Need to know ways that you get mites....

[L.West]

What are some of the ways that you get mites into your collection.

Can someone please point out the various ways that they can get into your home or the most common ways.

Mainly, can rodents bring in mites.

Thank you.

[Quiet Tempest]

I'm fairly certain that mites found on rodents don't feed on reptiles and vice versa.

[wilomn]

I'm fairly certain that mites found on rodents don't feed on reptiles and vice versa.

Mites can and do hitchhike on rodents.

They also use people. Any equipment transferred from one enclosure to another can transport them. They can crawl, slowly but for long distances so if one snake has them in a room any snake in that room can also get them.

Do you have mites now or are you just checking?

[Quiet Tempest]

Mites can and do hitchhike on rodents.

They also use people. Any equipment transferred from one enclosure to another can transport them. They can crawl, slowly but for long distances so if one snake has them in a room any snake in that room can also get them.

Do you have mites now or are you just checking?

That's true. When I answered I was thinking about rodent mites (I've had the misfortune of dealing with those before) and that they could be mistaken for reptile mites. It makes my skin crawl just thinking about mites of any variety.

[L.West]

Yes, I posted a previous thread about my normal was found soaking in her water dish - at first I didn't see any mites but today found two mites in her water dish.

I thoroughly cleaned all tubs, changed bedding and sprayed the tubs with PAM - I just hope I caught this in time.

There are two possible ways this happened - either they came in on the live rat I fed her last week or they came in on a new normal I bought this past saturday.

Although, the new normal doesn't have any in his tub that I can see so I can't be sure how they got brought in.

My main concern was about the live rat - if I have to feed this one snake live each week - will I be going thru this all the time??

[wilomn]

My main concern was about the live rat - if I have to feed this one snake live each week - will I be going thru this all the time??

IF your rat supplier has mites on his rats, then yes, you will be going through this all the time.

Feeding frozen will help.

[L.West]

I usually do feed frozen but I currently have two that will not take f/t and have had to resort to live.

I bought these rats from Pet Supplies Plus - I will find another supplier I guess.