RID for Mite Prevention

Hey Everyone,

I have a question about mite prevention, I know a breeder who uses RID (http://www.americarx.com/Products/7212.html) on his snakes and cages once or twice a year to prevent mites, I just have a few questions on its use.

I'm told spraying it directly on the snake is ok, does that include the head?

In addition, when the enclosure is sprayed down, do I allow it to dry before putting in bedding and returning the snake?

If you have experience with this, please weigh in.

-Tom

Don't know anything about RID
Why not use something that was meant for reptiles like Provent-a-Mite and simply follow the instructions on the back of the can?
PAM is used on the snake's enclosure and bedding, not on the snake. You let it dry before the snake goes back in its tank/tub
Reptile Relief can be use directly on the snake (that the head)

There are Nix recipes around. The Nix can be used all over. Where ever the snake/animal won't be able to drink it is fine. Head, body, enclosure, the whole bit.

I don't know if Rid is the same as Nix, though.

Uroboros, they have the same active ingredient, I think they're basically the same thing, just different brand names. Thanks for the info, it's good to know.

Playballp, I haven't had any luck with commercial snake mite products, they're not as effective and can't be sprayed on the important areas like the head.

Thanks for your responses everyone, if anyone else has something to add please feel free!

Spray it on anything and everything (head to tail). Even give the bedding a spray as well as any hides. (Though I would suggest using paper towels until you know they have been eradicated.)

The nix is also alot cheaper if you have a huge collection.

It seems a lot of you have been mis-informed. Permethrin products (Nix, Rid, Provent-A-Mite, Equate) are Not safe to directly apply to animals. These products should *only* be applied to cage surfaces (excluding water bowls), never to the actual animal, and all surfaces should be allowed to dry thoroughly before returning the animal to the cage. If a snake absorbs enough of the liquid form, it can become severely ill or even die.

I've used most of these products at one time or another, and found them to be very effective, without any need to apply to the snake. The mites eventually leave the snake, if only to lay eggs, at which point the mites die. I also had an unfortunate incident in which a baby corn snake was exposed to the liquid form and died as a result (another was exposed, but recovered).

If you really want to deal with everything at once, bathe the snake while you're applying the spray to the cage and letting it dry.

I used the Nix because it has been shown to be safe. There has been a couple fatalities from it, but those have also been documented with a very high concentration of Nix. Proper concentration is approximately 1:68 (nix:water).

All 16 of my guys turned out just fine. All of my guys are at least juvenile, though, not babies.

Reptile Relief is a good product, too, but it won't kill eggs like Nix and PAM will.

Still, I find simple baths (just reptile + water) work very well for removing mites, without the risk of direct application of permethrin to the animal. The bath takes care of the mites on the animal while I spray the cage & let it dry, killing the mites elsewhere. It's lower-risk with the same efficacy, IME.

I use equate bedding spray. It has the same ingredients as Provent a Mite, Permethrin, also NIX with permethrin is fine too. I just dont see it worth paying 18 to 19$ a can for Provent A Mite when They are all the same thing. I pay 4$ for a can of equate bedding spray. And Ive read every arguement from both sides, I dont buy it. The active ingredients are the same. I used Equate bedding spray for a HUGE mite outbreak I got from a infested dealer, I have never seen a mite since. BTW I used reptile relief during that time, one night 1 treatment of Reptile relief on the animals, then a soak, then THOROUGHLY clean the cages, and spray The permethrin in the cages(mine was a 30 tub rack), I let it air out for an hour, BAM all mites were gone within days.