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

[Aedryan Methyus]

Until this, I have never had mites, either. But, now i'm feeling a little paranoid. I usually go to reptile expos once a month and sometimes 2 - 3 times a month. Not to vend (yet), but I have been concerned about the possibility of picking up hitchhiker mites just from walking around there and bringing them home. You don't think it would be wise to at least wipe all of my tubs and racks down inside and out with diluted Nix once a month or so?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Until this, I have never had mites, either. But, now i'm feeling a little paranoid. I usually go to reptile expos once a month and sometimes 2 - 3 times a month. Not to vend (yet), but I have been concerned about the possibility of picking up hitchhiker mites just from walking around there and bringing them home. You don't think it would be wise to at least wipe all of my tubs and racks down inside and out with diluted Nix once a month or so?

I go to reptile expo as a visitor and a vendor all the time too, and no I do not treat my animals and do not expose them to necessary pesticide and I am one of the most paranoid person when it comes to mite.

Again good quarantine, stripping down when coming back from a show, throwing the cloth immediately in the wash, and taking a shower and washing hairs will do the trick.

[zina10]

and taking a shower and showing hairs will do the trick.

Deborah, your phone has a strange sense of humor..


Aedryan, I'm sorry you had to go through this. That is absolutely NOT cool.

While mites are always a possibility, what makes this especially bad is that the seller noticed the mites and decided to send the animal anyway.
Such blatant disregard for the new owners animals health (not to mention the trouble to go through) is simply unacceptable. That seller would be off the table for me, forever.

The $50 wouldn't make me feel ANY better, as a matter of fact, I find that rather offending. I have my heart and soul in these animals, not to mention quite some money. The $50 is supposed to make that all cool?? I feel that is their way of buying you out of posting about the experience on certain venues. Again, mites happen, but noticing them and sending them to the new owner anyway, and a flippant email on top of it. Just no.

Its a moot point now, but quarantine is so important. Perhaps for the future you could set something up. I like to call my "special tub" the quarantine/sick tub. I have never had to use it as a sick tub, but when you have a sick animal, its always best to separate them from the others. If your house has issues with heat and humidity, it could be something simple as a plastic tub that has a locking lid, taller then what we usually use. You can cut a round hole into that lid and cover it with hardware cloth that you can fasten down (lid high enough that the snake can't reach that part). You can also cut a couple of ventilation holes, just enough for some air exchange but not so much you loose heat and humidity. Those tubs are often on sale and can be had for fairly cheap. Since a under-tank heater won't be able to heat the ambient, you can use a small wattage heat bulb, It will bring the temps up in the tub. You can also have a uth on one end, just a small one. You can fasten that on the tub and just leave it there for future use. Get one of those jumpstart thermostats to control it, if you don't have a "extra" one laying around. Then "dial it all in" until you know exactly what wattage to use on the heat lamp and get the UTH just right (for future reference). Let it run for a day or two and then turn it off, use the tub to put the light fixture and thermostat in and put it away until you need it. You can also scan craigslist and local "sell and trade" sites. They often have 10 gallon tanks for cheap, some even come with heat lights and other extras, for really cheap. Then you just have to sanitize it. You can just line the back and sides (and most of the top) with styrofoam and it will make a nice little "extra space" you can keep in your house away from the other snakes.

As to what to do if you have more then one snake coming in during quarantine. Well, just time it right. Give it at least 2 month in between new animals. Waiting that long for an extra animal is more then worth it for the peace of mind.

I'm not telling you what to do or how to do it, just some ideas how you could accomplish it for fairly cheap and have it work in your house. For humidity, you can simply use a coco substrate if the snake is in quarantine but not sick. For a sick snake (or confirmed mites) I would use paper towels and keep the water bowel under the light and mist part of the cage often.

As to the "mite" products. Nix, Provent a mite, frontline, ALL that stuff is simply diluted permethrin. And that stuff is not something you want to accidentally use wrong or over use. All it takes is to buy a product that has a higher percentage of it, and then use those "online tips" for dilution, and you can have catastrophic results.

I make my own "fly spray" for horses. I have perfected it over years (quite a few bug fighting ingredients) and have had many people ask me for my recipe, because it works so well. But during my research I've learned just HOW dangerous permethrin or pyrethrin can be.

If you dilute NIX down enough to make it "safe" to be sprayed on a snake, well, then its so weak that you may not kill many mites. Or you could accidentally spray more of it on the snake then you intended because the spray bottle sprays more of a "spray" then "mist". So much room for error, it would make me nervous.

What I like about the Provent a Mite is that it is the correct dilution and the mist is so fine that a couple of sprays make it settle in all the nooks and crannys, without having to OVER use the product.

Please be careful going all out in the war with the mites.

I don't believe in "prevent treating". That should only be done with NEW animals or if a outbreak is suspected. Neurological damage can quickly occur, even with the "safest" dilution, if the application is heavier then usual. Remember, just letting it dry doesn't mean that there wasn't to much to begin with.

I have found Provent a Mite to be the safest method, IF used correctly. Can other things work quicker? Sure, you can just spray heavier, or use a different dilution. I find that sort of like "russian roulette" with my animals health.

Nix, Permethrin, etc CAN be used safely, but people should always understand that more isn't always better, and I would never use permethrin directly on the snake, even diluted. Don't spray to heavily. Unless you have a fine mist that gets all over with a couple bursts, just spray it and then wipe it all around, so that you have a even but THIN layer, before letting it dry..

Hope all stays well, seems you've had your share of "bad stuff" happening. They say it comes in "three's". Has it been three things yet ??

Good luck with everything.