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).Originally Posted by bcr229
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.
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!
Reply With Quote