Provent-a-Mite in room with other animals?

[Kourtneyhk]

Hey folks,

So I work with some large snakes, and our burmese has a very small mite issue. I just got my Provent-a-Mite in, but before I did any applications, I had a question.

The room that the burmese enclosure is in is surrounded by other enclosures, including other snake enclosures, frogs, and a birds. I planned on treating all of the enclosures with Provent-a-Mite. I know that it says the provent a mite in it's gaseous and liquid phase is toxic. These enclosures are bolted to the floor and HUGE, so taking them outside isn't an option. My question is; is the gas so bad that I need to remove ALL my animals from their enclosures before treating, or does it break down pretty quickly in the surrounding air? The nearest enclosures are the bird aviary (about 6-10ft away) and the frog tanks (about 15ft away)? I've never used this product before so I want to be sure all my animals will be safe before application. Would taping plastic over any vents in the enclosure to keep the gasses trapped in the enclosure to settle and dry be a better method? Or what about spraying the Provent-a-Mite on a rag and wiping the cage down, versus spraying it in the cage?

Anyways, anyone with experience on this?

Thanks

[Pythonfriend]

umm, if you cannot take the cage out, maybe you can take out all the substrate, then spray PAM on it when it is far away from your animals, maybe do it outside if the weather permits, and return it after it has fully dried, and clean out the cage while the treated substrate is drying up.

that could work. i mean, it avoids the risks, but i wonder if it would be as effective. but then, its supposed to stay active in the substrate for 30 days, so i suspect it would work.

[bcr229]

PAM is a 0.5% permethrin solution. You can look up it's half-life via google, but IIRC it's effective for up to 30 days if not exposed to sunlight or water.I don't know much about birds, but IIRC they're rather intolerant of chemicals and poisons, so I would remove them from the room before spraying.If you would prefer to wipe the enclosures using a rag, a much less expensive option is to use NIX lice treatment, a 2 oz bottle in 1 gallon of water also creates a 0.5% permethrin solution.

[Rickys_Reptiles]

Spray the substrate outside, let it dry then put it into the enclosure. Once it's dry, it's not airborn and will be safe. Do not spray it in the room.

[Kourtneyhk]

So we use Indoor/Outdoor carpet for these enclosures. I'm sure that spraying it outside would be fine, and I would take all the logs/branches/rocks out and spray them as well. Would this negate the need for putting it directly on the walls/floor of the enclosure? Or would I still need to spray some on a rag outside, then take it into the enclosure and wipe down the enclosure?

Thanks again

- - - Updated - - -

Also, because once it is dry it is safe, what if they spill water on their carpet, will this "reactivate" the chemical and cause it to be toxic again? Or once it's dried, it's fine for the substrate to get moist again?

[Pythonfriend]

as far as i know, you are not supposed to spray provent a mite on anything other than the substrate anyway.

[Rickys_Reptiles]

So we use Indoor/Outdoor carpet for these enclosures. I'm sure that spraying it outside would be fine, and I would take all the logs/branches/rocks out and spray them as well. Would this negate the need for putting it directly on the walls/floor of the enclosure? Or would I still need to spray some on a rag outside, then take it into the enclosure and wipe down the enclosure?

Thanks again

- - - Updated - - -

Also, because once it is dry it is safe, what if they spill water on their carpet, will this "reactivate" the chemical and cause it to be toxic again? Or once it's dried, it's fine for the substrate to get moist again?

you don't need to go crazy with it. a little goes a very long way. you don't need to spray everything in the enclosure. As far as the water re-activating it - I'd email the guys over at Pro Products and make sure. They can be reached at: promist@comcast.net

[MrLang]

Completely anecdotal, meaningless insight, but I'd be completely sketched out to use it around frogs and birds.

[MootWorm]

What about diatomaceous earth? It shreds anything with an exoskeleton. I've used it for ant and other insects, but never on mites. I'd assume it would work just as well. I'd be very leery of using those chemicals around birds and frogs.

[bcr229]

Also, because once it is dry it is safe, what if they spill water on their carpet, will this "reactivate" the chemical and cause it to be toxic again? Or once it's dried, it's fine for the substrate to get moist again?

The permethrin is still toxic, it's just that once dry the snake can't ingest it. You don't want them drinking it. So, if they're not drinking the water off the carpet then it should be fine.