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Mite control

V

vettesherps

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I just have a question pertaining to mite control. I have in the past used a product called Provent-a-mite with fairly good success. I have been hearing a lot of talk about Black Knight. Has anyone tried both of these that has a definate opinion as to which works better. It seems that all I ever hear is the opinion of the sellers.

Thanks,
George Gunther
 
14 + months ago. My collection ran into a mite problem.
A "perfect" animal brought it in.

I used black knight.
I used is sparingly.
I used it to spray the infected animals once.
I sprayed around the cages too.
No more mites.

Now I have a very expensive can of Bug spray.
That is all I use it for.
Actually that is a lie. I also spray ALL incoming animals....even the "perfect" ones.

One can should last you a long long long time.
 
Have you tried teh other product

Hi Richie,

I was wondering if you had tried the other product I mentioned. I have had similar luck with it. I am just trying to see which would be the best investment of my $20......... Lol. I know it is not much but with over 60 snakes and my habbit of periodic spraying it does cost me some money.

Thanks again.
George
 
George.... I SWEAR BY Provent-A-Mite!!.... you spray it ONCE and the Mites are DEAD!.... Heck, it kills a cricket in 10 seconds!!.... I don't like Black Night because there are some ingredients I don't particularly care for in there (aerosol, I think)??.... I just don't remember, but, it was something....
Ritchie, you might want to read the label on that can.... you MIGHT change your mind??

....Neil
 
I am just trying to see which would be the best investment of my $20......... Lol
Click to expand...

BK comes in 12oz cans while the other comes in 6oz cans, so when you compare the price tag you have to consider the volume.
 
Chemicals uggh
I use Diatomaceous Earth, all incoming animals are bathed in it and any animal that might be suspect is bathed in it
I have not had a mite in I don't know how long.
Any spray has an over spray and I raise many theraphosids and things sensitive to chemicals
Cheap??? yup I spent 2 bucks a few years ago and still have my Earth, I lost my darn mites though, man I miss them;)
 
I have used both PAM and Black Knight. I have never had any problems with any of my snakes (and we have over 100 snakes) when I have used PAM. A few months ago, I was dumb enough to be talked into using BK by a big named breeder. I spent 30 minutes talking to this person, getting specific directions, making sure it was safe for my animals, etc. I was assured that BK is the best, way better than PAM and that I would have absolutely no problems with my snakes. While I was told to spray the cage with the snake still inside the cage (removing waterbowl if I wished), I removed my prized labyrinth burmese Angel form her cage. We then lightly fogged her cage. After 15-20 minutes, we put Angel back into her cage. She immediately started having a reaction to BK. This continued and we took her to the vet. The vapors (even though she wasn't in when we fogged the cage) went straight to her lung and set up an RI. After two series of antibiotics, we thought we had pulled her through. We didn't. She died of liver damage which is caused by an ingredient in BK.

If you're judging product by size of can, please read the can of BK (if you have it). 76% of the ingredients in BK is propellants and solvents, actually, it's R22 and 142B (both are freons), an illegal product that has been banned since 1994, I believe. Therefore, you have about 3 ounces of worthful ingredients with BK and 6 oz with PAM.

What you choose is up to you. Ask yourself this, though: is it worth risking the life of my snake? It wasn't to us. I wish someone had told me this before I used BK on Angel. :(
 
PAM

Thanks everyone for your responses. I guess it is still widely varied but I will probablly stick with what I have been using.
I have had great success with PAM. Thanks again
 
I have spoken at length with Bob Pound, the inventor of Proventamite, on numerous occasions and have been using the product for the past four years. If used as directed, I have found no product that works better and is safer on virtually all species of snakes. Every cage in my collection is treated once or twice a year and i have not seen a mite for 4 years
 
No Pest Strips. Yes I know all the evil hype about them. Give your BK and proventamite stuff a few more years and you may find out they cause you to have three heads. Using the No Pest SDtrips has never been a problem for me, but has been a big problem for mites. My snakes never seem to mind. In fact they have continued to breed and live apparent healthy lives after being treated with this stuff. I do it carefully taking the precautions recommended by the manufacturer and by old time herpers who used to use this stuff. It is also cheap.

I have to point out that I once forgot a colony of crickets and placed this stuff almost right over the tank the crickets were in. Werll all the mites in the snake room were gone, the carpenter ants that were devoring part of the wood around my basement windows disappeared, but the crickets lived happily ever after, and even bred. Go figure.

Thankfully I have had very few problems with mites over the years, so I use this stuff sparingly - but I must admit if those damned carpenter ants return - well, I will be getting this stuff out again next spring!

Best regards,
Glenn Bartley
 
Any suggestions for mite control in feeder rat/mouse colonies?

I'm looking to purchase some mice to breed, and my worst fear is introducing mites and illness into my leo colonies...
 
