Metcalf Reptiles Knowingly Shipped My SD Retics With Mites!!!

[Sauzo]

So, yeah... I have had this $800.00 pair of 25% Kalatoa SD Retics paid for since clear back in November and have been anxiously waiting for a break in the weather, so they could be shipped. They were finally shipped out from Nebraska yesterday evening and will be on my doorstep in just a few short hours. I should be really happy and excited, shouldn't I? I'm not! I just woke up at 4:00 AM this morning to the following nonchalant message from Aaron Metcalf of Metcalf Reptiles:



Real cute, huh?

My reply (with swear words omitted):



I seriously should blow up this kid's cell phone right now at 5:00 AM and let him have it! It is beyond comprehension that there are breeders out there, who are conducting business like this kid, as well as a few others that I have encountered! There are other things about my experience with this breeder, too, which I won't get into right now. I'm sorry, but his honesty in letting me know that I have snakes on the way with mites included at no extra charge definitely does not outweigh the fact that he knowingly shipped these animals out to me with mites! The right thing to do would have been for him to contact me immediately the moment he noticed the mites and postponed shipping until HE made sure they were mite free! Am I right or am I right?

So, anyway... Instead of continuing on with this rant, I need to do some quick thinking and preparation with very limited time and I am open to all of your suggestions! Unfortunately, I don't have a quarantine area setup and I really don't want to get into all of the reasons why I should and all of the reasons why that is way easier said than done. That being said, I have no choice other than to put these soon to be new arrivals in the same rack as my Boas and Ball Pythons when they get here, which is in the same room with my Blood and Short Tail rack. So, I have no choice other than to try and contain whatever mites these snakes may have to their slots in the rack. These guys should be on my doorstep within the next 4 - 5 hours and i'm not going to be able to make it to Petco before they arrive, because I have to be here for the delivery. I have read many times that Pam cooking spray is an effective way to prevent mites from spreading. Is that true? What if I ran to the store and got some Pam and wiped the whole top, bottom, side and rear of both of the slots they'll be in down real good, as well as the outside of their tubs? Should I wipe the inside of their tubs down with it, too? Then after they're delivered I could run to Petco and get mite spray to spray on them? I'm on the Petco website right now and the only reptile mite treatment they seem to carry is Natural Chemistry De Flea Reptile Relief, which can be sprayed directly on the animal and supposedly kills mites on contact. Have any of you ever used this product?

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcos...-reptile-spray

I really don't feel like spending $27.00 for a can of Provent A Mite if there is a cheaper way that is effective and unless there is a local pet store that carries it, it would take a few days to get here anyway if I ordered it online. I realize that mites are a common part of reptile keeping and it's not the end of the world, but i've never had to deal with them and I want to do everything possible to treat these new arrivals as quickly as possible and prevent them from spreading to my other animals. Please advise...

That is freakin epic. If someone knowingly sent me a snake with mites, i would come unglued. There would be some serious shaming and stuff on all the reptile boards i am members of and on FaunaClassifieds. There is no excuse whatsoever to knowingly send snakes with mites. My advice is be sure to wipe down the outside and top rim and bottom rim of the glass tank as well as the table it is on. That way if the mites do escape the cage, they will not make it past the triple PAM barrier of the glass tank rims and table.

I got mites once. They only got on Luna which was my fault as her cage was the only one i didnt wipe down with PAM on the outside. Luckily no one else got them and i got rid of them from Luna with 2 months of PAM treatment. I think i picked up a hitchhiker from a reptile shop probably as snake mites are not native to this place. Anyways, i would treat for at least 2 months. Mite eggs can last a very long time.

And PAM works awesome. I picked it up locally from Bean Farm as i live by them but yeah, its kind of spendy. I picked up 3 cans of the stuff.

[Sauzo]

I had amazing luck with the diluted NIX treatment tech (after two months of unsuccessfully treating with PAM following the directions to the letter and retreating I was still getting mite outbreaks.). After just one treatment with NIX the mites have been gone for six years now. Good luck.

Pam and Nix have the same active ingredient, Permethrin. So not sure how Pam didnt work but Nix did. Not sure if Nix is residual though. Thats the reason i like Pam is the stuff will stay active for 2+ months once applied and dried. I wipe down the outside of my cage stacks every 6 months as a preventative in case i bring home an unwanted guest. Just spray it on a rag in the garage and then wipe down the outside of the cages. No smell or mess.

[Aedryan Methyus]

I think i'm going to start using diluted NIX once every month or two for preventative maintenance...

[Aedryan Methyus]

A gallon of diluted Nix can be made for about $20.00 less than a can of Provent A Mite and it can even be sprayed directly on the snakes where Provent A Mite can't...

[DLena]

Thank you for sharing such a well made How To for this.
Now I just have to bribe my son to go to the store for me, or drive to a store about an hour away.
I’m a teacher and buying this could start a full-fledged panic in the district.

[Aedryan Methyus]

Thank you for sharing such a well made How To for this.
Now I just have to bribe my son to go to the store for me, or drive to a store about an hour away.
I’m a teacher and buying this could start a full-fledged panic in the district.

LOL! Yeah... I wasn't exactly holding my head up high when I walked up to the counter with 3 cans of RID the other day!!! lol But, seriously, though... After MUCH research, diluted Nix seems to be the quickest, easiest and cheapest method of preventing and treating mites. That is the method I will be using from now on. I don't know what the shelf life is, though. So, i'm only going to mix up a couple spray bottles of it at a time as needed instead of a whole gallon...

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I think i'm going to start using diluted NIX once every month or two for preventative maintenance...

There is no need for preventive maintenance and exposing your snakes to chemicals on a regular basis is not that great of an idea.

