Bed bugs!

This past week and a half has been super hell for anyone who has ever gotten these things. I live in a apartment complex that I, assume, got them from since I suddenly noticed mattresses in dumpsters and people moving out and whatnot. As such, they have decided to migrate into my apartment :(. My question here is does anyone know if they will come after my ball python? I've gotten both yes and no from the internet, so I'm not 100% sure. I do know they enjoy wood and warmish places to hide and CO2. I use cypress mulch as bedding and I feel if I switch off to newspaper or something, they would still hide underneath it since that puts them even closer to the UTH. I'm in the process of getting out of here myself, but in case he/she is under attack I'd like to know. If it means anything, I have a cat with me as well, yet I seem to be the only one the bugs have taken a liking to. I started using Diatomaseous Earth to keep them at bay and it kept me bite free for the first night in a while yesterday. No irritant to me or my cat, just dusty.

I have never even thought of them going after a reptile.
I don't know enough about them to give you a yes or no.

It seems like they might be to big to get under the scales to draw blood?

I hope this is something I never have to look into. Even if you move, you might want to look into getting your place treated.

Good luck.

Find a friend with a Kirby vaccum.
Vaccum the HELL out of your bed.
I own a Kirby. And it works wonders. I have HAD bed bugs. But this thing sucks em straight out of your mattress.

they feed off of skin cells. I doubt they would go for a reptile

Actually, bed bugs are tiny things. Even, the adults. I don't know anyone with a vacuum and ended up throwing my mattress/box spring and couch out which really really sucked (this was yesterday night and in less than 12 hours, someone came and swiped them up!). I know it could've been prevented, but I don't have the tools/equipment, and would rather sleep on the ground in my circle of DE than spend the money on fixing the bed which may or may not work thoroughly. The infestation, to my knowledge, was not bad in my apartment since I looked high and low for days and only discovered two bugs, but I have over 20 bites now. Maybe that was because I was by myself in checking that or maybe I overlooked some. They are really small.

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tannerrrtx

they feed off of skin cells. I doubt they would go for a reptile

---

It is my understanding they feed off of blood? Hence the bites, red smears from smashing them, and them growing in size after a feed?

That totally sux. However, please be VERY careful with the Diatomaceous Earth. I worked in a pool store for a few years and had to wear a mask when handling ripped bags or sweeping it up, because it is a CARCINOGEN in the dry dusty form. I couldnt stand the stuff...more and more pool customers switched to another filter media because of that.

Sent from my H866C using Tapatalk 2

---

Nope. They feed off of dead skin cells. Im 100%sure of that. And there's no available Non toxic bedbug treatment that actually works. The only "solution" is to remove them. Ie Kirby.
I worked for Kirby for 2 years. And it is the only thing on the market that actually gets them out.
And they aren't "visible" unless in large quantities. They look like dust. It's not a bug you can just see with the regular eye. You may have fleas from cats?

If you were close I'd let you use mine!

after re reading I am almost positive that you are dealing with fleas. They do feed on blood, they are visible, and they do grow in size when they have a good source of food.

youtube the opera show on bedbugs.

sorry but bedbugs really do feed on blood, not dead skin cells. They suck blood thats a fact.

And no, of all vacuum cleaners on the market, most do a good job, and "kirby" is NOT the best vaccum cleaner out there, it also is NOT the only vaccum cleaner that works.

Also, bedbugs dont look like dust, they are very visible, they look like bedbugs. They are larger than fleas, and not as you imply orders of magnitude smaller.

And no, this thread is about bedbugs, not cat fleas. They look different, bedbugs look very much like bedbugs. Not like fleas, and not like dust particles.

Haha right. Because 13 conferences all over the US are wrong.

and where are you at? Ill set you up a Kirby demo just to show you how wrong you actually are.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tannerrrtx

Find a friend with a Kirby vaccum.
Vaccum the HELL out of your bed.
I own a Kirby. And it works wonders. I have HAD bed bugs. But this thing sucks em straight out of your mattress.

they feed off of skin cells. I doubt they would go for a reptile

---

They feed off of blood not skin cells.
There are mites that feed on dead skin.
A vacuum will not cure a bedbug problem.

