I guess it was bound to happen

[Johan]

Sorry it took so long for an update guys. I called Pro Products ask asked them about using Provent A Mite in a gravid snake's enclosure. He said that in their clinical studies they used boas and had a female drop a clutch on the treated substrate with no problems what so ever. No as long as you use the product as directed there will be no harm to gravid females or babies. Just thought I would share in case anybody is in my position in the future.

As far as the NIX treatment Albinoball suggested I am hesitant to soak and spray my animals with chemicals. With the PAM you just spray the cage, let it dry and the fumes go away, and return the snake to the tub.

If it remains in the tub and kills the mites on your snakes, it is not much different then using the Nix solution. But by all means use whichever. Personally, I think a product designed to use on humans has more testing than a product used on snakes. In other words, I bet it is likely less toxic. None the less, neither are great if they can be avoided

Good luck, and I hope your snakes are doing well.

[AlbinoBall]

All the local breeders here use NIX for treatment against Mites, they use NIX on the high end morphs, I doubt they will use something thats toxic on there animals. NIX has no effect on the snake besides killing the Mites, and eggs. None of the Reptile Mite Killer, kills eggs so you will most likely have another out break.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

To prevent this I keep a couple cans of nix spray (exact same active ingredient as PAM) on hand.. It is $5 at Walgreens for their generic brand of lice bedding spray. Use in the same way as PAM. Let everything dry and air out for a while. I wait 30 minutes before putting snakes back in.

After the initial treatment, just spray a line around all tubs, racks, floorboards, door ways, and anywhere else they can enter the area but you won't need to treat the insides of the enclosures again. Do this about once a month. This way you will never get mites, or any bug for that matter, anywhere near your snakes and you don't have to needlessly expose them to continued treatments of chemicals.

[Bones]

If it remains in the tub and kills the mites on your snakes, it is not much different then using the Nix solution. But by all means use whichever. Personally, I think a product designed to use on humans has more testing than a product used on snakes. In other words, I bet it is likely less toxic. None the less, neither are great if they can be avoided

Good luck, and I hope your snakes are doing well.

Nix is a product designed to be used on humans, so of course it's had more testing done on humans. PAM has been tested on reptiles for over 25 years. You don't see people using PAM to treat head lice, do you? I would never use PAM on a human and I would never use Nix on a reptile, regardless of how much testing has gone into either product. Your statement about how you "bet it is likely less toxic" is false. Funny how you'd have to rinse out the tank after a Nix treatment, but you don't do that after a PAM treatment. Also taken from their website "Provent-a-mite™ is specifically formulated for use with all reptiles and has been extensively tested to be sure it will not pose any health risk to a reptile, either acutely or chronically when used as directed. No other product has our patented formula and many other formulas, despite any claim, do use chemicals that may potentially harm your animals".

All the local breeders here use NIX for treatment against Mites, they use NIX on the high end morphs, I doubt they will use something thats toxic on there animals. NIX has no effect on the snake besides killing the Mites, and eggs. None of the Reptile Mite Killer, kills eggs so you will most likely have another out break.

Ummm, PAM does kill mites and their eggs and will continue to do so for up to 30 days after use. A quote directly from their webpage states "No current product can make any claim that it will kill eggs. Provent-a-mite™ is the only product that is proven to provide long-term residual protection, so it will kill any larval mites or ticks when they hatch and try to infest your reptiles. All other products quickly break down, becoming ineffective soon after drying".

You guys that are making these false statments really need to read up on PAM. I bet if you took the time to use it the next time you get mites after a Nix treatment, you'd swear by PAM.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

All you have to do is read the ingredient label. (Permethrin)..

That is the exact same thing that provent-a-mite is.

Neither nix nor the PAM is supposed to be used ON any living thing. Not humans or reptiles or any pet. The lice bedding spray is to be sprayed lightly on bedding, carpeting, furniture, etc, and allowed to completely dry. Just like PAM.

They are the same thing, many breeders use lice spray knowing this because it costs about $15 less per can and is available at drug stores.

The same caution is to be used with either one to ensure the safety of your animals.

If anyone has any doubts, all they have to do is read the active ingredient. Lice spray came first. At some point it was tested on reptile enclosures to see if it could be used in the same way without causing harm. No false statements here. Simply fact.