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by SnakeEyes2006 on October 1, 2007
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I am gonna ask this so no one jump me ok?
Other than mite spray, could a person use vinegar to spray down his/her reptiles? Would vinegar hurt the reptiles? I know that when I was growing up my mom would have us kids take a t-spoon of vinegar daily and soon we built an immunity and the mosquitos and sweat bees and flies would not bother us, we also spray our horses with vinegar and it does seem to help keep the flys away, so my question is would it also help with fleas and mites on reptiles? I do now want to hurt them, but a gallon of vinegar is like a dollar compared to 12 onces of mite spray for $7.00..
Shawn
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by Rob_Carmichael on October 2, 2007
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Vinegar may have some affect on mites, however, even it you could eradicate mites that are directly on your snake, you will still have the problem of complete eradication. Snake mites leave their hosts, and sometimes travel quite a distance, to lay their eggs. The eggs hatch and make their way back to the snake to start the process all over. Some of these "herbal" remedies help but in large scale infestations (and mites can reproduce in exponential numbers)reptile specific insecticides work best and is probably the only way to do the job right (you don't want to cut corners when it comes to these ectoparasites). We've been using Pro Product's Provent A Mite since they first started and have never had a single negative reaction towards our herps if used properly. We've also been mite free thanks to this product and any new, incoming animal that goes to quarantine also gets a treatment of POM (very easy to use and is 100% effective). We not only treat the cage but the area surrounding the cage. Hope this helps.
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
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RE: New question?
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by SnakeEyes2006 on October 2, 2007
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Thanks Rob, yes that helps, no I do not want to cut corners, just looking for another thing to use that could be useful without harm to my animals, I live 35 miles from the nearest pet store, when I get time to go that direction they are closed or out of the spray, so I was just looking for an alternative to use until I get resupplied. Other than that it sounds like it could work as a short term, but make sure to get the good stuff as soon as possible?!
Shawn
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by Chance on October 2, 2007
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Some say mineral oil is effective at killing mites. Of course, that only works on the current wave on the body of the animal. In order for it to be very effective, you'd need to remove the animal to a sterile container, coat it in mineral oil and let it sit a while, and while it's sitting take its enclosure and clean it absolutely thoroughly with a ~10% bleach solution. It might be best to remove the enclosure from the herp room so that you don't risk dropping any egg-containing substrate onto the floor.
Mites are really a terrible thing to have to deal with. Like Rob said, they can multiply with a speed that almost none can rival. It's always best to nip those problems in the bud at the very start in order to keep them from getting out of control.
-Chance
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by agkistrodude on October 2, 2007
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Try www.herpo.com . Click on his link on the left for treating mites. I've used this method for years with great results and no negative impact on the snake. And its very inexpensive. Marty
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by Rob_Carmichael on October 2, 2007
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With all due respect (and John is a knowledgeable guy) this is a fairly outdated if not potentially harmful method of mite treatment. Sevin dust, when inhaled, can cause all sorts of respiratory problems in snakes (if not in the short term, probably in the long term). Sure, it was "the way" for many years but recent advances have made this product a bit obsolete. This will not take care of the problem of mites being laid away from the host and blowing sevin dust into a container with a snake just seems like a bad idea. He also advocates the use of pest strips which is another big no-no as it's not possible to determine what amount is effective and safe at the same time. They are not manufactured for snake mites. There are many products and many methods out there but having tried them all, Provent A Mite spray by Pro Product is by far and away the best method out there.
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by agkistrodude on October 3, 2007
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I don't know how old that website is,I found it 4 or 5 years ago.I've never used the pest strips, as I've heard and read bad things about them for years also. Or the spider spray, but I have snakes over 20 years old that have been occasionally exposed to sevin dust. They're fine.I don't blow it into the container, I just apply it lightly and let them crawl around in the container.I also apply it lightly to the substrate.Any new snake gets this in quarantine.I don't keep it in my cages all the time, and I haven't had a mite problem in probably 10 years or more. It works for me, Marty
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by Cro on October 3, 2007
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Maxide Garden & Pet Dust is the safer alternative to Sevin Dust or other Carbaryl products.
Active Ingredients: Permethrin .25%. It is rated for use on puppies and kittens.
See:
http://www.pestproducts.com/permethrin_dust.htm
Also, instead of purhcasing Provent A Mite spray by Pro Product at $15.00 to $20.00 for a 6 oz spray, you can use Repel Permanone Clothing & Gear Insect Repellent, which is exactly the same thing, but costs 1/4 as much. It is available at Walmart in the camping / fishing area, next to the deet type insect repellents. I have been using it for many, many years ans have never had a problem. Just remember that you should spray the cage substrate or newspaper, and allow it to dry before you put the snake back in the cage.
See:
http://www.repel.com/ProductCategories/Insectrepellents/Permanone/
As Rob has said, a dust product might make it into a snakes lungs, so i would be cautious using it, and not blow it into the cage as was suggested on that web site. Perhaps sprinkle it in the rubbermade container then gently put the snake in and all the snake to stay for a while. Then put the snake back into a very clean cage with newspaper that has been treated with the spray products.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards JohnZ
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by agkistrodude on October 3, 2007
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After thinking about it more, I realized that I can count on one hand the number of mite infestations I've had in my collection over the past 30 or so years with fingers left over.That would mean that my long-term snakes have only been exposed to Sevin Dust briefly maybe 2 or 3 times over several years and my newer snakes just once briefly at quarantine.That low exposure may be why I haven't, seen any problems. Just reading the label on a bag of Sevin Dust makes it pretty obvious that long term exposure or repeated exposure over time, probably wouldn't be a good thing. Maybe I'll try something different and pack away the Sevin Dust in the box with my 8-track tapes and lava lamps.(LOL) Marty
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