You can use provent-a-mite. Spray some on cotton balls and let them dry then drop them in the rodent cages. They will use the cotton balls to make a nest. If you have any mites in your rodents, this will safely get rid of them and also prevent any mites in the future. These cotton balls treated with provent-a-mite will be good for 30 days....as you clean the cages, remove the cotton balls and then drop them back in. They get nasty looking but will still work. This was told to me by Bob Pounds when I asked him that very question.

Sherry Howell
 
Are the mites that infect rodents able to infect reptiles?

My vet has ssaid that mites are VERY specific in the host they choose. Reptile mites, rodent mites human mites etc. Anyone know for sure? If so please e-mail us. Thank you.E-Mail
 
vferra7777 said:
My vet has ssaid that mites are VERY specific in the host they choose. Reptile mites, rodent mites human mites etc. Anyone know for sure? If so please e-mail us. Thank you.E-Mail
Click to expand...

They may not be feeding but reptile mites can hitch a ride on rodents. Many years ago I saw mites between the toes of some feeder rodents I got from a pet store. I contacted the pet shop and they told me they wouldn't affect the reptiles. Horse pucky! It was largely due to that incident that I started breeding my own rodents.
 
Mites

Mites (the root cause of Scabies) and Lice are common skin parasites passed through contact with an infected person, bedding and clothing.

Mites are extremely small, wingless insects that burrow into the skin, lay eggs and cause intense itching, particularly at night. A very small zigzag blister usually shows where the mite has laid its eggs. The most common location for scabies are on the fingers, on the backs of your hands, on wrists, heels, elbows, armpits, inner thighs, under the breasts, and around the waist.

Treatment for mites / scabies consists of taking regular showers, then applying over-the-counter 5% permithrin medicated lotion to your whole body, except your head and neck. (DO NOT use scabies medicine containing lindane. It's poisonous.) Don't wash off the lotion for 8 to 12 hours. sometimes it takes 48 hours for the medicine to be effective. Frequently it takes two treatments to get rid of the Scabies mites. Because Scabies are sensitive to heat, you also can try taking a sauna. To avoid re-infection, wash the bedding and clothing of everyone in your family, or where you live, with borax, dry on the hot cycle, sterilize and iron. Vacuum your mattress as well.
 
bluefin said:
Mites (the root cause of Scabies) and Lice are common skin parasites passed through contact with an infected person, bedding and clothing.

Mites are extremely small, wingless insects that burrow into the skin, lay eggs and cause intense itching, particularly at night. A very small zigzag blister usually shows where the mite has laid its eggs. The most common location for scabies are on the fingers, on the backs of your hands, on wrists, heels, elbows, armpits, inner thighs, under the breasts, and around the waist.

Treatment for mites / scabies consists of taking regular showers, then applying over-the-counter 5% permithrin medicated lotion to your whole body, except your head and neck. (DO NOT use scabies medicine containing lindane. It's poisonous.) Don't wash off the lotion for 8 to 12 hours. sometimes it takes 48 hours for the medicine to be effective. Frequently it takes two treatments to get rid of the Scabies mites. Because Scabies are sensitive to heat, you also can try taking a sauna. To avoid re-infection, wash the bedding and clothing of everyone in your family, or where you live, with borax, dry on the hot cycle, sterilize and iron. Vacuum your mattress as well.
Click to expand...

Gee that was helpful. :rofl:

Now do you have any information on reptile mites since that was the original subject?
 
coyote said:
www.mega-mites.com
Found in Reptile Magazine. Supposed to be a mite that is predatory on other mites. Sounds like a good idea. But, is it for real?
Click to expand...

Real or not I wouldn't be using that method. I just don't see the point in releasing one critter into a collection in attempt to control another. Regardless of what they feed on they're still pests, and I don't want any foriegn organisms crawling around my snake cages.
 
Mite Control

Treatment for mites / scabies consists of taking regular showers, then applying over-the-counter 5% permithrin medicated lotion to your whole body, except your head and neck. (DO NOT use scabies medicine containing lindane. It's poisonous.) Don't wash off the lotion for 8 to 12 hours. sometimes it takes 48 hours for the medicine to be effective. Frequently it takes two treatments to get rid of the Scabies mites. Because Scabies are sensitive to heat, you also can try taking a sauna. To avoid re-infection, wash the bedding and clothing of everyone in your family, or where you live, with borax, dry on the hot cycle, sterilize and iron. Vacuum your mattress as well.
 
bluefin said:
Treatment for mites / scabies consists of taking regular showers, then applying over-the-counter 5% permithrin medicated lotion to your whole body, except your head and neck. (DO NOT use scabies medicine containing lindane. It's poisonous.) Don't wash off the lotion for 8 to 12 hours. sometimes it takes 48 hours for the medicine to be effective. Frequently it takes two treatments to get rid of the Scabies mites. Because Scabies are sensitive to heat, you also can try taking a sauna. To avoid re-infection, wash the bedding and clothing of everyone in your family, or where you live, with borax, dry on the hot cycle, sterilize and iron. Vacuum your mattress as well.
Click to expand...

How about you follow the subject of reptile mites? :rofl:
 
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