Mites keep coming back!!

[ZacharyPoller]

I have read that the repti bark sometimes isn't sterile and has mites in it and eggs, a local breeder told me the same and he said he either threats his bedding when he gets it or he bakes it in the oven for a few minutes to kill all mites, aspen is prone to mites also he said so he said he would never recommend it.

[NH93]

I have read that the repti bark sometimes isn't sterile and has mites in it and eggs, a local breeder told me the same and he said he either threats his bedding when he gets it or he bakes it in the oven for a few minutes to kill all mites, aspen is prone to mites also he said so he said he would never recommend it.

I had someone at a pet store say that about snake aspen... to be honest, I had never heard of that before. I have heard of wood lice coming in sometimes (but obviously not the same thing and harmless to snakes) but not mites. Very strange.
I personally buy small animal aspen instead of the expensive snake aspen (used to have guinea pigs for 7 years, never found any mites in their substrate either). Although I did have to buy a bag of the snake stuff because that's all the store I visited recently had... so if I get mites, I'll know where from and you'll see my foot in my mouth

[j94712]

ok thanks a lot! many great advices! i will treat the whole room and the whole collection. Did not know that I have to treat the racks as well. For the substrate, i use harlan aspen. Just wanted to know if anyone is using it and have no problem with mites?

[bcr229]

I had someone at a pet store say that about snake aspen... to be honest, I had never heard of that before.

The pet shops usually stock the substrates for reptiles only a few feet from the reptile enclosures, and from a retail standpoint it makes sense to keep all the reptile "stuff" in the same location for shoppers. So, it's logical to assume that if the shop has mites - and unfortunately most do because of high turnover - then the mites have travelled to the bags of substrate to lay their eggs.

We just found mites again this past weekend. The last snake to come in was an albino boa back in September and he was obviously clean, and in fact he was still clean last weekend, the one with mites I've had for over a year! I needed a bag of cypress in a pinch a few weeks ago before I got a bulk order in, so I went to a big box store, and came home with a hitchhiker.

[NH93]

The pet shops usually stock the substrates for reptiles only a few feet from the reptile enclosures, and from a retail standpoint it makes sense to keep all the reptile "stuff" in the same location for shoppers. So, it's logical to assume that if the shop has mites - and unfortunately most do because of high turnover - then the mites have travelled to the bags of substrate to lay their eggs.

We just found mites again this past weekend. The last snake to come in was an albino boa back in September and he was obviously clean, and in fact he was still clean last weekend, the one with mites I've had for over a year! I needed a bag of cypress in a pinch a few weeks ago before I got a bulk order in, so I went to a big box store, and came home with a hitchhiker.

That really stinks! I thought that because cyprus mulch is wetter it would help keep any traveling mites at bay (again, what the same person at that one pet store told me).
The store I go to doesn't keep their substrate near their reptiles... but it's a Big Al's store (if you have them/have heard of them), so the whole place is reptiles/amphibians/fish, so I wouldn't doubt that at some point - maybe in the back room - they had the bags next to the animals. Good point!

[bcr229]

That really stinks! I thought that because cyprus mulch is wetter it would help keep any traveling mites at bay (again, what the same person at that one pet store told me).
The store I go to doesn't keep their substrate near their reptiles... but it's a Big Al's store (if you have them/have heard of them), so the whole place is reptiles/amphibians/fish, so I wouldn't doubt that at some point - maybe in the back room - they had the bags next to the animals. Good point!

http://vpi.com/publications/the_life...of_snake_mites

[ZacharyPoller]

I had someone at a pet store say that about snake aspen... to be honest, I had never heard of that before. I have heard of wood lice coming in sometimes (but obviously not the same thing and harmless to snakes) but not mites. Very strange.
I personally buy small animal aspen instead of the expensive snake aspen (used to have guinea pigs for 7 years, never found any mites in their substrate either). Although I did have to buy a bag of the snake stuff because that's all the store I visited recently had... so if I get mites, I'll know where from and you'll see my foot in my mouth

I havent gotten mites yet knock on wood i didn't follow his warming i use aspen also … I am going to switch it to something else tho this weekend because i finished my big bag

[satomi325]

ok thanks a lot! many great advices! i will treat the whole room and the whole collection. Did not know that I have to treat the racks as well. For the substrate, i use harlan aspen. Just wanted to know if anyone is using it and have no problem with mites?

Yes, do the racks. The mites can crawl out of the tubs and nest along the rack walls and shelves, which is probably why they keep coming back.

I use Harlan Aspen, haven't had any issue with mites. But I also pre-treat all new animals in quarantine for mites regardless if they have them or not.

[j94712]

Yes, do the racks. The mites can crawl out of the tubs and nest along the rack walls and shelves, which is probably why they keep coming back.

I use Harlan Aspen, haven't had any issue with mites. But I also pre-treat all new animals in quarantine for mites regardless if they have them or not.

Do you also pretreat the aspen before you use it???
When i get new animals, i also spray them down with reptile spray to make sure they carry no mites.

[SquamishSerpents]

I use paper towel as substrate, and I don't go to pet stores. This eliminates those issues, lol.

But yes, aspen can definitely carry mites. As long as you treat EVERYTHING and are diligent about it, you should be able to defeat them!