Mite Control

[darkdreamer]

hey all this is my first posting. I wanted to get some opinions on a way I have found that kills and controls mites in a week or two.

The No pest strip, which I get at one of my local pet stores works awesome. Basically its strip of yellow stuff that looks like a big thick taffy bar in a protective white plastic cover.

It costs about $10 and lasts forever.
All you do is hang it outside the cage away from any food or water.

I have used this method for snakes and lizards and water turtles.

I had an iguana at one time and put it in a huge wooden cabinet that I had retrofited to a cage. Bad move on my part because he got mites and the mites breed in the wood of the cage. massive mite infestation it was so gross. well I got the strip and in a week all the mites were dead.

This works for gnats, spiders and any other pest.

Just make sure you dont put it into the cage and keep it away from water and food. It just needs to be near the cage to work.

Once the infestation is under control put it back in the foil bag it comes in and leave it by the cage with only a small portion of the plastic protector above the foil wrapper this will help to keep the bugs away.

If anyone has any opinions on this let me know.

[xdeus]

Actually that's an old-school method for treating mites. It won't kill the mite eggs and may end up killing your snake if used improperly. A better treatment would be to use a product that has been tested and approved for reptiles such as Provent-A-Mite.

Here is a quote that apparently came from the old VPI website regarding the no-pest strips:

"Pest Strips...
These chemical-impregnated yellow plastic bars release an aromatic cholinesterase-inhibitor known as commercially as Vapona.
There is a commonly repeated story that Vapona was accidentally discovered during the course of research into nerve-gas for chemical warfare... Pest strips can be an excellent weapon against mites.

There are two problems in using pest strips. One is that cholinesterase is an important component of the vertebrate nervous system, as well as invertebrates. In high concentrations, Vapona fumes can cause anorexia, loss of coordination and death in snakes.

[bigballs]

the rid yourself of the infestation you have to work hard! i dont think that the hanging strip will remove mites in a week or so. i would also imagine that a "sticky strip" like that would be dangerous to the animal in the enclosure.

totally removing the mite infestation takes more than hanging a strip.

[Kagez28]

yikes

defiantly not putting that near my snakes....

[darkdreamer]

Actually that's an old-school method for treating mites. It won't kill the mite eggs and may end up killing your snake if used improperly. A better treatment would be to use a product that has been tested and approved for reptiles such as Provent-A-Mite.

Here is a quote that apparently came from the old VPI website regarding the no-pest strips:

I didnt know that, I have never had any problems because I dont put it in the cage and its in an area with adequate ventilation about a foot or so from the cage so the fumes dont accumulate or build up.

[cassandra]

Provent-A-Mite all the way...except no substitutes...