Why are there so many mite outbreaks lately??

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

I don't really understand this.. Maybe it's because I've only dealt with them once years ago on one snake. Ever since then I take measures to prevent it from ever happening again. I rarely ever go to expos and if I do I use hand sanitizer if I touch anything, I don't go in my snake room that day after getting home, and my clothes and body are immediately washed afterward.. Plus I never buy anything unless I know the person well or have researched them and their BOI. Not to mention strict quarantine in a different room...

Ive never seen so many mite outbreaks in such a short period of time and it worries me that people are becoming careless. Breeders are becoming careless by selling infested stock, and buyers are buying just anything from anywhere just because they have to take any snake they can get.

I also see a lot of bedding excuses.. Here's my take on that. Snake mites are species specific and will die if they have no snake to feed on within a short period of time. They also have a short life span and breeding cycle of only a few weeks. Yes the eggs of certain insects can go dormant until the proper conditions exist but does anyone know for certain if this can happen with snake mites?

I've personally experimented with every type of bedding and substrate available through the years on and off. I've never seen anything other than wood mites come in on certain types of cypress.

What is everyone else's take on the mite outbreaks lately? Doesn't it seem a bit out of hand? I'd like to hear honest opinions and views from veterans also since I know -some- of the newer generation of keepers don't believe it to be as serious as we do.

[Lucky lep]

Im someone newer to balls, however I take advice from a buddy whose been breeding a while. When I got snakes from NARBC I used black knight sprayed the tubs, added bedding and then miste it. Haven't had an issue luckly.

[Domepiece]

Ive noticed this as well. I'm guessing theres alot of new inexperienced owners not doing proper quarantines or taking precautions when handling other's snakes.

[yeroc1982]

Yeah now that you mention it, its come up a lot lately. Im going through it myself atm for the first time. Its my fault, i should have known better than to buy from an unknown source.

[Skittles1101]

I practice very strict quarantine and still received snakes with mites. My boyfriend bought me the snakes for Christmas, and about a week later I noticed the mites. They spread like wildfire in the week that it took the PAM to arrive. I agree that I definitely should have been better prepared and had PAM on hand, but like most people, you never expect it to happen to you. I assume the recent string of outbreaks has a lot to do with how quickly this hobby is growing. Mites spread like wildfire anyways, and even if someone picks up a single mite/egg from another breeder or store you're screwed. It can take a little while to actually notice mites on them or in the enclosure, so they send out snakes that they don't know have mites or eggs, and it's just a vicious cycle.

[DooLittle]

It's scary. I have been reading so many mite threads. Haven't noticed if they seem to be geographically close, or if they are all over. I have never *knock on wood* had mites. But from all the threads I have seen, out of pure paranoia ordered a can of pam- just in case. I can't stand it if my dog or cat has A flea on them! Nasty little bugs don't belong on any of my babies!

[blueberrypancakes]

Hey now, I'm one of those with a current mite problem. I take preventative measures against mites, my newest is in quarantine and has been pre-treated for mites, and I haven't even been to a pet store in a month and a half. My newer snake isn't even the one with mites, it's the one I've had for a while. (I really don't know where they came from...) I just treated my entire rack not even a month ago when I received it, even though there's only one snake in it.
I'm not especially experienced in ball pythons, but I think I'm really anything but careless. I try really hard to do everything right, and stuff happens sometimes that sucks... like mites, for example.
I have noticed that there has been a lot of reports of mites on here, though... It's just that whats so awesome about forums is that you can ask specific questions that fit your exact issue and get an educated answer for it.

[Royal Hijinx]

At this point there should be a "I have mites!" sticky thread.

Something we see with outbreaks in people is that when more people come forward and say they have it it makes it look more prevalent, even though the transmission rate may be unchanged. So, just because we see a spike in people talking about it, does not mean there is a spike in incidents. Just a perceived spike related to the current buzz.

[snake lab]

A good deal of caution should also be taken when buying your rodents from pet stores. Dirty pet stores that have mites will also have mites on their rodents

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

A good deal of caution should also be taken when buying your rodents from pet stores. Dirty pet stores that have mites will also have mites on their rodents

This is true but again, snake mites won't be on rodents and vice versa. I did buy 3 mice from petco a year ago that ended up being infested with mites. Thankfully I'd put them in a tank far from my other rodents and put a layer of flea powder on the floor to prevent any stragglers from traveling. This is not what I'm talking about though.