mites in the environment but is 'typically' not dangerous to your snake. However be very careful with it. I've personally killed a bunch of hatchling day geckos merely by using PAM near them. I've also had hatchling bullsnakes start to exhibit some neurological issues when treating their cages even after they were completely dry. I personally won't use the stuff around hatchling colubrids anymore but I've had no problems using it around hatchling ball pythons.

The reptile spray isn't available here. I ordered it but it'll take time to get here. I also checked the Canadian walmart site and the repel stuff isn't listed.

The only stuff available locally is some zoomed stuff at the petstore and Nix, but ive read too many bad thigs abouy it to try it. Otherwise I have to wait for my stuff to come in :(

I'm gonna soak my two snakes tonight. I know that won't really help but I'm hoping it'll provide a tiny bit of relief to my snakes.

The active ingredient in NIX is permethrin. The active ingredient in PAM is permethrin. Used correctly both will eradicate mites without harming the snake. Used incorrectly both will kill your snake.

Two ounces (a bottle) of the 1% permethrin NIX diluted in a gallon of water makes an effective mite spray. Use it as you would use PAM - spray the enclosure, paper you will be using for substrate (if you have cypress or aspen throw it away), hides, rack, floor, walls, etc. Allow surfaces your snake comes into contact with to completely dry before putting your snake back into its home. DO NOT SPRAY THE WATER BOWL or you snake with the permethrin product, if your snake ingests permethrin it may suffer neurological damage or perish.

You can soak your snake for 30 minutes or so in warm (not hot, about 85*F) water with a small drop of dish soap to break the surface tension of the water so the mites can't float, and they drown.

You can use Reptile Spray on the snake to kill mites. My vet suggested spraying a paper towel with it and then wiping the snake, as most snakes hate getting sprayed and get stressed out when you do it. Plus you use less Reptile Spray per treatment since more ends up on the snake and not on the floor, the tub, the rack... Do the wipe treatments twice weekly until you stop seeing mites on the paper towel, then weekly for four weeks after that to make sure you don't get hit with a re-infestation because you missed an egg.

Well, I'm going to try the Nix. I'd hate for this to get worse. I'll just make sure to follow the steps exactly so I don't hurt my snakes. When my PAM comes, I'll switch to that.

Wish me luck... I'm nervous lol.

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

Alright, both products are coming to me! I hope they get here soon.

Can I give them some type of bath to get some relief? I don't feel comfortable with mineral oil and scales falling off. I know with fleas, a tiny bit of dish soap kills them. Is that harmful for snakes?

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Yes, the brand to get imo, would be the "Dawn hypoallergenic" dishwashing liquid. Any "Dawn" dishwashing liquid would be good however. I would also not wait until the 10th for the other products bc this is really a emergency. The bp's and you need to immediately begin the decontamination process! It's only going to get worse! These mites continue to infect and lay eggs that hatch over and over again. You need PAM and REPTILE RELIEF overnighted to you! Try any of the online reptile stores and stress that you need it overnighted. Save the previous order as a backup. Stay in peace and not pieces. Good luck. :gj:

I've tried that :( The reptile spray is only available on amazon.ca and it's coming from the states so there's no way it can be overnighted. There wasn't even an option. The PAM was shipped today so fingers crossed it doesn't take long...

I don't think I have a choice but to try the Nix diluted mixture, at least until the PAM and reptile spray gets here. I know I need to start fighting this right away and that's my only option right now.

Americans are lucky with their easy access to stuff! lol

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Originally Posted by hazzaram

I've been told on another forum to use Nix? A human lice treatment really diluted. Is that safe?? Everyone on there (10+ posters) is saying to use that...

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Only use Nix if you can't get PAM. Nix is the same stuff, basically, but not dosed for snakes. You can get a can of pam, and some nix, and figure out how to dilute the nix to the same strength then follow the pam directions for applying the nix. You save money, but you should only do this if you have experience mixing things, and already know how to use Pam. The cost of pam is higher than nix and it is harder to get, but I recommend it over nix, since it is easier to use and has instructions for treating snakes.


David

It's not the cost. I ordered it but it'll probably take 2 weeks to get here. It's not just available to purchase in Canada. Neither is reptile relief spray, which is going to take until at least April 10th to get here.