If you practice proper quarantine, pre-treat incoming animals, there is no need for that, I have been keeping large amount of snakes for 12 years and never had any mites, nor do I treat preventive, only new additions get treated while in QT and only display cases and table cloth that I use when I vend get treated as well.

[Aedryan Methyus]

Until this, I have never had mites, either. But, now i'm feeling a little paranoid. I usually go to reptile expos once a month and sometimes 2 - 3 times a month. Not to vend (yet), but I have been concerned about the possibility of picking up hitchhiker mites just from walking around there and bringing them home. You don't think it would be wise to at least wipe all of my tubs and racks down inside and out with diluted Nix once a month or so?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Until this, I have never had mites, either. But, now i'm feeling a little paranoid. I usually go to reptile expos once a month and sometimes 2 - 3 times a month. Not to vend (yet), but I have been concerned about the possibility of picking up hitchhiker mites just from walking around there and bringing them home. You don't think it would be wise to at least wipe all of my tubs and racks down inside and out with diluted Nix once a month or so?

I go to reptile expo as a visitor and a vendor all the time too, and no I do not treat my animals and do not expose them to necessary pesticide and I am one of the most paranoid person when it comes to mite.

Again good quarantine, stripping down when coming back from a show, throwing the cloth immediately in the wash, and taking a shower and washing hairs will do the trick.

[zina10]

and taking a shower and showing hairs will do the trick.

Deborah, your phone has a strange sense of humor..


Aedryan, I'm sorry you had to go through this. That is absolutely NOT cool.

While mites are always a possibility, what makes this especially bad is that the seller noticed the mites and decided to send the animal anyway.
Such blatant disregard for the new owners animals health (not to mention the trouble to go through) is simply unacceptable. That seller would be off the table for me, forever.

The $50 wouldn't make me feel ANY better, as a matter of fact, I find that rather offending. I have my heart and soul in these animals, not to mention quite some money. The $50 is supposed to make that all cool?? I feel that is their way of buying you out of posting about the experience on certain venues. Again, mites happen, but noticing them and sending them to the new owner anyway, and a flippant email on top of it. Just no.

Its a moot point now, but quarantine is so important. Perhaps for the future you could set something up. I like to call my "special tub" the quarantine/sick tub. I have never had to use it as a sick tub, but when you have a sick animal, its always best to separate them from the others. If your house has issues with heat and humidity, it could be something simple as a plastic tub that has a locking lid, taller then what we usually use. You can cut a round hole into that lid and cover it with hardware cloth that you can fasten down (lid high enough that the snake can't reach that part). You can also cut a couple of ventilation holes, just enough for some air exchange but not so much you loose heat and humidity. Those tubs are often on sale and can be had for fairly cheap. Since a under-tank heater won't be able to heat the ambient, you can use a small wattage heat bulb, It will bring the temps up in the tub. You can also have a uth on one end, just a small one. You can fasten that on the tub and just leave it there for future use. Get one of those jumpstart thermostats to control it, if you don't have a "extra" one laying around. Then "dial it all in" until you know exactly what wattage to use on the heat lamp and get the UTH just right (for future reference). Let it run for a day or two and then turn it off, use the tub to put the light fixture and thermostat in and put it away until you need it. You can also scan craigslist and local "sell and trade" sites. They often have 10 gallon tanks for cheap, some even come with heat lights and other extras, for really cheap. Then you just have to sanitize it. You can just line the back and sides (and most of the top) with styrofoam and it will make a nice little "extra space" you can keep in your house away from the other snakes.

As to what to do if you have more then one snake coming in during quarantine. Well, just time it right. Give it at least 2 month in between new animals. Waiting that long for an extra animal is more then worth it for the peace of mind.

I'm not telling you what to do or how to do it, just some ideas how you could accomplish it for fairly cheap and have it work in your house. For humidity, you can simply use a coco substrate if the snake is in quarantine but not sick. For a sick snake (or confirmed mites) I would use paper towels and keep the water bowel under the light and mist part of the cage often.

As to the "mite" products. Nix, Provent a mite, frontline, ALL that stuff is simply diluted permethrin. And that stuff is not something you want to accidentally use wrong or over use. All it takes is to buy a product that has a higher percentage of it, and then use those "online tips" for dilution, and you can have catastrophic results.

I make my own "fly spray" for horses. I have perfected it over years (quite a few bug fighting ingredients) and have had many people ask me for my recipe, because it works so well. But during my research I've learned just HOW dangerous permethrin or pyrethrin can be.

If you dilute NIX down enough to make it "safe" to be sprayed on a snake, well, then its so weak that you may not kill many mites. Or you could accidentally spray more of it on the snake then you intended because the spray bottle sprays more of a "spray" then "mist". So much room for error, it would make me nervous.

What I like about the Provent a Mite is that it is the correct dilution and the mist is so fine that a couple of sprays make it settle in all the nooks and crannys, without having to OVER use the product.

Please be careful going all out in the war with the mites.

I don't believe in "prevent treating". That should only be done with NEW animals or if a outbreak is suspected. Neurological damage can quickly occur, even with the "safest" dilution, if the application is heavier then usual. Remember, just letting it dry doesn't mean that there wasn't to much to begin with.

I have found Provent a Mite to be the safest method, IF used correctly. Can other things work quicker? Sure, you can just spray heavier, or use a different dilution. I find that sort of like "russian roulette" with my animals health.

Nix, Permethrin, etc CAN be used safely, but people should always understand that more isn't always better, and I would never use permethrin directly on the snake, even diluted. Don't spray to heavily. Unless you have a fine mist that gets all over with a couple bursts, just spray it and then wipe it all around, so that you have a even but THIN layer, before letting it dry..

Hope all stays well, seems you've had your share of "bad stuff" happening. They say it comes in "three's". Has it been three things yet ??

Good luck with everything.