PAM question

[Oxylepy]

Not trying to high-jack the thread here but where do the mites come from? I also have box turtles, kept outside. Can they have mites I can be giving to my BP? I have never had to treat my box turtles for them though, just wondering where or how the snake gets them?

http://www.vpi.com/publications/the_...of_snake_mites

I would assume any reptile mites (and possibly avian ones, could be remembering incorrectly) could potentially feed on the snakes.

[Tim Mead]

If not mistaken provent a mites active ingredient is permethrian (mis spelt ?) An insecticide made from the crysanthmum flower..Found in dog,cat and livestock repellents...Don't know the concentration as I've never owned a can..If over used, mites can and will develop a resistance..If a collection is mite free (as mine is) it should be unnessasary to use it..There is NO research to say it does no harm to reptiles and will surely kill an amphibian..
Mites will drown and mites will dry up and both conditions can be provided depending on the species..Years ago no pest strips were the tool of the trade, However it was a killler to rainbow boas..Also a carcinogen to humans as bleach is..Generally mites are captive bred and passed from one collection to another, the likelyhood of wild north american herps carrying them is slim to none..

[SnakeKB]

You treat the cage with PAM, but what method do you use to treat the snake itself?

[Oxylepy]

None, they dont spend all their time on the snake and will quickly die when they come off.

Personally I have De Flea that I wipe on new snakes before putting them in warm water, I also use it to spray down whatever container they came in. Paranoia? Maybe, but I say better safe than sorry.

[RichsBallPythons]

I treat all cages and its plenty safe to return snake once its dry. Do not need to wait more than 5 mins. Keep water bowl out for at least 1 hour and your golden

[Oxylepy]

I treat all cages and its plenty safe to return snake once its dry. Do not need to wait more than 5 mins. Keep water bowl out for at least 1 hour and your golden

You wait 5 minutes? I wait ~8 hours.

[RichsBallPythons]

You wait 5 minutes? I wait ~8 hours.

Yes that all i wait if i need to treat a new comer. Been using PAM for about 5 years now. As long as its dry and you didnt over spray it your fine.

[appygirl84]

I thought I read something about spraying the P-A-M on the substrate or paper towels and laying them down in the enclosure. Is that right?

Just wanting to kick my mites before they become a real problem. Thanks!

[glk832]

PAM is also an acronym for Provent-A-Mite... don't go spraying your cage with the cooking spray PAM please!!

Lol man I have a lot to learn I thought it was the cooking spray

[BPelizabeth]

This is a pretty common mistake. Usually, when I post about it, I at least spell it out once, Provent-A-Mite (PAM), so people won't be confused. However, I see that I neglected to do that in my earlier post. The reason I do that is because the first time that I had to deal with mites I was told to use PAM. So I went to the kitchen, grabbed the can out of the pantry, and I was standing there looking at my little BP in his mite covered misery, and looking at the can of cooking spray, wondering if it mattered that it was butter flavored. Fortunately, I decided at the last minute to ask about it again.
I'm wondering if anybody has actually sprayed PAM, the cooking spray, in their enclosure and will admit to it, just to stress the point that we need to be careful when using acronyms like that...

HOly crap....can you please put a disclaimer prior to typing something like that. I think I just had soda squirt out of my nose. Kind of hurts now...

That is an awesome story...especially the part about wondering if it mattered that it was buttered flavored. OMG...that is going to be such a retell.