j_dunlavy
Jon Dunlavy Reptiles
I had not had mites in my collection since 1998 or 200, something like that and then one day BAM! mites, 
Not sure where they came from as I am always very careful, they sometimes do come from the litter you use (barks, mulch etc.); they may hitchhike from any reptile or pet supply source so abundant caution is needed to avoid them.
I have come up with a treatment program that seemed to work quite well so here it is: (note: it helps to have some help if you have a large collection)
1.Prep: spray PAM on papertowels and replacement cage furniture the day before the big cleanup. I did this in my garage and let everything dry overnight.
2. Soak and Cleanup: I soaked all my snakes in warm water and washed EVERYTHING (water dishes, hides, etc.) in the snake room with bleach water and cleaned with denatured alcohol things I could not soak in the bleach. I payed very careful attention to any cracks and crevices when spraying the alcohol. (note; I used denatured alcohol because it evaporates clean and fast, plus it kills bugs relatively quickly.)
3. PAM: I sprayed a light spray of PAM in the clean dry terraria, and around all the stands and on the carpet, cords wall near the outlets and tanks; everywhere.
4. Reptile Spray: While the PAM was drying, I removed the snakes from their soak tubs and dried them off (new papertowel for each snake!). After each snake was dried I spayed it down with "Natural Products Reptile Spray" and wiped the snake off with another papertowel. I wiped down any very small or young snakes with paper towels sprayed with the reptile spray to reduce the amount they were exposed to, rather than a direct spray. I put the snakes in clean tubs after spraying/ wiping.
5. Tank set up: I put down the paper towels I had treated with PAM the day before, about 2-3 layers thick; I put down a top layer of untreated paper towels for any of my very small or very young snakes to minimize their contact with the PAM. I also replaced their furniture with the previously treated furniture. By the time this was done the PAM in the cages was dry.
6. Snakes were returned to their cages.
7. I scrubbed all the water dishes and let them dry in the sun (until the bleach smell was gone) and returned them to their cages.
I kept a very close eye on everybody to be sure their were no adverse reactions and everything was fine. The next morning there were dead mites that escaped the cleaning scattered across the treated paper towels and I have not seen a mite since (a couple months ago). I still have everything on lockdown for another month or so just to be sure I did not miss anything.
I am converting to rack systems from glass terrariums but this treatment would be easy enough to apply to a rack. The main thing is to be as thorough as possible. I have a closed collection and maintain a quarantine system in a different room, I would advise everyone to do the same and do not lapse in your procedures! If you go to an expo, you need to quarantine yourself (change clothes and shower) before you even think of going into your snake room, otherwise...
Remember, mites can happen to anyone, take a few precautions and they can be avoided in your collection
Not sure where they came from as I am always very careful, they sometimes do come from the litter you use (barks, mulch etc.); they may hitchhike from any reptile or pet supply source so abundant caution is needed to avoid them.
I have come up with a treatment program that seemed to work quite well so here it is: (note: it helps to have some help if you have a large collection)
1.Prep: spray PAM on papertowels and replacement cage furniture the day before the big cleanup. I did this in my garage and let everything dry overnight.
2. Soak and Cleanup: I soaked all my snakes in warm water and washed EVERYTHING (water dishes, hides, etc.) in the snake room with bleach water and cleaned with denatured alcohol things I could not soak in the bleach. I payed very careful attention to any cracks and crevices when spraying the alcohol. (note; I used denatured alcohol because it evaporates clean and fast, plus it kills bugs relatively quickly.)
3. PAM: I sprayed a light spray of PAM in the clean dry terraria, and around all the stands and on the carpet, cords wall near the outlets and tanks; everywhere.
4. Reptile Spray: While the PAM was drying, I removed the snakes from their soak tubs and dried them off (new papertowel for each snake!). After each snake was dried I spayed it down with "Natural Products Reptile Spray" and wiped the snake off with another papertowel. I wiped down any very small or young snakes with paper towels sprayed with the reptile spray to reduce the amount they were exposed to, rather than a direct spray. I put the snakes in clean tubs after spraying/ wiping.
5. Tank set up: I put down the paper towels I had treated with PAM the day before, about 2-3 layers thick; I put down a top layer of untreated paper towels for any of my very small or very young snakes to minimize their contact with the PAM. I also replaced their furniture with the previously treated furniture. By the time this was done the PAM in the cages was dry.
6. Snakes were returned to their cages.
7. I scrubbed all the water dishes and let them dry in the sun (until the bleach smell was gone) and returned them to their cages.
I kept a very close eye on everybody to be sure their were no adverse reactions and everything was fine. The next morning there were dead mites that escaped the cleaning scattered across the treated paper towels and I have not seen a mite since (a couple months ago). I still have everything on lockdown for another month or so just to be sure I did not miss anything.
I am converting to rack systems from glass terrariums but this treatment would be easy enough to apply to a rack. The main thing is to be as thorough as possible. I have a closed collection and maintain a quarantine system in a different room, I would advise everyone to do the same and do not lapse in your procedures! If you go to an expo, you need to quarantine yourself (change clothes and shower) before you even think of going into your snake room, otherwise...
Remember, mites can happen to anyone, take a few precautions and they can be avoided in your collection
