Mite control

I've posted mite speed limits to help with that. They also don't know what to do with blinking red lights.

Well, this wasn't the article I saw before, but I doubt anybody will dispute this reference, lol. http://www.vpi.com/publications/the_...of_snake_mites

I swear by P.A.M, haven't had an outbreak to this day since I started keeping snakes (going on 4 years now). I generally use Reptile Relief (RR) on every new snake BEFORE it crosses the threshold.

I clean the cages weekly with Chlorhexidine and put in fresh paper; but for preventative measures, I spray the butcher paper that I use for substrate in the racks and let it dry beforehand, so that it's ready for the monthly preventative cleaning.
Monthly I generally follow the same procedure, except I put in the pretreated paper instead of the plain paper (I get the huge rolls of butcher paper from Sam's Club).

I used pretreat the rats substrate (aspen) with PAM or a generic Flea spray(puppy/kitten) until I had a three bodied birth of a ratterling (the mother chewed it up).





It could have been a simple deformed birth. I preferred to take no chances and since I have ceased the practice, I have had no more deformed births.

Ok... Ive been keeping snakes for years and have finally joined the club in the fact I now have my first 'infestation' of mites... it was deduced they came from a store bought rat that I went and got after I ran out of my normal feeding stock from RodentPro. (will never make that mistake again)

After thoroughly researching the net and various forums... I still have a few questions... Ive done the soaking/dishsoap method, which yielded startling success just to get rid of the obvious ones I could see with the naked eye... I also went and purchased the Equate COMPLETE kit, which includes the gel, shampoo, & bedding spray...

I read the post in this thread from Insane Canes LLC, (located here: Nix Solution for Mites ) which was very informative on how to mix & apply the gel solution... But what is the correct application for the bedding spray? I understand about spraying the habitat & surrounding areas, but I fail to see anything in respect to treating the animal with this spray, and to be honest, I dont think Im going to...

My other question is regarding HotSpot Pest Strips... Now from what I can see, it comes in one big thick yellow strip encased in a plastic protective shell casing... I was informed by a breeder friend of mine that you get yourself an old 35mm film canister or an old empty prescription pill container (preferred) and put a very small hole in each end. Then proceed to cut a small piece of the Pest Strip just enough to fit inside said container, seal up except for the small holes and just drop it in the enclosure...

**NOTE - DO NOT use your hands when handling this stuff, get latex gloves or some such protection as it can be very harmful to your skin**

Does this sound correct?...

PLEASE understand... Im NOT doing ALL of these remedies at once as I deem it to be overkill and more than likely will harm my snakes... But I am considering the Pest Strips for preventative measures in the future...

Any thoughts???...

Thanks in advance...

~ Aeryk