Mites keep coming back!!

[j94712]

As title said, I have some mites problem. I treated my entire collection with reptile spray and PAM last week, and mites just come back in a few days! Not sure why the mites are gone for a couple of months and come back again, then gone and come back!! This is quite annoying.


Any advice and suggestions??

[Tragic Image]

what are you doing with your tanks/tubs and the various things in them? Hides, plants, bedding, branches, ect...?

[SquamishSerpents]

I don't want to sound like I think you're an idiot - because I don't, just want to cover the bases. By PAM do you mean Provent-a-mite, or PAM the actual cooking spray? Only asking because I have heard of people using cooking spray on more than one occasion.

[j94712]

what are you doing with your tanks/tubs and the various things in them? Hides, plants, bedding, branches, ect...?

I'm using a xpvc rack and a large melamine enclosure. Substrate for the rack is aspen. One plastic hide for each tube and a ceramic water bowl. For the large enclosure, substrate is repti bark. There is one branch, one water bowl, some fake plastic leaves and 2 hides. Pretty simple and nothing fancy. And no live plants in either one of them.

I don't want to sound like I think you're an idiot - because I don't, just want to cover the bases. By PAM do you mean Provent-a-mite, or PAM the actual cooking spray? Only asking because I have heard of people using cooking spray on more than one occasion.

I use provent-a-mite, not the oil spray PAM. That will be pretty funny though.

[kylearmbar]

You need to thoroughly spray till the sides fog up then cover the top for half an hour. I also like to give the outside area a spray as well just to be safe. If they keep comming back its because you are not being thorough enough. If you have more than one reptile, treat them all and make sure to do it once a week for 2-3 weeks as instructed because of the life cycle of mites. LLL reptile has a good video and directional use on their site, it should pop up if you just type prevent o mite in google. Edit- also are you positive its takes several months? It's more likely thays when there's enough of them to spot, they are very small when they first hatch and when they feed they molt and get bigger. It can take 19 days for them to starve and find the way to the snake before then if im not mistaken

[satomi325]

Don't forget to treat the racks themselves. Not just the tubs.
And wash all bowls and hides with hot water and bleach.

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[PitOnTheProwl]

Treat the room, as well.
Is there carpet in there?
Are you visiting or having someone visit you that has a collection that has mites?

[Darkbird]

Since no one mention it, I would recommend dumping any bedding you have and putting everything on paper towels until you get this taken care of. I have had a bag of litter be the source for this issue in the past. And yes, treat the racks themselves, and I would do the walls and floors at least once. Keep the cages clean and retreat everything once a week for 3 weeks, maybe 4.

[bcr229]

Agreed on dumping the substrate currently in the tubs and going with newspaper or paper towels for a few weeks. Any time your snake makes a mess and you have to replace the paper, pre-treat the paper with PAM and allow it to dry as well. Keep some treated sheets on-hand.

If you're in a cold region you can put the bags of unused bedding outside overnight to kill the mite eggs, in case that's the source. I run bowls/hides through the dishwasher on the "sterilize" setting.

You can also treat the animals every 2-3 days with the reptile spray. I spray some on a white paper towel and then wipe them down, as my snakes hate being sprayed. Also if the mites start to come back you will know immediately because you'll see them on the paper towel.

[NH93]

It's not that they keep coming back, but that they have never really left!

Have you ever in your life had a run-in with lice? Terrible awful things. If you have, imagine mites like that. Especially if you have a large collection of reptiles.
You've got to clean about every surface and material in your home and car, including washing all things like clothing (alllllll of it in your home - self and other's), curtains, carpets, furniture, chairs, etc. Throw out substrate (even packaged stuff - or else quarentine it in a large plastic bag for several weeks. Several weeks because I'm sure mites can live for awhile without eating, and then their eggs hatch, and they have to die off as well... just to be absolutely sure), and buy new stuff once you are 100% sure the mites are completely gone.

Best of luck with everything!