Mite preventative?

[B.P.'s 4me]

I have no reason to think I have mites, but have been wondering if I can take advantage of current below freezing temps. to make sure. When cleaning my bins, water dishes, accessories etc, can I assume that if I wash and dry them, then put them outside for a few hours when temps. are in the 8 degrees F. range, that any mites will not survive? Would it also be smart to leave freshly purchased aspen shavings etc. in the car overnight to achieve the same purpose?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Mites just don't appear, and they do not come from bedding (unless it's wood mites which are harmless to snakes), to prevent snake mites, observe proper QT , pre-treat any new incoming snakes, avoid contact with other snakes if you do avoid your snake room, take your cloth of and take a shower.

I have not had mites in 13 years of keeping snakes and never had to freeze anything.

[Bogertophis]

I have no reason to think I have mites, but have been wondering if I can take advantage of current below freezing temps. to make sure. When cleaning my bins, water dishes, accessories etc, can I assume that if I wash and dry them, then put them outside for a few hours when temps. are in the 8 degrees F. range, that any mites will not survive? Would it also be smart to leave freshly purchased aspen shavings etc. in the car overnight to achieve the same purpose?

Your bins, plastic hides & water bowls should not support any hiding mites, so a wash & dry is all you need for mites (though disinfection for germs is another matter).

By accessories, it depends on what you mean: plastic plants or wood tunnels & real branches are best thrown out if you actually HAVE mites. But if not, spray them w/
disinfectant (diluted F10 or chlorhexidine) & let them sit 20 minutes, then rinse well & use. Freezing won't help. I've used various wood items (branches & tree-bark
tunnels) for years & occasionally my local branches will harbor a tree-boring beetle...harmless to snakes, it stays in the branch & I only know because I'll see a tiny bit
of fine shavings on top of a black hide. Freezing may or may not kill those off, same for wood mites. (I think it would take far longer than a few hours at those temps.?)

And as Deborah said, mites don't just appear....they come from other captive snakes (even wild snakes don't harbor them, they aren't 'native' to U.S.) & rarely may be
transferred on your clothing IF you've handled other captive snakes & then yours. (like in a pet store or at an expo/show)

FYI, I haven't had any snakes with mites in at least 25 years. I've been lucky (& careful) with my sources when I've added snakes to my household.

If you have a snake "with just a few mites", understand that they reproduce exponentially fast, & will overwhelm & kill a snake fairly fast...even larger
ones, so if you had any mites in your collection, I think you'd know.

[B.P.'s 4me]

Mites just don't appear, and they do not come from bedding (unless it's wood mites which are harmless to snakes), to prevent snake mites, observe proper QT , pre-treat any new incoming snakes, avoid contact with other snakes if you do avoid your snake room, take your cloth of and take a shower.

I have not had mites in 13 years of keeping snakes and never had to freeze anything.

Thank you Deborah. I do understand your points, and as I mentioned have no reason to believe I have mites, as I do follow quarantine procedures when acquiring new snakes etc. but just wondered if I could make doubly sure by taking advantage of current temperatures. I'm always a bit apprehensive when buying shavings etc., in case the store itself might have, or have had, a mite infestation. I guess I'm just paranoid. LOL

[B.P.'s 4me]

Your bins, plastic hides & water bowls should not support any hiding mites, so a wash & dry is all you need for mites (though disinfection for germs is another matter).

By accessories, it depends on what you mean: plastic plants or wood tunnels & real branches are best thrown out if you actually HAVE mites. But if not, spray them w/
disinfectant (diluted F10 or chlorhexidine) & let them sit 20 minutes, then rinse well & use. Freezing won't help. I've used various wood items (branches & tree-bark
tunnels) for years & occasionally my local branches will harbor a tree-boring beetle...harmless to snakes, it stays in the branch & I only know because I'll see a tiny bit
of fine shavings on top of a black hide. Freezing may or may not kill those off, same for wood mites. (I think it would take far longer than a few hours at those temps.?)

And as Deborah said, mites don't just appear....they come from other captive snakes (even wild snakes don't harbor them, they aren't 'native' to U.S.) & rarely may be
transferred on your clothing IF you've handled other captive snakes & then yours. (like in a pet store or at an expo/show)

FYI, I haven't had any snakes with mites in at least 25 years. I've been lucky (& careful) with my sources when I've added snakes to my household.

If you have a snake "with just a few mites", understand that they reproduce exponentially fast, & will overwhelm & kill a snake fairly fast...even larger
ones, so if you had any mites in your collection, I think you'd know.

Thank you for your response Bogertophis. It's very unlikely that I actually have an issue with mites as i'm constantly checking my snakes and their bins etc., but with temperatures right now being so far below freezing, I wondered about just leaving the empty bins outside overnight as a further preventative. I do quarantine and take extra care when introducing a new snake but everything I've read indicates that mites can be a nightmare to get rid of once you get them, so just want to make doubly sure . I'm reassured by the responses, so thank you for that.