How I Got Rid of Mites on My Royal..!!!

[Markgrieves]

Originally Posted by Nerys

a few things to remember:

mites have a 2-3 week lifecycle. adult->egg->baby mite->adult mite

there are several stages of mite life cycle

an adult female snake mite will not lay eggs on the snake

an adult female snake mite will leave the snake to find an egg laying site, she can walk a long way to find one, adult mites have been known to cover over 48ft in an hour.

a hatchling snake mite.. can "sniff" out a snake from some distance.

so.. the mite leaves the snake, leaves the viv, walks out of the frontroom, up the stairs.. maybe lays eggs in the skirting board crack. 2 weeks later the eggs hatch. and about 2 weeks after that, you will start to notice mites on your snakes again.

mites WILL go out of doors, even shut ones... also up stairs, down stairs, etc.. if you have mites in one tank in your room, you will 99% likely have them in all the tanks within a month.

if you find an infestation, your source is normally somewhere you were about a fortnight ago, or someone who has been to you within the last fortnight, if you clear a snake, and place it back in an untreated viv, you will get them back within 2-4 weeks or so. (2 weeks if your eyes are good enough to see baby ones.. 4 weeks if you have to wait to see adult ones). by the time you can see adult snake mites.. they will already have been laying again.. reported number of eggs layed by each female varies from 60-150 or so..

its common to see people cycling through mite treatments, with the mites never fully being eradicated.. its the eggs that do it, people always forget the eggs, and when an adult can walk 48ft in an hour, just sticking it in the room next door does not always help.

N

Nerys,
Brilliant advice, and gratefully appreciated.
Rep left
Anymore problems i see, and i know who to ask, lol

Could it affect corn eggs, not yet laid/hatched?

Thanks again

[Nerys]

np

corn eggs..

errr.. well no not in theory, not that i can think of..

the mite treatments might affect them, and some people won't treat gravid snakes for the same reason.. i've never sprayed eggs with frontline or any others so no idea what it might do.. i'd guess not nice if anything tho!

the mites themselves no, i'm certainly not aware that they ever "suck" eggs like the suck blood... but they could i guess lay eggs in and around the hatching box and incubator..

N

[candoia aspera]

check this out for more info

The Life History of Snake Mites | Vida Preciosa International, Inc.

[1949_sam]

wow great info left on here for everyone thanks peeps

[bite_me]

Has anybody heard of defenders.co.uk, mites that feed on snake mites and eggs but don't harm the snake and when there is no food just dies off?

[Kylie]

Originally Posted by bite_me

Has anybody heard of defenders.co.uk, mites that feed on snake mites and eggs but don't harm the snake and when there is no food just dies off?

I have they are supposed to be very good i personally havent used them and i wasnt aware they where avaliable in the uk my mate had to go abroad to get them

[Nerys]

yes, they are available from (UK company)

Defenders - Safe Effective Natural Biologist Pest Control for Gardeners

and they are these ones:

Defenders - Safe Effective Natural Biologist Pest Control for Gardeners

i do know people who swear by them.. but you have to follow the conditions they need to live in.. and you can't use them at the same time as any other mite treatment.. if you don't keep them right within the viv, then they die and do nada.. but yeah, they do eat both mites and eggs, and i do know people they have worked for.

N

[Markgrieves]

Thanks to everyone who has posted on here, especially nerys and bci who have been very helpful.
I have just checked my snakes and their viv`s/quarantines and have not found a single mite, which i am happy with.
However, taken the advice of posts on here, i will keep checking.
I just hope that i was either lucky or i did the right thing.

A couple of pics to show how they are now. They are bare for obvious reasons and easier to manage and check.
The far two viv`s used to be a double wardrobe and have my carpets in.
The tubs have my royal and cali king in quarantine and the other three are the corns.

Thanks again for the posts.

[Dexter]

Very nice set ups Mark, well done

[Markgrieves]

Originally Posted by Dexter

Very nice set ups Mark, well done

Thx Dexter, fingers crossed too