Moon's Graden

Do the same type of mites get on both rodents
and reptiles?    My mice have mites bad.
I don't see any on the snakes, and I figure
that I'd be able to see them if any were on
the snow corn, at least.

I suppose the thing to do is get some of
that Prevent-a-mite (or whatever) and
treat everything just assuming the mites are
there even if I don't see them.
Is it safe for mice?  And if it gets on the
mice won't the snakes end up ingesting it?

--Julie

I think they are the same. I wouldnt feed the mice to the snakes if they had
mites. Thats just gross. I would treat the mice & the snakes with different
stuff. There is reptile ridamite & rodent ridamite.While I'm not a big mouse
fan I feel sorry for them if they have mites that bad. I mean can you
imagine being covered in & living with fleas & not being able to get them
off?

I feel sorry for the mice too.   I was on vacation for
two months and my dear husband took care of all
the critters in the house during that time, so... the mouse
pens didn't get cleaned quite as often as I would have
cleaned them.  If the mice had mites when I left there
were never enough of them to get noticed.  I'm not
going to say bad stuff about my dh.  He did a pretty
good job for someone who had never taken care of
the snakes before.  He even wants to get one of his
very own, now.  ;-)   And one of his co-workers gave
me a free 55 gal vertical reptile tank.  :-)   So, as far
as I am concerned the man can do no wrong.

Now, there may be good reasons not to feed mite
infested mice to snakes... particularly if the mites
will infest the snakes, or if mites can spread internal
parasites (do they?).   But as for it being "gross."  <grin>
Predators eat diseased prey in the wild, more often
than not.

Anyway, I spent the morning (or at least part of it)
trying to find "prevent-a-mite".  No luck.   What is it
really called?   Where should I be able to find it?
They didn't have any at PetsMart or at the other local
pet store.  Do I need to go to the vet?   There was some
"mite inhibitor" at PetsMart (Repti-Cal brand?)  I
could go back and get that, I suppose.  I didn't find
any rodent mite treatment at either place.

(I apologize to everyone for not paying better
attention when this stuff was explained before.
But *me* get *mites*.... nah.  <groan>)

--Julie

rodent mites are different than those that normally infest snakes...those for
rodents are more along the lines of Mange mites.  Bird mites now...gotta be
careful of them as they can also infest snakes.

Wyvern

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 It's called "Provent-A-Mite" spray and it's $15-20 a can. It kills
mites & eggs in 1 (yes, 1) application. Vets & professionals use it. I
got mine at a reptile show, but I believe you can mail order it direct
from Pro Products, they're the ones that sell the radiant heat panels
for animal enclosures. Good Luck!

Thank you.  :-)

--Julie

First of all I would freeze these mice before feeding to a snake (of course
thaw them first)
As far as getting rid of mites I have had success with head lice treatment,
can't think of the name at this moment.
Tetras miteX sucks, in fact I think the F'n mites like the stuff.

good luck

Just an FYI for anyone living in the Central Florida region.. Incredible
Pets (an AMAZING pet store.. great prices and an unbelievable selection..
(and no puppies in tiny cages walking on wire bottoms.. no puppies at all
actually.. just fish, birds and lots of herps.(I'm rambling again))) in
Melbourne (Central Brevard Co.) carries this product for $19.99 if you
should need it in a hurry..  And the people who work in the herp dept really
know what they're talking about.. Not just some kid-without-a-clue type
establishment.
Khufu

Provent-a-mite is not only easier to use, it is cheaper in the long
run, and has been tested and proven to be safe when used as directed.
Before it was available I used Nix to treat for snake mites, and it
was a long process that had to be repeated.  The Provent-a-mite is
much easier to use and doesn't go bad in the can.  Once Nix is mixed
up you have to use it right away, it loses effectiveness if stored
mixed with water.

You can reach Pro Products at www.pro-products.com .  I have no
relationship with them other than satisfied customer.

Denise

the proventamite is good stuff...just be extremely careful if you also keep
amphibians, fish, or spiders/insects in the house too...this stuff is very
toxic to them.  also don't let any animal breath the vapors...let the cage air
dry sufficiently before putting stuff back in.

Wyvern

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Yes, I agree.... I accidentally not only cured the first mite outbreak I ever
had with it, but also got rid of an infestation of ants at the same time...
<giggle>  Gee, darn... But seriously, I had to be careful to keep my crickets
downstairs or else I'd have dead crix, too.  
Bonnie Keller

Personal web page:  http://members.aol.com/bonniejkeller/intro.html
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Dont take the risk.......

clean or get rid of your current stock and start again.

mice are very inexpensive , and if you know someone that breeds mice im
sure they will give you a handfull for free to get you started again

Psyconutt