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.