Yet another rat problem

[mattj8501]

Would this stuff be effective against snake mites too?

[satomi325]

Would this stuff be effective against snake mites too?

I'm not certain. It's typically used on mammals and bird dust bath material. It's harmless to them.
Theoretically, I think it should be alright. But I personally wouldn't try it on the snakes since it hasn't really been tested or tried yet.

The way DE works is that it cuts up mites, fleas, and general insects with an exoskeleton. It destroys their bodies. I'm not sure what affects it will have on a reptile's scales.

[mattj8501]

That would be interesting. In theory it seems a lot safer than PAM.

[MootWorm]

Ok so DE kind of sparked an interest for me, and I've been doing some research on the topic. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there are any scientific studies on the effects on reptiles. But everything I've come across leads me to believe that it would be safe for them. I simply do not believe it could penetrate scales. My only concern would be some of it managing to get between scales and irritating the snake.

It's been used for ages in chicken bedding,and if any of you have experience with chickens, this means they're constantly stirring it up and inhaling DE, with apparently no ill effects. It can be a skin irritant for mammals, and I assume that would be the extent of damage to a reptile.

I did find a technical report that stated Sonoran desert tortoises burrow in DE, so take that as you will. There has been anecdotal evidence that it repels snakes, others report that it absolutely does not work for them. All in all, there's really not a whole lot of info out there.

All that said, I wouldn't be willing to risk my snakes for the sake of research