Got mites. How?

[DOBERMAN]

Before I begin - yes I found a thread where Terranaut was talking about a mite pre-infestation and he wondered just how he could possibly have got them. But the thread is closed and I wanted to ask/elaborate further on the posts that were made in that thread.

When I got my boa, I went to the vets for a check up and one of my concerns was that, being a rescue, she might have mites.

I observed none, and the attending well experienced vet could find none.

Good. Had her for a couple months - absolutely NO direct exposure to any other reptile since. No other reptiles in the house period.

I just changed her water dish and found some black spots within, none moving, but did a further search of pen and finally found a black spot moving. HOW ????

I believed Lanky Rob mentioned cloth quarantine and wash after visiting a pet store ???? Wow, really? I buy rats and rabbits at one reptile store. I can't believe I now have to worry that the bag Im taking home might have a mite on it and now the FOOD has to be quarantined before exposing.

Is this OCD or par for the course???

[jhinton6932]

you could freeze the rodents at -5F to kill mites and eggs from what i remember from some college bio courses.

[shaunyboy]

Before I begin - yes I found a thread where Terranaut was talking about a mite pre-infestation and he wondered just how he could possibly have got them. But the thread is closed and I wanted to ask/elaborate further on the posts that were made in that thread.

When I got my boa, I went to the vets for a check up and one of my concerns was that, being a rescue, she might have mites.

I observed none, and the attending well experienced vet could find none.

Good. Had her for a couple months - absolutely NO direct exposure to any other reptile since. No other reptiles in the house period.

I just changed her water dish and found some black spots within, none moving, but did a further search of pen and finally found a black spot moving. HOW ????

I believed Lanky Rob mentioned cloth quarantine and wash after visiting a pet store ???? Wow, really? I buy rats and rabbits at one reptile store. I can't believe I now have to worry that the bag Im taking home might have a mite on it and now the FOOD has to be quarantined before exposing.

Is this OCD or par for the course???

mite eggs are very small,if the only place you go that's reptile related is the reptile store,then you may have picked up eggs there,then transfered them to the room your snakes kept in,mite eggs are that small they can get airborn and settle on your clothes,hair,etc

mites cannot live on rats living or dead,as they are species specific

have you tried squashing one of the black dots you found with your finger tips,if they are mites the little black speck,will turn into a smudged blob of blood,as mites feed on snake blood

i have heard mites can arrive in the substrate,i use newspaper as substrate,so have no hands on experience with substrates,that can potentially harbor mites or mite eggs

cheers shaun

[jhinton6932]

mites can live on rodents. i dont think liponyssides sanguineus can be transferred to reptiles though so im not sure how your situation came about.

[DOBERMAN]

The rats and rabbits are frozen - so I don't think they would have came on the food directly - but a transfer from the bag the food was in???

Shaun - yes the spot blobbed out when squished- not bright red but dark blackish (de-oxygenated blood?)

I just can't believe that possibly we all have to be careful about even just the simplest of contact; like a carry out bag from a pet store.

And apologies to all that have seen enough threads on mites. I get the impression that the subject has been beat to death.

But I just wanted to see if I'm going to have to quarantine/de-contaminate my body,clothes, and the reptile food packaging every time I visit a friggin pet store. Crazy.

[rmfsnakes32]

Whenever I make a run to a pet store or and expo I always make a habit of showering and fresh clothes before I handle my reptiles just to prevent this from happening! But dont get to upset it happens to the best of us here and there (me included)

[shaunyboy]

the few times i go to reptile stores,etc,i always shower and change after i've been,i also do NOT go near my collection that day

i always keep a can of PROVENT A MITE to deal with mites...

it works first time every time,no need for repeat treatments,like other methods

designed for reptiles

remains active for 30 days,which is longer than a mites life cycle,it kills the mites but NOT the eggs,it kills the mite upon HATCHING from the egg

YOU DO NOT SPRAY THE SNAKE OR THE WATER BOWL,keep both in a seperate room,wash water bowl with hot soapy water,open a window for ventilation in the room your treating the tanks and tank contents,wait 2 HOURS AFTER TREATMENT,before you put the snake and water bowl back in...

mites dead,problem gone

also i treat quarantine tanks,8 to 24 hours before any new arrivals,i only work with my collection on days,that i'm NOT anywhere near the quarantine snakes

so far this methods kept my carpet pythons healthy and thriving

cheers shaun

[KORBIN5895]

Get provent a mite or rid and treat your cage once a month. Saves on worrying.

Mites can theoretically transfer to a rat but they cannot live on a rat.

[DOBERMAN]

Thanks for the info you provided on PAM Shaun and yes, after some reading other posts including the previous to this above I am going to keep PAM onhand and treat once a month. That is if I can get it here in Canada. But funny enough I am going to a trade expo this morning in Ajax and maybe a vendor will have some.

Oh, and will de-contaminate and wash when I get home!!!

[Lankyrob]

Woth the amount of people of all levels of snake keeping that visit reptile stores it is almost impossible for them to keep their store 100% mite free 100% of the time. If you visit whilst soeone that has mites in their own collection or soon after they have visited then there isa good chance of you bringing the mites or their eggs back home.

The way i see it if for the sake of a load of washing and having a shower I can stay mite free then this prevention is worth it. I dont worry about the prey items i bring home as they go straight into the freezer anyways. :)

[mykee]

I won't set foot in a pet store that has reptiles. Last November I broke my own rule and visited a very well known pet store in my area and had a rodent mite infestation days later than required I cull my entire rodent collection. This could just as easily have been snake mites.

[marvelfreak]

I just got done treating all my snakes. I had the Argentina boa in my old snake room in quarantine never seen a mite on her for a whole month. Then a couple days ago she started soaking in here water bowl. When i took her out i seen them. So all the branches soaked in bleach water for 24 hour. I treated her. Now she will be spending a extra month in quarantine. Then yesterday i got to new Balls so i just went a head and treat them as a precaution. Then i figure to play it safe i treated all my other snakes in the big snake room. No need to take chances. For now on every new snake gets treat first day period along with my 3 months quarantine.

[Terranaut]

Since I went through the mite thing I have a routine.
I change out all my tanks and PAM or Nix the inside an hour before putting the snakes back in. I get my feeders all at one time(6 months worth) an they have a dedicated freezer. I keep all my reptiles in a seperate dedicated room and if I hit a pet store I do not go into my snake room until I change my cloths.
Just remember this. Once you have killed them all your not done. Even if you don't see another mite you MUST retreat 3-4 weeks later or they will return. I have been mite free for a while now. Thank god.

[DOBERMAN]

Even tho I only have one reptile in one household and NO direct contact with other reptiles, this is a great lesson, for me, and anybody viewing.

To not be lax on mites. No matter how safe you think you are.

I am fairly new to the site and I have got discouraged with certain threads on this site and the way responses have been presented. But this is a case in point of great communication coming through and being valuable. And this makes it worthwhile to be a member.

Thank you.

[KORBIN5895]

That's because I am back.