Metcalf Reptiles Knowingly Shipped My SD Retics With Mites!!!

[Ax01]

wow unbelievable! he blatantly (brazenly?) sent u a snake w/ mites?! (Edit: Eeewwwww!! just saw they were shipped in the same bag too; might as well consider both of them have it now. )

i dealt w/ mites twice - my 1st BP and 2ndly my BEL unicorn. soak, wipe off, Reptile Spray on the snakes, PAM on enclosures, use as directed, decor, etc. keep them on white paper, QT, QT and QT! my skin still crawls thinking about mites.

are u still gonna write an alert or thread about this breeder/seller and your experience over at the Fauna BOI? i think everyone did a good job of helping out here but it would also be helpful to alert the larger reptile community (esp. a forum for buying and selling). i think the BOI is accountability and it either helps whips breeders and sellers into shape and/or weeds out the baddies.

Here are some other thoughts to consider about the whole quarantine subject... Suppose you already have other recent arrivals sitting in quarantine and you get another new arrival (or multiple new arrivals) and it has mites, parasites, IBD or whatever other disease... Whether that new arrival is placed in your primary snake room or with the other quarantined animals there is going to be a possibility that it could spread to other animals either way. So, what's the point? Does it come down to choosing which animals you would prefer to risk having become infected and which ones you do not? I'm pretty sure most people don't have separate rooms throughout their house for quarantining each individual animal in for 3 - 6 months at a time, nor do I think most people limit themselves to only getting one new animal every few months, so it can be quarantined by itself. The only semi-feasible solution I can think of for myself during the winter months would be to quarantine new arrivals on the opposite side of my snake room. But, would that really be accomplishing anything? Just some things to think about...

i think Art Gecko did a fantastic job in post #27. essentially protect the colony and QT resets if any new animals are introduced.

Guess I am the only one that doesn't feel mites as something to reject a reptile over. Mites happen and even the best breeder can have them and ship them. They are so easy to clear up in quarantine, I would not even worry about it.

Oh and PAM cooking spray is a horrible and harmful means to do anything to a snake. Not only is it bad for you, it is bad for the snake's scales and not even close to a rational approach to curing anything. It would be like huffing lysol to cure your cold.

maybe for a small collection but i still believe it's easier said than done. it can take just one vector, one misstep in treatment or QT to have an outbreak. i've only dealt w/ mites twice but still pre-treat and QT all new arrivals, preemptively PAM once in awhile still, "treat" substrate, etc.

Thanks once again to all of you for your care and concern. I really appreciate all of you here at the forum! So, these guys showed up today and other than knowing they have mites they seem to be perfectly vibrant and healthy. And, OMG! They are absolutely stunningly beautiful! I'm already in love with 13 other snakes, but just... WOW! I have them all settled in for their looooong soak and i'm getting ready to start treating my entire snake room from top to bottom and hoping for the best. I'll keep you guys posted...

Thanks again!

i cant' wait to see the pix!

good luck! keep us updated.