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Q: Anyone have luck using perditory mites?
Posted By:

titus

So, I've been fighting snake mites with a pair of my Boas for about a year now I've gone though 2 cycles of treatments, but after 6 months or so they alway seem to come back in force. Even though I make sure the mites are gone and everything is clean and new after the chemical treatment of the cage and snakes. I found a shipper of predatory mites and thought it couldn't hurt to try, but was wondering if anyone had some first hand eexperience using them.
Points: 250
Topics: General Health , Medications
Tags: Boas, Health, Mites
Species: Boas > Large Boas > Boa constrictor imperator
Administrative: Show/Hide
Accepted Answer 9/30/2009 7:43:41 AM

Geckofactor
Hypoaspis mites work okay but they're pretty expensive and if you don't currently have mites they'll obviously just die they'll also die if the conditions in the cage aren't ideal for the mites ie you have to use a moist soil for the Hypoaspis to breed and thrive they aren't quite as tough as reptile mites that seem to be able to breed just about anywhere sometimes.  I'd reserve using them in cases with other arachnids or if animals are in close quarters with arachnids otherwise just use traditional methods of mite control. 
 
Member Comment 9/30/2009 10:02:17 AM

JohnJohn
Is your treatment good?  What are you using?  There have been a lot of posts here about methods for treatment of mites. 

My good friend who runs our local rescue is very good at mite treatment and mite prevention.  He has to be because of all the odd rescues he takes in.  He swears by Frontline spray.  He sprays the cages and the animals with it.  He also uses PAM spray sometimes in combination with the Frontline.

Personally, I think you should try and fight them harder with treatments, maybe more frequent treatments.  It sounds to me like you might be killing off the mites but not the mite eggs that could be hatching out later.  I think the treatments don't necessarily kill the eggs.
 
Author Comment 9/30/2009 10:33:08 AM

titus
You are correct saying that most treatments don't kill the eggs, that is why you use a 2-4 week on off cycle. I use Dichlorvos based strips for my caging and frontline for the snakes themselves.  While the cage is being treated they are in temp hosing for 3-4 weeks. With the snakes and cage being treated in 7 day cycles. This should be long enough to kill off the eggs that hatch. The snakes are now mite free and normally are for while. As I said in the last year I've treated for mites twice each time about 6 months apart. I would think if eggs were still left that they would come back in numbers faster, given a slightly over two week growth rate from egg to adult.  
 
Assisted Answer 9/30/2009 10:55:57 AM

vonnick52
The question that comes to my mind is how are the mites getting into your collection so regularly?  If you are treating and ending the infestation and using proper quarantine, you shouldn't have a regular outbreak.  I would defintiely treat, but then start considering your source of the mites...are they coming in the bedding, is it lack of a proper quarantine?
 
Author Comment 9/30/2009 11:27:32 AM

titus
I've also thought of that. I've alway quarantined new animals for 2-3 months before their even alowed in my reptile room. I also have a second set of tools to use with animals in quarantine. I know that the orinal outbrake was after reivecing new substrate from my supplier. This was a bit upsetting as I've never in my 7 years keeping had problems with mites or my supplier. After this last outbrake I've started pre treating my substrate for two weeks to get any mites before they get to my snakes. I'm hoping this will be the end of them. I really just wanted to know if anyone had anything good to say about perditory mites or if tradtions cheimical treatments were better.
 
Assisted Answer 9/30/2009 1:21:04 PM

Sonja K. Reptiles
Sounds like you are doing a good job in trying to prevent them. You may unknowingly be bringing mites home from just visiting a pet store or a reptile show? Also, in conversations with others, people seem to have less issue with snake mites when they get their substrate - for example, aspen - from someplace like Fleet Farm or a place that doesn't sell reptiles.
 
Author Comment 9/30/2009 1:57:32 PM

titus
Thanks for the imput I'll have to see if there are some suppliers around that don't sell animals where I can get a simmilar substrate to what I'm using. It couldn't be from a show I really haven't been to one in ages. But am by the pet stores enough to pick up odds and ends when need be.  
 
Member Comment 10/2/2009 1:39:24 AM

WingedWolfPsion
Provent-A-Mite is pretty safe to use as a regular treatment.  It lasts for 30 days if you treat the bins/cages with it, so that breaks the mites' lifecycle.  Try checking a feed store for your bedding, instead of a pet store.  They don't have animals there, just supplies, so there's much less risk of bringing home unwanted guests.
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