With world travel(and the realisation that DDT is some seriously bad juju) these pests have made a comeback.
You need to contact an exterminator pronto. And, the building managers as treating your living space in an apartment without treating the building is going to be ineffective.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tannerrrtx

Haha right. Because 13 conferences all over the US are wrong.

and where are you at? Ill set you up a Kirby demo just to show you how wrong you actually are.

---

Okay giving bad info out of ignorance is one thing and understandable.
But, seriously trying to sell fricken vacuums that won't help?

Tell ya what I'll order some bedbugs to be shipped to your home and you can release them and then in 1 week use your "Magic Kirby Vacuum" and come back to report that you are still being bitten.

The managers will make me pay anyway and probably blame me in the process and try to make me pay for everyone else in the process. I'm like 90% sure it's bedbugs I have compared pictures with the actual bug. I am using food-grade DE, although it may not be healthy, it sounds like you used pool-grade DE. This is going slightly off topic. Does anyone have experience in seeing their (or an associate) reptile attacked by bedbug?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tannerrrtx

---

Nope. They feed off of dead skin cells. Im 100%sure of that. And there's no available Non toxic bedbug treatment that actually works. The only "solution" is to remove them. Ie Kirby.
I worked for Kirby for 2 years. And it is the only thing on the market that actually gets them out.
And they aren't "visible" unless in large quantities. They look like dust. It's not a bug you can just see with the regular eye. You may have fleas from cats?

If you were close I'd let you use mine!

after re reading I am almost positive that you are dealing with fleas. They do feed on blood, they are visible, and they do grow in size when they have a good source of food.

youtube the opera show on bedbugs.

---

Mites are not easily visible. And they eat skin cells.
Bedbugs need blood.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_bug
"Bed bugs are parasitic insects of the cimicid family that feed exclusively on blood."
"Adult bed bugs are light brown to reddish-brown, flattened, oval-shaped and have no hind wings. The front wings are vestigial and reduced to pad-like structures. Bed bugs have segmented abdomens with microscopic hairs that give them a banded appearance. Adults grow to 4–5 mm in length and 1.5–3 mm wide."

^ That is easily visible to the unaided eye.

Now go enjoy your crow while others try to help this person with factual information.

Raven. Deal. Shoot me a pm ill give you my address. Bring em on. Like I said. I have done this before. And I don't have bedbugs. Or was it just magic? Because I'm a wizard and all.

and I'm not selling anything. Hah my bad. Because they'll come and clean your junk for free?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sims

The managers will make me pay anyway and probably blame me in the process and try to make me pay for everyone else in the process. I'm like 90% sure it's bedbugs I have compared pictures with the actual bug. I am using food-grade DE, although it may not be healthy, it sounds like you used pool-grade DE. This is going slightly off topic. Does anyone have experience in seeing their (or an associate) reptile attacked by bedbug?

---

Not sure about the area you live in but, I would check out the landlords legal obligations and yours. If the bedbugs are confined to just your unit a speedy treatment might do it and they could have come in with you at some point. If they are everywhere they would have a hard time claiming it is your fault.
Hotel rooms and luggage seem to be a common vector for transporting these pests. They are showing up even in the best 5 star hotels.
The only people I know that have had to deal with these bugs have not had any reptiles so I am unable to help on that front.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tannerrrtx

Raven. Deal. Shoot me a pm ill give you my address. Bring em on. Like I said. I have done this before. And I don't have bedbugs. Or was it just magic? Because I'm a wizard and all.

---

Read the info.
You are proven dead wrong.
Now go enjoy your crow.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Raven01

Not sure about the area you live in but, I would check out the landlords legal obligations and yours. If the bedbugs are confined to just your unit a speedy treatment might do it and they could have come in with you at some point. If they are everywhere they would have a hard time claiming it is your fault.
Hotel rooms and luggage seem to be a common vector for transporting these pests. They are showing up even in the best 5 star hotels.
The only people I know that have had to deal with these bugs have not had any reptiles so I am unable to help on that front.

