| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Welshlamb |
Posted - 21/09/2012 : 14:24:10
Just read a lot of posts about mites. Just wondering how likely is this going to happen and what's the worse case scenario if it goes unnoticed.
George is only about 1-2 months And I have not yet noticed these little critters. Although I have not microwaved his substrate which I did not realise needed to be done.
Will all snakes have mites in their lifetime ?
As the title says I worry a lot and only want the best for George |
| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| eeji |
Posted - 23/09/2012 : 12:37:02
you can't get snake mites from new substrate, if thee is anything in there it shouldn't be any harm to the snake and is easily got rid of. |
| Welshlamb |
Posted - 23/09/2012 : 09:31:19
thank you all for the reassurance. I thought baking aspen would be a bit awkward. |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 22/09/2012 : 14:15:29
Corno and Ember have not had mites. When we got Prism we discovered straight away that she already had mites (realised as soon as we got home) and she was quarantined in a totally separate area of the house, treated successfully, all gone within a couple of weeks, and fortunately still no sign of any mites on the others :) |
| Auld Baldy |
Posted - 22/09/2012 : 13:21:18
I would never risk baking aspen or any other substrates. It is too easy to start a fire in the oven. Holes or not, there would have to be mites in the pet shop to begin with. I doubt if they would seek out a lift in a bag of aspen. I keep bulk bags of aspen and beech in the kitchen and never had any problem.
As already stated, you are more likely to transfer mites after handling an already infested animal. |
| Razee |
Posted - 22/09/2012 : 09:18:21
What about bedding? I bought Aspen once, that the shop bought in huge bag and them repacked in smaller bags. I got a bit paranoid and put it in the oven ( it smelled nice ) before using it. Since then I noticed, that even pre packed aspen bags have got holes in them, so mites could get in. Does everybody treat the aspen before using it? Or - is it safe just to store it for couple of weeks in another room before using it? |
| Okeetee Mick |
Posted - 21/09/2012 : 22:35:35
quote:
Originally posted by Donnie
I have quarantined my new additions as said above as it is better safe than sorry. What I did not expect was to get mites from visiting a pet/reptile shop and looking at couple of their corns. The guy showing them to me noticed on the second one he got out just before I got hold of it that it had mites so he took it straight out the back to be away from the others. The damage had been done as they must have moved throughout the rack where they were being kept and then onto me when I held the first one. Two weeks later my collection has got mites :( If I handle unknown snakes again I will be putting all my clothes straight into the washing and then jumping straight into the shower as soon as I get home to make sure it doesn't happen again.
You make a good point Donnie, not sure how many people realise the risk when handling stock in retail outlets. |
| Donnie |
Posted - 21/09/2012 : 22:25:01
I have quarantined my new additions as said above as it is better safe than sorry. What I did not expect was to get mites from visiting a pet/reptile shop and looking at couple of their corns. The guy showing them to me noticed on the second one he got out just before I got hold of it that it had mites so he took it straight out the back to be away from the others. The damage had been done as they must have moved throughout the rack where they were being kept and then onto me when I held the first one. Two weeks later my collection has got mites :( If I handle unknown snakes again I will be putting all my clothes straight into the washing and then jumping straight into the shower as soon as I get home to make sure it doesn't happen again. |
| eeji |
Posted - 21/09/2012 : 19:34:21
i've been keeping reps for 11 years and never had mites. The single most important thing is to quarantine any new animals away from the rest of them until you are sure they are healthy and mite free |
| rockroyal |
Posted - 21/09/2012 : 18:37:40
The only reason I've had a outbreak is I bought a young boa 3 weeks ago and school boy error did not quarintine (bad spelling I know)
And I'm now paying the price .
Foot note
No signs of mites now. |
| herriotfan |
Posted - 21/09/2012 : 18:28:23
There's nothing wrong with worrying and caring about your snakes welfare. The good thing is that you're much more likely to have a healthy snake. I don't see any reason why all snakes should get mites at all. I'm sure George will be fine with such a caring owner.  |
| Auld Baldy |
Posted - 21/09/2012 : 14:54:19
A good standard of hygene and you should be OK. If you are using paper or standard bags of aspen or beech chips then there is no real need to microwave it. Prompt spot cleaning, weekly scrub of water dishes and furniture. 6-8 week total strip with disinfect and fresh substrate.
Mites don't just spontaneously burst forth. They have to come from somewhere and are 'normally' transferred as passengers from or handling already infested stock or moving hides, logs, branches etc (eggs) between vivs. Hence the recommendation for the use of hand sanitizer before & after handling.
There should be a sticky topic on mites, what they look like, what symptoms to keep an eye out for and the treatment to get rid of them. |