---

Though that is true, the contract states owners are responsible for "pests". I have been unemployed without a car for almost 2 months which basically means I've been cooped up in here. They may not pin blame, but whoever is at fault is, what I assume, one of the people moving out. If I alert them now and they attempt to pin the blame and I refuse, they can evict me. I have no idea if they are here or elsewhere, though mattresses in dumpsters and people moving out are almost a surefire sign that is not the case. The DE seems to have kept them away from me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tannerrrtx

---

Nope. They feed off of dead skin cells. Im 100%sure of that. And there's no available Non toxic bedbug treatment that actually works. The only "solution" is to remove them. Ie Kirby.
I worked for Kirby for 2 years. And it is the only thing on the market that actually gets them out.
And they aren't "visible" unless in large quantities. They look like dust. It's not a bug you can just see with the regular eye. You may have fleas from cats?

If you were close I'd let you use mine!

after re reading I am almost positive that you are dealing with fleas. They do feed on blood, they are visible, and they do grow in size when they have a good source of food.

youtube the opera show on bedbugs.

---

ROFLMAO!! You just made me think of a comment I saw on Facebook about someone commenting on a picture of The Mount Rushmore National Memorial - "I can't believe nature did that"
Bed bugs feeds and live on blood. You CAN see bed bugs with the naked eye, babies are the size of a poppy seed. For the life Pie PLEASE don't make the same mistake thousands of other idiots make, thinking bed bugs and dust mites are the same thing. I'm sure you won because you are 100% sure right?!

The contract may not be valid.
This is why I suggested finding out what your rights and obligations are.
Here, in Ontario "No pets" is a common clause in many contracts and it is entirely unenforceable because that clause has been deemed illegal.
While I could see "pest" being your responsibility that would require proof that they are your pests, not just wishful thinking on the part of the landlord.
There are likely tenants groups which work with these issues all the time. They would be a great resource in getting this problem sorted out as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Oh oh oh my apologies, mites. Not bedbugs. I apologize for that. Annnnd now I'm a dummy.

Vacuuming your mattress weekly as well as washing your sheets frequently are good preventative measures

I was misinformed. So again. I'm sorry. And yes your landlord should be responsible for pests. When I was in my apt a few years back I had to go through them for a termite issue.

You can buy covers for the matress/box springs and your pillows, yes they will go into your pillows also. You want ones that zip tight with the zipper lock, they can live for 2 years without food or air. And they can thrive in sespools so flushing them alive can cause a city wide epidemic. When my old apt had them we had to put EVERYTHING into bags and leave them in the apt while they used a combo of cedar spray and extreme heat to kill them while we lived in a hotel for 3 days. Then we had to wash all the linens and dry them in the dryer for 2 or 3 cycles to make sure they were dead v.v. And they most definitely feed on blood.

As far as your herps go the heaters would be attractive to them but most of the time they are placed outside of the tank, unless you are using a custom enclosure. And they are not generally used continuously. Also nocturnal temperatures below 79 are not attractive to bed bugs, plus I haven't seen evidence that they can bite through scales or are small enough to crawl under the scales. In short I believe your herps should be safe.

I used to live in an apartment and we had bed bugs really bad. They were in the bedroom and all over the floor and our mattress. We talked to the landlord and they paid every penny to get rid of the little buggers. These vile little creatures will not bother your snake, because I had my snakes in my bedroom at that time. I used to wake up with over 20 bites all over my body. The landlord called in Erlich and they got rid of the bed bugs but it took over a month to get rid of them. We had to throw out our mattress and box spring and had to wash all of our clothes. Bed bugs are such a PIA! You need to isolate from that bedroom. I moved my snakes out of my bedroom as soon I noticed the bed bugs and also when the pest control guys came to fumigate the room. Good Luck with getting rid of the nasty little creatures.

Food grade DE??? Hmmm.....wasnt aware of such a thing. But anyway, i saw an episode of Infested on animal planet where they used some kind of "cold air extinguisher" thing to freeze em all..and the show commented about how difficult they are to get rid of.

Sent from my H866C using Tapatalk 2

I moved this thread to Off Topic, because although the question about whether or not bed bugs will go after ball pythons is brought up, the bulk of the thread is entirely off topic.